A Good Ole' Fashion Letter

Dear Younger Me,

I had a whole letter ready to send to you.

A great topic inspired by a short clip from a video I watched.

It will have to wait a week.

The videos, images, graphics, and improvements I’ve worked to make on these letters will have to wait a week.

Just I was putting the final touches on this weeks addition I received an email I was not expecting.

In a great way…

I think.

I had to change what I write about this week.

I want to discuss a simple idea:

Sprinting and Marathon running.

Something that I struggle with is having a long-term mindset with short-term patience.

A great friend described it perfectly:

“You tend to get extremely excited about something for a few months and then find yourself drifting to the “next big thing”.”

In the most encouraging way, this friend reminded me that I am a great sprinter, but not the best marathon runner.

In other words, I can push really hard to get something done, but have a more challenging time digging in and building out the bigger picture.

Which is OK, because there is so much room.

The reason I tell you this is two fold:

1. I just finished a “sprint week” of 10 hour work days coupled with further hours working on my side business, this newsletter, and pushing to build something that prompted the unexpected email - I feel my experience this week gives me some fresh perspective.

2. I want to use this experience and my perspective to challenge your thinking and (selfishly) help me reflect on this week.

How can I do this?

I’ll start with my reflection.

Finishing a sprint gives me a great sense of accomplishment.

“I did it!” “I accomplished something hard!”

Completion brings me gratification that reinforces the behavior.

And the cycle — I imagine — will repeat.

The funny thing about sprinting is that sprints pale in comparison to marathons.

Weeks and weeks and months and months and years and years of hard work to get to feel that — deeper — gratification.

That is where I fall short.

Younger me, this is where you may fall short too.

In today’s day and age the majority of people can’t even start sprinting because of instant gratification.

An even smaller amount of people will sprint (this is me).

There is an even smaller group of people that I aspire to be like.

A group of people I hope you aspire to be like too.

The marathoners.

The couple who has been happily married for 50 years (not just 50 weeks).

The business owner who has committed to the same idea for 10 years and just had his grand exit (not the one with 10 different businesses for 1 year - guilty).

The group of friends who go to the same family lake house when they are 45 that they did when they were 15.

The small group of individuals who can stick their foot in the mud for years and years and years in pursuit of the singular “thing.”

Time that’s compound effect provides a greater satisfaction than any sprint could provide.

But there is some complexity.

The complexity of this situation comes from deciding the trail to trek upon.

• WHO to run with.

• WHAT to run with.

• WHY to run in the first place.

This is the situation I come to from.

I have a suspicion I have some of it figured out.

Some trails are uncovering themselves.

Some marathons I am confident I want to run.

But there are others that feel risky.

That feel unknown.

That feel like the path has not uncovered itself yet.

That is scary…

But in some weird, comforting way - there is some satisfaction in seeking to find the path I have not yet discovered.

Do you relate?

Maybe this is a letter just for me, but if one other person can relate it will have been worth it.

Love you,

Older Me