1-2-3 Sundays: Content, Ultras & Dragons

1 Theme

Content

You know constantly eating shit food won't be helpful in the long run.

The same goes for content.

Regulating your content diet is a completely new phenomenon we now have to face.

In the same way as aiming to consume high-quality, nutrient-dense food, it's probably worth asking yourself if you're consuming quality content.

Scrolling through social media is an activity we all do but how much of that content do well actually take in? How much of it is actually relative to our lives?

Here are some ways I've found to help improve the content I consume:

Audit the accounts you follow
Listen to podcasts and audiobooks when driving
Flipped my mindset from 'consumer' to 'creator'
Stopped watching/checking the news

The quality of your mind is now directly related to the quality of your content diet.

The goal isn't to remove everything but to filter to what interests you, inspires you and, ultimately, what is actually worth taking in.

2 Positive Outcomes

Going Big

I'm doing a fucking ultra marathon.

A 50 km trail run near Loch Ness next May.

The strange part is, these events feel normal now.

The distance isn't intimidating even though I've never run that far before.

I know at one point the excitement and buzz from signing up will wear off and I'll be staring at the event in front of me.

When I see that first long-distance trail run in my program I know it will be real.

It's only then I'll be able to fully appreciate the challenge I'll be undertaking.

Just now it's about riding the wave of motivation and continuing to train.

House Of The Dragon

Wow.

As a huge Game of Thrones fan, I was excited to finally start watching this.

It hasn't disappointed so far.

3 Things I've Learned

Everything Works In Levels

Since the half marathon at the beginning of October, I feel like I've been coasting along with training - mainly because there's been nothing else on the horizon.

It could've been very easy to slip down to Level 1 - in a bit of a funk and feeling lost.

However, it's been enjoyable to not have an overarching goal in every session but rather the intention of going in to get a good workout in.

This is Level 2 - turning up, not seeing huge returns but in a state of flow.

There's nothing wrong with being here and it's where I spend a lot of my time.

Keeping myself in Level 2 means that when the time is right I can make the jump up to Level 3 - excited about everything, driven and seeing progress every week.

I listen to music when I'm working. It helps block out the noise of the office.

Despite wearing my AirPods and being fully immersed in what I'm doing, colleagues will come over to ask me questions.

I decided to run a very informal social experiment.

I swapped my AirPods for my PC headset that I wear during calls to see if I would experience more or fewer interruptions.

Turns out, wearing the headset meant fewer people came up to speak to when I'm using these.

I'm assuming they think I'm on a call and don't want to interrupt.

The decrease in sound quality is worth it for fewer distractions.

Redefining Normality

One of the biggest lessons I've learned over the last few years is how you define your normal.

Just because you do something different doesn't mean it's weird or not right.

Everyone has the ability to define their own normality.

I made a point of this when I didn't drink for a year from September 2020 to September 2021. Even now I'm very selective of when I choose to drink because for me alcohol doesn't always serve a purpose.

Your normal should be based on the values, behaviours and habits that promote your happiness and well-being.

If that means not going on nights out to focus on getting a good night's sleep followed by a walk the next morning then you should embrace it.