Mind Lessons from the Far East

Recently, I read a book by Haruki Marakami called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. The book is great and I recommend it. In fact, he has inspired me to change my life to create more space for writing. (As an aside, writing well requires frequent blocks of uninterrupted time.)

Spinning the title around, and considering Marakami-san’s introduction, I came up with:What I think about when I talk about myself.

Do you listen to the background dialogue that’s running when you’re telling someone about your plans for the future?

Now that I have my personal plan together for the next year, I’ve been listening to the internal dialogue that’s running when I talk to people about it. I pay special attention whenever I “hear” a disconnect in my head. I do a similar thing when anything in my life makes my angry or stressed. Make a note, check back later, consider if I’m in alignment.

Checking for personal alignment is how I maintain harmony in my head and heart. Open communication backed with personal harmony is the most effective tool that I know for managing change.

Whether you are coming up to an important race or considering your strategy for next year, listen carefully to what you’re thinking when you explain “why” to a close friend.