First, some housekeeping.
For the next 100 days, I will send you a small email, with min 100 words, as part of Jibran’s challenge. They’ll be focused on stories or ideas I believe can help me develop a better relationship with Métis. Maybe they will help you too! However, if you don’t want to receive these but want to receive updates on the podcast and essay, you can unsubscribe from this particular section.
Now, onto Day 1.
I don’t actually remember the details.
I’m not sure if I was there or if someone told me about it.
My family is friends with an entrepreneur that has a bunch of gyms, coaching businesses and is one of the leading spinning instructors in the world. He has this approach around his classes, where, instead of focusing on the physical aspect of the exercise, he actually designs a mental (and sometimes learning) experience.
The body follows the mind.
In one of his classes, he asked riders to give all they got.
Once again, I don’t remember if this was a first or third-person experience, but I know there were some minutes left before the class was done. Usually, this means that a certain pattern is about to start: you’ll sprint, slow down, come back up with the final sprint, and then finish the class.
“Focus on the present. Forget what’s in the past, let go of what’s about to come, and just give everything you got! “ he said.
Some people gave everything they got. Other ones, reasonable, held back. Doing 2 sprints in his classes was rough.
The bikers sprinted for a while and then, he ask them to slow down.
People did. Some were completely tired whereas other ones still had some gas left in the tank for a sprint that never came.
Gradually slowing down, he announced that the class was over.
Not without first asking:
Do you still have some energy left? What does that says about you? Would you like another sprint? What does that says about you?
I don’t remember if I was in that class or not, but this story always moves me. Because I know, I would be one of those saving a little bit of energy, thinking about the future, dwelling on the possibilities of what may come.
An idea made me start this newsletter, my podcast and a bunch of different projects. A Modern Golden Age is something that may happen in the future and that want to make happen. However, if I’m navigating the seas of tomorrow, I’ll fail to see the paths open for me today and will be left with the bittersweet sensation of a missed opportunity.
Wisdom transcends specific moments in time. It is not particularly related to the past, present, or future, but to all of them.
Métis, the goddess of wisdom is omnipresent.
Sure, the future will come and I want to be ready for it. But I’ll need wisdom in the present, to make sure I make the right decisions leading to a brighter, golden future.
So, what would happen if, for the next 100 days, I gave everything I got in each sprint that was presented to me? What would happen to you, if you did the same?
"Do you still have some energy left? What does that says about you? Would you like another sprint? What does that says about you?"
This really resonated with me. I am also one of those who would have some energy left. But, I think I want to be someone who would hold nothing back. Let's do our best for this challenge!