Do Cool Sh!t!
Do Cool Sh!t
Thank you for joining us again at the end of this week, the last Friday of October!
The Cape Town Marathon takes place annually in October. This year, 24,000 eager participants from around the globe lined up at the starting line, ready to take on the challenge of running 42.2 kilometers – many of them attempting their first marathon distance (some of whom we know personally).
One hour before the scheduled start of the race, the organisers announced that the race had been cancelled due to the danger caused by high winds. I cannot imagine the disappointment felt by these athletes at hearing this news. Having done this same marathon twice myself, I can tell you that it takes at least four months of preparation, running between 40 to 70 kilometers per week for us amateurs. Factor in the money spent on shoes, physio visits, travel, accommodation and everything else that goes into the preparation, and you can just hear the collective “Ah, what the (insert your expletive of choice)?”
ALL this effort, for nothing!
Yet what followed was pretty magical…
Thousands of athletes decided to have their own race on parts of the course that were considered safe by the authorities, with them completing anything between five and twenty-one-kilometer races of their own. Some brave souls even did the full marathon distance unassisted, which is a massive feat. In the hours that followed, videos started doing the rounds on social media of masses of people running, singing, having a wonderful time despite the fact that their day was not going as planned. Watching from a distance, I wanted to be there!
The previous night, Shinell and I watched live music together for the first time in many years with a bunch of friends, which was also fantastic! So much better than watching a music video on YouTube.
What is my point?
Something I read from Brad Stulberg earlier this week, which resonated personally and deeply:
“There’s so much more to life than staring at a screen. If you want to feel alive, then you need to live.
Date. Train for a marathon. Learn a language. Write. Join a band [or go watch one play live]. Garden.
Put yourself out there.
Do cool sh!t.“
I just love that. Can you think of anything that is more fun to watch on a screen than experience yourself? The only thing I can think of is playing against the Springboks. I wouldn’t want to do that myself. They are scary!
If you are having a difficult time facing the scary and putting yourself out there, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
