I hope I’m inspiring.
Well, I guess know I’m inspiring. I’ve been told I’m inspiring, but that’s not the point. I hope I stay inspiring. One of the great many things I’ve learned along my path is that inspiration is fickle. Inspiration is a notion that something might be a good idea and it requires absolutely no follow-through. Good ideas are good ideas whether you follow through or not.
Once upon a time, I was inspired to do something for my health. I went to the gym. It felt good, and I elected to do it again the next day. This went on for a period of time – let’s say a week, until one day I didn’t feel like it… like I deserved a break. I did deserve a break. I’d been working hard and it was time to rest. One day inevitably turned into two or maybe three – until guilt made me feel like I should get back on the horse. It; too, felt good.
After a while my feelings on the matter – the question of whether I was due for a rest, were no longer part of the equation. My rest days were planned just as much as my workout days were. I’d developed a routine and I was doing alright with it. Then I started seeing things I wanted to see. Things like larger biceps, or a lower number on the scale. This resulted in a more consistent practice. Diligent follow-through.
At some point along the way I was no longer inspired. I know I wasn’t inspired because there were days my alarm went off and I didn’t want to go to the gym – but I went anyway. That’s not inspiration, it’s discipline.
To this day I really don’t know how to answer the question “what inspires you?” because I think inspiration checked out a few miles back, and discipline took over. At this point there are so many great things that happen in my life as a result of my practice of self care that skipping a day doesn’t even occur to me – and when the unforeseeable happens, I reschedule, and I adapt… because that’s what discipline gets you: resilience.
This moves into every facet of life, including songwriting. Inspiration might get you to pick up a guitar and mess around with a chord progression or a lick, but discipline is what makes you pick up your guitar every day, and discipline is also what really has the capacity to make a song great.
Ultimately, if I had to choose between them, I’d rather be disciplined than inspired any day.
I didn’t make an entry about training last week, but it’s not for lack of follow-through. I’ve been changing my approach a little bit, and it’s all based on that notion that got me to start running in the first place…
Running is hard.
I’ve adjusted my focus away from the stationary bike and toward running. There’s still place for the bike… and for the rowing machine, stair climber, swimming… all of it, but running kills me the hardest. It’s the most calorie-burning and exhaustive activity I do, and I feel that if I want to accomplish my goals that I gotta dig in on the hard stuff.
It’s made for some ass-dragging, over-cooked days but it’s been worth the effort so far. I’ve definitely overdone it a couple times but I wear that with a bit of pride. I oughta pace myself, I know – but if I know anything, it’s that I will adjust, and fairly quickly.
Maintaining the weight lifting for a total of about 45-60 minutes, twice a week, and I hit the rowing machine, stair climber, and bike once a week each – the rest of the time I’m running. It looks like this:
Monday – long run (60 – 75 minutes)
Tuesday – stationary bike / weightlifting
Wednesday – rest
Thursday – long run (60 – 75 minutes)
Friday – row machine / weightlifting / stair climber
Saturday – bike (30 – 45 minutes) / run (30 – 45 minutes)
Sunday – rest
I’m undergoing a job-change right now, so there’s more than one kind of adjustment happening in my life, but it’s all for the best.
The Conscious Pilgrim 