Member-only story
Streaks Are Double-Edged Swords
They keep us going, but they make it harder to get back in the game
Out Of Shape
We will always want to avoid being out of practice and will inevitably fail to do so. The worst part is being painfully aware of how good we once were compared to our pathetic current state. In the face of our present predicament, the memory of accomplishing an onerous task with such flair and ease can be too much to take. Who hasn’t been there? “I used to run five miles without thinking about it.” “My fingers didn’t hurt after playing two songs on guitar.” “I was so fluent in this language that native speakers asked me if I was one of them.”
Regrets Are Heavy
As usual, regret only drags us down. It is easy to feel disheartened. More often than we care to admit, we consider focusing on something else entirely: go swimming instead of jogging, practise the piano, or learn a new language. The weight of our regrets is such that we prefer starting from zero in a new discipline to going back to something we already know how to do. Indeed, climbing to the top is a walk in the park compared to getting back on our feet after a silly fall.
After The Fall
For the past 1,108 days, I have penned one of these articles. Sometimes, I’ve been up to seven…