Notes
Some deeper ruminations on my run today.
Feeling profoundly happy to not be chasing anyone else's dreams anymore. I can pursue what I want, how I want, on my own terms. I fully believe that the fun is in the experience, in the search, in the self-satisfaction. At the end of the day, a trophy is just a piece of wood and glass that you use as a hollow boast, and most people don't even know what an "All-American" athlete is.
For me, competitiveness was a parasite that was killing the soul it attached itself to. I had to rip that shit out of myself as if it was a leech, sucking me dry. And the gash it left was filled with joy and peace that bubbles up and out of me in pure and sometimes unexpected laughter. And if you're not experiencing moments of fierce, uncontrolled joy tinged by sorrow (because you know that it is inevitable that everything you love will one day disappear), then you might want to check yourself for parasites and listen to "What if This is All the Love You Ever Get" by Snow Patrol.
I'm glad that my friends and family can compete at a high level and love it. Competition is not inherently a bad thing; my life is simply better off without it. Thanks for coming to my TED talk