39 / Avoidance Law. Productivity. Orchestra. Biking.

The process of re-identification.

Aug 17, 2021

Training is going smoothly for Ironman Maryland. You can follow my workouts here. Only three weeks left to make a fundraiser donation.

"A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd." — Max Lucado

This is one of my favorite quotes on leadership. It emphasizes two points: (1) leadership requires focus; (2) a leader might not see the fans, but believes in his team. There's a lot of people and noise that needs to be blocked out, but when done successfully, those in front of you create the symphony you've always wanted.

There are a LOT of sports in the Olympics. From table tennis to rhythmic gymnastics, there is something for everyone. And every single sport is the best one, according to Linda Holmes from NPR. Here's what she learned watching every sport.

Have you gone mountain biking? It's a great sport, but might not have looked like this. Take a ride with high-level mountain bikers around the world, from their point of view.
Less than a month left to support my IRONMAN fundraiser. I’ve been pushed physically and mentally over the last year for so many reasons. I sit here thankful for the lessons learned while training: grit and exploration to name a couple. I’m registered for IRONMAN Maryland as part of the IRONMAN Foundation team. As I continue to learn, I want to give back to the foundation that works to pass on the same lessons.
The LEGO Group has committed to making sustainable-sourced LEGO bricks by 2030. The quest has proven both a materials and marketing challenge, but progress is rapidly being made. "Each 1-litre plastic PET bottle provides them with enough raw material to make 10 LEGO 2x4 bricks."
Ah productivity, that ever-elusive Eden we all seek to perfect. This image from Liz and Mollie serves as a good reminder that being productive doesn't mean constantly working. Remember to have balance!

Manson's Avoidance Law

What parts of your story no longer serve a purpose?

(Read this online here.)

The word 'engineer' has been associated with me for eight years. It's a label that I have earned through training and education, and, as someone who likes creating things and solving problems, welcomed.

Do you identify with a label?

Athlete, mother, father, painter, godparent.

Labels are hard to let go of. And there are a lot of labels out there, as I've written about. Many labels are self-inflicted, too.

I have tended to shy away from labels, thinking of myself as someone who can do it all. I even used to use the word 'generalist' on my website, thinking a generalist can do everything, not realizing that generalist itself is a label!

But as I vibrate at a higher level, there are things that don't resonate like they used to.

Labels form an identity. Sometimes stretching outside that identity is uncomfortable, exhausting, or both. Afterwards, releasing outdated labels to take on new roles is freeing. But it's not easy.

Mark Manson ignited this line of thought with his self-named "Manson's Law:" the more something threatens your identity, the more you will avoid doing it.

"That means," Mark Manson writes, "that the more something threatens to change how you view yourself, the more you will procrastinate ever getting around to doing it."

For example, is there a jersey or t-shirt with a team logo that you refuse to get rid of? Maybe it has some holes or wear and tear, but the memory associated with it keeps that identity alive. The shirt is a time machine of sorts. It might be time to let it go.

"The crazy thing about Manson’s Law is that it can apply to both good and bad things in one’s life. Making a million dollars can threaten your identity just as much as losing all your money."

Stepping away from a role is bad.

Stepping towards what I want is good.

Neither makes it any easier.

In the last few years, I've gone from "not a runner" to "a runner," from "not a writer" to "a casual writer," from not a Twitter person to active on Twitter. But picking up new skills feels easier than letting identities go.

I will always rely on my engineering problem-solving background. I'll always be organized, practical, and thorough. But making the decision to step away from technical roles allowed me to explore communication, financial, and marketing skills that have been nascent.

The pandemic has given us all a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to examine our lives.

Manson's Law will rear its ugly head, but what identities no longer serve their purpose?