I've been doing a lot of targeted reading lately -- thank you
Twitter, which is truly a great tool for developing daily reading lists -- and
have started to notice a common theme surrounding individuals that tend to be,
in the broadest sense, mostly happy. They are highly motivated and engage in
activities that give meaning to their lives. They go about their days with what
I am starting to realize are two key ingredients: purpose and passion. When I
stepped back to examine how I fill my days against the two P's, naturally I put
my involvement in triathlon under the lens. At this current point in my life,
the results were overwhelmingly positive, so I'll continue to spend a good
amount of time swimming, biking, and running.
From a "purpose" standpoint, the most simplistic
evaluation is that I want to be as fast as possible. But, as I peeled back the
onion a bit, I realized that this has more to do with the process of becoming
as fast as possible; the things I learn about myself at the end of strenuous
workouts, the intimate relationship I continue to develop with with my body,
and the ability to hold myself accountable for results both positive and
negative. The sport adds meaningful complexity to my life, and it forces me to grow
and discover new things both physically and mentally... characteristics I can't
say hold true for even the best reality TV...
In terms of "passion," this is less empirical and far
more intrinsic. Does triathlon make me tick? Yes.
I think it is hard to disconnect the two P's. If you do things
with [and that have] purpose, it's a lot easier to be passionate about them.
So, given that triathlon can consume a lot of our most precious
resource (time), it is important to step back once in a while and test involvement
in the sport against the two Ps. If you pass the test, odds are you'll not only
be a happier person, but also a better triathlete since I think we tend to
perform best at things that make us happy. If you don't pass the test, it could
be a warning sign for the antithesis of happiness -- going through the motions
-- and a cue that maybe it's time to pivot to something new.
I'll end by sharing a few things that inspired these thoughts, and
although not as explicitly, do a far better job expressing what I'm going for
above. I highly recommend reading the interviews.
A) In response to more recent articles about intense
endurance sports and general health, someone posted on a forum, "I don't
do this to add quantity to my life, but to add quality to my life."
B) I couldn't help but notice the striking similarities in
the lessons offered between two extremely different people, both of whom seem
quite happy:
Interview with the esteemed Harvard Business School Professor Clay
Christensen:
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