Its a marathon, run a lap

is just running your race. We are all told about these arbitrary milestones we must achieve by arbitrary ages, and often we feel as if we are failures if we do not, but frankly, none of that actually matters. What does matter is that we are striving to achieve our goals and putting that work in

I see it in line reports, and I see it in myself. Part of the reason I go so hard is I feel like a failure or less than when I listen to US-based podcast episodes about SAAS operators who have scaled functions from 0-1 at a younger age than I, with increased levels of responsibility and risk. Now I am fortunate as I have been able to leverage that to drive me forward and keep running my race, but for some, the notion of being far behind is sufficient to enable some to give up or not even put their running shoes on. You have often heard, comparison is the thief of joy. It is truly. This leads to a wider conversation about where these pressures come from, traditionally, family members; now, due to the globalisation of society, they come from social media and alternative news outlets. There’s a separate topic here on how we should go on a social detox as suggested by Cal Newport (that will be talked about on another day)

Avoiding comparisons should allow one to focus on being the best they can be; it does not matter how hard I train, but it is unlikely I will run a sub-3-hour without running becoming an occupation, usage of PED’s and losing 20+ kg, and I am happy with that. I am happy with running my own race, at my own pace, because we are all on a journey to go somewhere, some get there faster than others, but we all end up in the same place. We have to enjoy the journey.

As I write this, I’m listening to the Marathon mixtape on a 06:15 train to Marylebone to continue my race. In order to ensure the marathon legacy/philosophy endures, the caretakers must follow the path he was on. The “Marathon” that Nipsey envisioned was not a sprint to material wealth but a slow, methodical trek to victory. It was a course that necessitated patience, education, persistence, hard work, and delayed gratification.

Who knew the impact that Benny line would have on me… I guess Akala was right, rap is poetry.