Graphically Speaking : 10,000 hours.

Before we start this post I have to say;

Go read this link.

I am absolutely delighted by this post.

Seth lays it flat out. Sink this post into your brains and learn to make the difference between both. It will serve you well, in time of choices.

Running, part III

On a personal note, I am starting to link my 10K to running. Maybe a bit too much.

Charity training never felt this hard. Donations here.

I do not know if you guys ever ran a mountain back in your home country . My first attempt was slightly disastrous. I was really not ready for such effort. The long and gentle incline gave my muscles the hardest time. My quads were on fire, I was out of breath.I considered myself a decent runner on the treadmill . Apparently, my body had a different opinion about the definition of a "decent runner". I stopped a couple a times. I braced myself for the next hill. Bit through the pain and completed the long trail.

For my second attempt, I was nervous. I absolutely knew what kind of pain that was coming. My body was trembling in fear the violent clash against the 233 meters high mountain. 

" When fear takes over, stop thinking and go. "

Suddenly the hills were less aggressive. Even though I felt pain in my legs, I still ran it without much stoppage (3 times : 1 minute water breaks). This leads to this blogs next post.

The long tail and the Dip: 10K version

The theory is similar. The long tail is refers to many internet theories about managing competition of the degree of difficulty to surpass the “big guys”. The Dip is more about, the time you have to spend in order to get to the “other side” of success and it’s real worth. 

I was thinking while running, of the hills of course.

Here are the Dip and the long tail graph.

Both graphics are similar and simple. They both show you that there is a long distance between success and efforts and where you stand. The Long tails really focuses on a products and popularity. The Dip focuses on efforts and result.

For the first time, here is the 10K graphic.

The graph presents many concave curves. Those curves represent hills. At some point in your 10K, you will face your own. There will be many challenges. Seth Godin is wrong on this point; there are many times that you will face various challenges. Not once, but many times. The improvement factor will greatly diminish or improvement will be much harder to be felt as when you reach higher levels of mastery, improving even one percent might take months or years. Remember though, the money is into this one percent. Keep pushing. If the view of the mountain is beautiful and beyond words, if the life after getting on top is the reason why you breath, forget about your pain and keep running. Your family, friends, the world needs you to do so. We rely on you to push the standards. We need you to make us proud, to make us cry and to give us that warmth that your fire provides. Bet on yourself. You are putting all the odds on your side.

Of course this proposition is not ultimate. Some of us are born with more boundless talent and greater basic skills, which gives them less aggressive hills to attacks. Some of us, are simply not resilient enough to go through these hoops.

This is why you have to mark the top of the mountain as you end goal. I cannot insist enough that you have to see your objective e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y.

Long post! Hope that makes up for my time spent slaving outside!

Cheers,

Yvens