Coach Tip Tuesday: The FIFTH Anniversary of Coach Tip Tuesday!

Five years! For the 260th Tuesday in a row, it’s Coach Tip Tuesday!

I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that I would be able to find something relatively interesting to talk about every week for 260 weeks in a row.  But, here we are.

One of the best parts of being a full-time endurance coach is that I get to immerse myself in learning every single day. I am always seeking to further my coaching education by reading books and research articles. I attend conferences and webinars to keep up on the latest best practices in the endurance coaching space. But more than anything else, I learn from each and every one of the athletes I work with. My experiences working with them have inspired so many thoughts and things to share over the years.

Since Coach Tip Tuesday was born out of my friendship with Coach Brendan Jackson, I try to share something that honors his spirit and memory each anniversary of Coach Tip Tuesday. I’ve shared some of the kicks in the rear that he used to dole out, how fundamentals are the foundation of any and all athletic gains, how running laps to get a “good” distance on your Garmin is just plain silly, and how we should all write ourselves a letter.

This year, I want to ask you all to do this:

Name something that you do in your life for leisure that is just for joy.

I suppose it’s helpful if I elaborate on my definition of “leisure” and “joy.”  I’m talking about something that is not work.  Something that you don’t need to track.  Something that is not connected to results and something that you are not trying to be “better” at as you progress through it.  Something important to you, but not social media post-worthy.  I’m talking about something that you do purely and simply because you love it, not because you expect or want a tangible result to come from your participation in it.

I know it may sound weird or crazy to ask a bunch of athletically-minded folks to name something that they do that isn’t results-oriented.  The very nature of sport is competitive, whether that competition is against other or our own selves.  Athletes are always seeking progress, in one form or another.  And as such, many of the things that we do in our lives serve to support those goals as we seek that progress.

However, true as that may be, not everything has to have a purpose.  Some things are just good for our souls.

My friend Coach Brendan Jackson did so many things simply because they brought him joy.  One only needed to be in his presence for a mere five minutes to sense that he was a man who loved his life, the people in it, and the things he did.  His life was so well-lived, but cut so far short after a mere 58 years.

In the midst of all the “must-dos” of our daily lives, it’s important to take a few moments each day to do something simply because it makes us happy.  Carving that time helps us reset our minds and engage more deeply in the other things (such as work, family, etc.) in our lives.  

Although Western (and specifically American) culture tends to convey the message that we should always be striving to accomplish something, the truth of the matter is that always aiming to achieve something is downright tiring and not entirely necessary.  We need a degree of balance there, and engaging in things that make our souls happy is the way to do this.

So.  What do you do just for the joy of it?