Would you still do it if no one ever knew?
Playing the fine line between documenting it and the personal why.
“Every goal you attain becomes a memory the moment you attain it and then you're just left to think about it and the question is what are you going to do next?” - Sam Harris
Firstly - thank you to everyone that has read the last few stacks and has personally messaged me or has shared it with a friend. Appreciate you all, so much.
What a wonderful and different week it’s been for me. This week, I had to drop the ego by doing things I said I’d never do again. Being in places and being around people that don’t necessarily fill my cup. Working on building sites and looking down from the 2nd story to see the Troopy parked up. Whispering “I’m sorry Ruby, we will be back on the road soon” Haha. Being on a site is my comfort bubble. I know it like the back of my hand. I feel in control. I get it and I understand what’s happening. And the big reason I’m there is it’s paying for the next big adventure, which I am absolutely over the moon about. (more to share on that soon!) So it’s all good but it’s just funny how I had to have that internal chat with myself.
Many years ago I was having coffee with a friend and he said something to me that stuck with me all this time.
“Making money doesn’t have to be exciting.”
I touched on that a little bit on my last stack. Read the latest stack here
Using the income to give you that reasoning of chasing a passion project or building your own business etc.
‘Would you still do it even if no one ever knew’ has been floating around in my brain ever since I read Tim Grover’s book - ‘Relentless.’ He talks a lot about the 3 sorts of athletes he sees and has trained with in the past.
You have the Coolers. The Closers. The Cleaners.
Here’s a short base-level intro on Tim Grover talking about the difference between all 3. Tim Grover. Coolers. Closers. Cleaners.
I’ve re-engineered it over the years into my little spin on how I see the above, in terms of documentation on social media, with training and life-to-life activities, and it was re-sparked into my mind after a conversation over a Zoom chat the other day with a beautiful mate of mine. The idea of ‘Would you do it even if no one ever knew.’
Would you run that ultra-marathon if no one ever knew?
Would you train at 5 am if no one ever knew?
I’m a fan of documenting the little littles in life but I’ve slowly become a bigger fan of just sitting in them moments more without the temptation of getting the phone out to film it or snap a quick photo. Over the last few months, I’ve worked on leaving my phone at home during runs, unless it’s needed for maps out on the trails but even still I turn it to aeroplane mode so no one can detract me from ‘me’ time.
For me, a Cleaner is someone who gets on with it without the thought process of posting it online. They just carry on with their work and let race results speak for themselves or, depending on what it is, let their new business tell the story.
That late-night workout? No one cares.
That long run? A few friends might give you some love for it. Well done.
Are you doing it for the dopamine hit of that reaction from others or doing it for personal achievement and for the love of the activity itself?
Now this is where, for me, the fine line comes into play. When documenting that late-night workout and sharing it online, you might inspire someone to also do something similar. When you share your long run, you might remind someone to get outside and move their body. It might be that 1% push they needed to put their phone down and do it. I’ve had messages from all kinds of people saying ‘Thank you for sharing xyz because it got me out of my comfort zone and I booked a solo ticket to the Philippines.’ Or ‘Thanks for sharing your runs while you travel - it inspired me to get outside and move even when I’m on holiday.’
I’m still in this interesting relationship with social media on how we use it and what we consume while using it.
Questions like; How do I want to use it? What do I want to post? What do I want to consume? run through my brain often.
The latest answer I have for all the questions above is doing it all with an intention.
Picking and choosing when to share a workout or a run online.
No one needs to see it every time?
This isn’t me saying go monk mode and hide away from it all. (I mean, that’s also not a bad idea) Im not anti-social media. Im pro for it, it’s such a useful and wonderful tool to have. But for me, it’s just about being aware of it and not getting complacent with it. We have grown up with phones being in our pockets or on us 24/7.
Can you think of the last time you just left your phone at home and went to the shops or wandered over to a cafe to go get a coffee with a friend? Or the last time you woke up and didn’t look at it till that evening? I find it quite scary that we’ve been so wired on these powerful devices, purely the fact we grew up with them so it’s the new norm.
This week’s challenge is to chase your inner Cleaner.
If you are one to share regular runs or workouts on your Instagram story, maybe cut it back to just once or better yet, have a full week off sharing it online and just see how that feels.
It’s important to remind yourself why you started your running or business journey. Was it to get the likes and that notification boost?
Or was it for personal growth and becoming the fittest version of yourself?
If possible, leave your phone at home on your next run. If it’s not needed for maps or there are no work requirements to be on standby for just throw it on charge and enjoy it without taking that aesthetic photo of the sun shining through the trees.
Sit with the feeling of “why am I here”
Have a wonderful week!
Here are some of the intentional little littles that I captured on camera or what friends airdropped me.
