My supervisor/ boss/ colleague/ quasi older brother suggested our team of three read, in order to frame our work for the next year, a book called Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard. Leonard talks about "loving the plateau," that is, the time between spurts of growth or change that we normally call "achievement" or "progress." Despite its metaphor for life (which I will permit you, gentle readers, to extrapolate for yourselves), I have been thinking about its relevance to my own running. I am looking forward to Ohlone, as I haven't run a race since December (flakage on Sunday's tri duly noted), but I was thinking the other day about how much this blog has brought me back to the daily practice. I'm definitely running strong (well, for me anyway), yet I am reminded by Leonard's words how the present moment of practice, the never-ending grind of getting out, putting on my shoes and showing up for a run is what really counts:
"Practice, the path of mastery, exists only in the present...To love the plateau is to love the eternal now, to enjoy the inevitable spurts of progress and the fruits of accomplishment, then serenely to accept the new plateau that waits just beyond them. To love the plateau is to love what is most essential and enduring in your life." (George Leonard)
Enjoy your plateau.
1 comment:
oooh, i like that. i might have to read that book as well!
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