I’ve been thinking about this all week.
I wanted to write something epic. Something resonant.
The “Born To Run” of blog posts.
The “Pulp Fiction” of emails.
Something vulnerable that reveals a past challenge or trauma.
A story of my childhood.
Or perhaps something inspiring.
A blood-pumping, heartbreaking work of staggering genius.
But, alas, nothing came.
And the deadline was drawing near.
But just like a Mike Tyson, mid-1980’s right hook, the idea shook my brain as I stood on the subway.
(For those of you interested, almost all writing ideas come to me either on the subway, when walking or when in the shower. So if you are struggling for inspiration for any project, putting yourself in an effective environment is a good first step.)
I realized, in the words of Ryan Holliday, that the obstacle was the way.
That the epic blog post was going to be about how things don’t need to be epic.
Instead of breaking your brain by having this devolve further into an Abbott and Costello-like “Who’s On First” routine (and continuing to pepper you with one sentence paragraphs) let me just get to the point.
Most pursuits cannot, should not and will not be epic.
Sure, the outcomes might end up epic. You could end up building the next Amazon or writing something equal to The Great Gatsby or composing like Chopin. But the steps, the day-to-day, will often feel mundane and stale and like a constant uphill battle.
And this is no more true of anything than it is of training.
The vast majority of training days, particularly as you stack them up through consistency, will be ordinary. You’ll lift the weights you are supposed to lift. You’ll run the miles you are supposed to run. The science and predictability will win the day.
Before you ask, yes, there will be days when you feel like a superhero. Just like you did when that girl in ninth grade science class looked in your direction for about .8 seconds longer than seemed normal and you interpreted that to mean you would date through high school, go to prom together, end up married with 3 kids and all live together inside Disney World.
There will also be days where you will feel like hot garbage and under perform. I mean, what did you expect? Raising children in Cinderella’s castle, sustaining yourself on funnel cakes and giant turkey legs and only having access to monorail transportation takes a lot out of a guy.
But, like I said, most days will be very predictable and ordinary.
Here’s the good news: that is what you actually want.
It’s the pathway to sustainable results while avoiding injuries and emotional burnout. And, unless you are a competitive athlete, there is no real benefit to having a specific performance on a specific day.
Listen, I get it. Somedays you roll into the gym hopped up on energy drinks and Miley Cyrus’ “Party In The USA” blaring in your AirPods and you want something special to happen.
But I can tell you from personal experience, when you charge in like a rhino you are often setting yourself up for a disappointing outcome.
There are days when I’m fired up to play guitar and I just want to pick it up and sound like Eddie Van Halen. But those are typically the days when I hit the most clunkers. Because I haven’t warmed up or thought things through and my brain is way ahead of my body.
So go in expecting the ordinary and, from time-to-time, you might be surprised. Goes for training, guitar playing, business, everything.
The trick is allowing things to come to you. To give yourself time on the subway or a few more minutes in the shower or one more warm-up set on the platform.
It may not lead to anything epic. Hell, it likely won’t.
But it will give you the ability to get the work done. To meet the deadline.
And for you to be prepared when the big day does come.