[antifragile 4 🔥] throw-away comment distilling joy, fatigue is an emotion, reflective AI prompt, Disney hugs
#24: a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind.
Welcome to the 24th edition of the antifragile 4 🔥.
It’s a weekly 4-item newsletter created to inspire dads to use the challenges of fatherhood as fuel for building an incredible life & an antifragile mind. Some weeks will have a theme, others will meander. Expect it every Friday.
This week’s antifragile 4 🔥:
a throw-away comment about podcasting & ultrarunning 🏃🏻♂️ that distilled what it is to be joyful.
a theory arguing that 🥵 fatigue is simply an emotion
a reflective ChatGPT prompt 🤔
the magic 🪄 of a Disney hug
Plus, (New) AI Image of the Week!
—
1.) a throw-away comment about podcasting & ultrarunning 🏃🏻♂️ that distilled what it is to be joyful.
First, this conversation was really cool. Rich Roll interviewed David Roche, who recently crushed the course record for the Leadville 100-Mile Trail Race (100 miles, 18,000ft total gain, race starts at 10,000ft altitude 🤯).
But it was a comment by Rich Roll early in the conversation, starting at 4:54, when relating the feelings of pre-recording nerves to that of pre-race nerves.
You want it to be great…You can’t force it to be something that it doesn't want to be. You have to kind of let go at the same time. So it’s this kind of…energy you have to bring to it. You want to direct it, and you hold an aspiration for a certain kind of result while also having to let go of the result and just be present with the experience.
Rich Roll
The balance of “intention without attachment”, as the Dalai Lama describes it, is a concept that fascinates me. Because I think behind it lies incredible peace and joy.
But it’s also hard to wrap your head around. Especially as someone who has worked for results his entire life.
To be both fully engaged in an effort while simultaneously completely unattached to the outcome…is frankly antithetical.
But when you dig a little deeper, it’s quite simple; you must fall in love with the process of whatever you’re doing. It’s the practice that must bring you joy. The results will come or they won’t. That’s not your concern.
Being completely present in the process is where the joy lies. And sometimes just happens to produce incredible results (even though you don’t care 😉).
2.) a theory arguing that 🥵 fatigue is simply an emotion
Dr. Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise science at the University of Cape Town and author of the running tome The Lore of Running, developed the Central Governor Theory back in 1996.
In it, he proposes that the brain subconsciously limits physical exertion to protect the body from potential harm or exhaustion. Aka fatigue is an emotion rather than a true reflection of your body’s level of exhaustion.
Then some of my colleagues found that fatigue is purely a sensation; an emotion. It has nothing to do with what’s actually happening in your body, and it’s got lots to do with how close you are to the finish of the race. So the brain uses this emotion of fatigue to keep you within a safe pace as you run a long race.
Dr. Tim Noakes
This is mind-blowing. And makes complete sense as a survival mechanism.
Your brain wants to leave some gas in the tank, just in case you got surprised on the Savana by a situation where you need a high energy output to fight or flee.
But neglecting the mental side of athletic performance means you’re potentially leaving significant performance on the table.
This is why he argues for training mental strength, if not more, than physical strength:
When you have your best race you don’t even remember it. It’s like you’re in a trance. And I think that’s the state that you want to get into. But if it were so easy to get into we would do it all the time. My best marathon I don’t remember the last 10k, I was so focused. What I do know is, if you ever ask the question “Will I finish?” or any negative statement, that’s it, your race is over.
The very best athletes presume that they’re going to win and that’s what they’re focusing on all the time. Two Kenyans that I spoke to recently said that they see the mental effort as being greater than the physical effort in a marathon. The mental concentration -and not letting go at any moment- that’s what’s critical.
Dr. Tim Noakes
Much of mental training is done via physical training. You can’t sit on the couch and convince your brain you’re a champion marathoner.
But developing protocols to further train the mental side - visualization, affirmations, etc - could prove a massive catalyst to your next performance. I’m certainly going to apply it to mine.
3.) a reflective ChatGPT prompt 🤔
If your ChatGPT has any context on your life, this prompt can be very cool.
Here’s what it came back with for me:
What small, consistent actions can I take daily to align my current habits with the future I envision for my family, health, and purpose?
🤔
4.) the magic 🪄 of a Disney hug
The rumor is that characters at Disney Theme Parks cannot be the first to let go of a hug with a guest. True or not, it’s such an amazing protocol with your kids.
To hold that hug until they are ready to let go reminds them that there is nothing in the world as important as this hug with them right now.
—
AI Image of the Week
AI is fun. So I’m creating a weekly image on a theme discussed in the newsletter.
This week: “Intention without attachment” 😌
Two last things for you this week:
Give your kid(s) a Disney hug today.
Be fire and wish for the wind 🔥
With love,
Chris