The 102nd Edition
There are two voices in your head: one is SOFT, and one is HARD.
The trick is knowing which one deserves your attention.
Something to Think About
A big problem you often face is that you’re listening to the wrong voice at the wrong time. But there is value in both voices.
Something to Ask Yourself
Which voice have you been listening to most lately, and what might happen if you gave the other one a chance to speak?
Personal Lesson
I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently because, well, I’m a coach and sometimes I need to choose which voice will be most effective with my clients. (Dw, I’m never delivering the hard voice insensitively, but truth is sometimes not what we want to hear but what we need to).
But I myself also often listen to the wrong voice at the wrong time.
There are periods where I become obsessed with progress and the hard voice takes over. It tells me to keep pushing, creating, training more, to keep proving myself.
I convince myself that every missed opportunity is a failure of discipline.
The hard voice speaks the language of ambition and achievement, and if I’m honest, it’s a voice that has helped me accomplish a lot in my life.
But there are other times when the soft voice becomes louder.
It reminds me I’m tired and that that’s ok. It tells me I deserve a break, encourages me to sleep more and have a slow day, delay the run until later, or even take a rest day.
It tells me to be kind to myself and to recognise the work I’m putting in is enough. And that I’m enough. Sometimes that voice is exactly what I need.
But sometimes it’s just comfort disguised as wisdom.
They are both great, but they can both have their dangers.
The hard voice can push us towards burnout. The soft voice can pull us towards stagnation and a general unwillingness to work.
I believe the real skill is learning when each voice is serving you and when it’s leading you astray.
Running – Life’s Metaphor
There are days when the hard voice is the one you need. The alarm goes off, it’s raining outside, motivation is nowhere to be found, and the only reason you get the session done is because you honour the commitment you made to yourself.
But there are also days when the soft voice is wiser. Your body is exhausted, life is overwhelming, and forcing another hard session would only dig a deeper hole. The mature athlete isn’t the one who always pushes. The mature athlete knows when to push and when to pull back.
Life demands the same awareness.
Final Thoughts
People often use the word “soft” as an insult. They talk about softness as though it’s a weakness to be eliminated.
I don’t think that’s true.
Some of the most important things in life require softness. Compassion, Patience, Love, and Understanding another human all require softness. The world would be a far worse place if nobody possessed these qualities.
Likewise, we shouldn’t pretend hardness is a flaw either. Discipline matters. Resilience, keeping your word to yourself, and enduring all matter.
There are moments when life asks something difficult of us, and a softer approach isn’t enough.
The danger comes when we become attached to one voice and reject the other.
Some people become so hard that they lose their humanity. Others become so soft that they never realise their potential, what good they could offer the world, and what great things they could accomplish.
Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is rest.
Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for yourself is get up and do the thing anyway.
Both voices belong to you.
Neither is the enemy.
Neither should be something you’re afraid of.
RUN THE RUNNABLE 😉