The latest Zen is Stupid touched on something that I think about a lot. Maybe too much. The discussion was about what we set goals for, and how goals themselves can become an attachment. As I near the end of my PCP, I thought I might reflect on this here.
I've thought about this in two areas: fitness and education. I'll start with fitness. My goal with the PCP was to get in excellent shape, that I would carry through the winter. The higher level of strength and endurance will help me with cycling and triathlon, and bring my race time down. Eventually, I want to complete a half-ironman race, possibly in 2011. But here's the thing, I like races and events because they give me a goal and force me to get up in the morning to work out. Without that deadline I'll push back, stay in bed (like I did today) and be lazy. I know this will have long-term health consequences, and make me feel like crap all day. Do you see what's happened there? I train to do events because they make me train. Maybe this is good, a self-reinforcing system. But if I don't keep this cycle in mind, if I forget, then what am I doing? When I did the Philly tri last summer I saw many many many people who were just miserable. The look on their face, their posture, was just miserable. They had better times than me, but so what? I need to remember that I do this stuff because I think it is fun, and if it stops being fun I need to get out and quickly.
The second area is education. I've got my education all screwed up. Basically I started a master's program in August 2002 and am just (knock on wood) finishing up in December. In the mean time I've gotten within two classes of another masters and started a third here in PA. Now I can work this to where everything intermingles and I end up with all three just in time to start the PhD program when it is planned to start up here. But, why? Right now it is because I am interested in this Comparative Education field and the work that is being done. But the goal is to do that work, to study the intersection of education and sustainable development. And I suspect the only way to get someone to pay me for that is to get a PhD. But I'm not going to lie, if someone offered me a job tomorrow doing this kind of research I'm not sure I would take it. Because I am attached to getting a doctorate. The means has become a goal. And it's a big goal, but for what? Does it help me get to where I want to be?
This sounds like some Zen Habits or Lifehacker nonsense, but when we set our goals we have to make a distinction between strategy and tactics. The overall strategy is to live a healthy life and to study ecological economics and education. The tactics are the PCP, the races, the degrees and the other things I need to do to make that happen. It is okay to change tactics if it gets you closer to the strategic goals. This is very easy to say and very hard to do.
That last paragraph really is the hardest one. I meet people all the time who say "I've been doing such and such (pilates, kickboxing, SlimFast) for years, and I'm still not where I want to be!" They don't seem to make the connection that a tactic that doesn't produce results should be discarded as soon as possible, even if it's as comfortable as an old pair of shoes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I need to get my head in the right place I read old Bruce Lee quotes. Changing tactics and focusing on what works without dogma was his true strength.