Time to catch up

My legs were pretty stiff on my gentle jaunt around South Cave this morning, after yesterday's half marathon followed by a six-hour train journey up to Yorkshire.

I've delivered my three workshops for the day, which went really well and am now sitting in a coffee shop in Brough, waiting for the first of the three trains that will take me home.

I've been reading about intrinsic motivation again in my gaps between workshops.

I do think it's so true that the world, at least the western world, is changing towards being more motivated by autonomy, mastery and purpose rather than by profit alone. At least it's true for individuals.

Now it's up to businesses and government to recognise this and catch up with the rest of us.

Fun at the Half

I really enjoyed pacing the 2 hour 20 minutes runners in today's Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon. My knee held up really well and the weather was perfect.

My legs are a little stiff as I'm about to head for the train to take me up to Brough for the three workshops I have to deliver tomorrow.

It's just a shame that I'll miss the Harriers festivities with free champagne for Half Marathon helpers at a local hostelry this evening.

It's amazing what a difference I find that it makes running just a little bit slower and being there to help others achieve their goal, rather than me pushing for my running goal.

I actually find it far more satisfying. I think I helped quite a few runners achieve their goal. Surely that has to be better than just me!

Discovering the obvious

I've just completed my last one and a half miles in Brough, or South Cave to be precise, as I'll be heading home this evening.

I managed to find three different routes although they were all out and back rather than circuits, which I generally prefer.

It occurred to me while I was on my way back to the hotel this morning, that I asked several people if there were circuits to run and if there was a map of the local roads when I first arrived here three days ago, but it never occurred to me to look on Google maps.

It's quite funny when the completely obvious hits you several days after it would have been really useful.

The trick now is to be really pleased that I can use that information to my advantage next time I'm here, or on my trip to Manchester next week, rather than dwell on how hopeless I am for not thinking of something so obvious in the first place.

I do feel really pleased and happy.

Is that because I'm an eternal optimist?

Is it because I'm an idealist and lack realism?

I don't know for sure, but I am pretty sure that one of the reasons is because I start my day with a run!

Goals that attain mastery

Even harder to get out of bed at 5.30 this morning to run, but nevertheless I managed 1.4 miles and explored a new route on my Brough adventure.

I read something new about goals today in Daniel Pink's "Drive". I've never been entirely comfortable with the concept of goals that are imposed by others.

Here's a couple of things that I read:

"Goals that people set for themselves and that are devoted to attaining mastery are usually healthy. But goals imposed by others - sales targets, quarterly returns, standardised test scores, and so on - can sometimes have dangerous side effects."

"Goals may cause systematic problems for organisations due to narrowed focus, unethical behaviour, increased risk taking, decreased cooperation, and decreased intrinsic motivation. Use care when applying goals in your organisation."

Interesting ideas. Whilst increased risk taking is not always a bad thing as far as I'm concerned, unethical behaviour, decreased cooperation and decreased intrinsic motivation are always a bad thing, I would suggest.

Maybe that's why my mile each day seems to work.

And the mastery I am attaining is probably the mastery of my side that is tuned to possibility, over my side that is concerned with negative and self-critical internal dialogue.