Most of my miles are a grind. Not unpleasant, but not bliss either. I run, measure my progress, and push myself hoping to get faster.
But on rare occasions it feels like I have found an extra gear. The sky clears, the oxygen feels richer, and my legs loosen their resistance. I don't know where it comes from. These special runs are hard to explain and even harder to reverse engineer. Was it something I ate? My running tech tracks every watt and heartbeat of my runs and yet there is no pattern, no scientific reason that I can find to explain these breakout workouts. And I am not sure I want to find a reason. Because it's nice to know that my body is capable of surprising me.
You may notice a similar pattern in your professional life. You put in the miles, track your progress, and do whatever you can to improve. Eventually you can hit your stride on demand. It's called being a pro. You can be trusted to deliver consistent quality nearly every time your number gets called. As a pro, much of your work will be a grind. Not unpleasant, but not bliss either. But keep at it long enough and you will surprise yourself. Out of nowhere it feels like you have found another gear. The sky clears, the oxygen feels richer, and the resistance disappears. These are the rare moments when we produce work that is better than what we are capable of.
If you are lucky enough to find that extra gear, forget trying to find the pattern, just enjoy the ride. And when the miles feel longest remember that at any moment you might surprise yourself by what you achieve.
Thanks for reading. I write weekly, grinding through the gears for your enjoyment. Stay creative.
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