What I talk about when I talk about Running- 5 Takeaways
Here are 5 lessons that I learned about Personal Growth and Personal Development after reading Murakami’s, “ What I talk about when I talk about running- a memoir”.
Lesson #1- Suffering is optional
‘Pain is inevitable but suffering is optional’. After quick research, I found out that this quote has been attributed to the Dalai Lama, M. Kathleen Casey and also Haruki Murakami. Well now, it gives us all the more reasons to understand its meaning.
While I was pondering upon the meaning of this quote, I realized that Murakami was hinting at the process through which we mature. In mature stage of our life, we understand that success and pain can go hand in hand but suffering will always be optional. It takes long working hours to manage a business, it takes mental grit to learn a language, it takes 10,000 hours to perfectly play an instrument. Moreover, It takes discipline and willingness to go through pain and frustration to achieve what you wanted. You can either succumb to the pressure or persevere through the difficult phase and come out victorious. The choice will always be yours.
Here is some advice about mental exhaustion from Friedric Nietsche which stayed with me, he says, ‘when tired slow yourself down but don’t stop’. If you stop because your mind is saying you’re suffering and the pain is not worth the outcome, then you already lost it.
‘ Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be indpendent’- pg 19 What I talk about when I talk about Running
There is an opportunity cost laid out for everything. You can not bargain with pain in your life, even Buddha couldn’t! He had to go through pain to achieve Nirvana. So the best way is to become stronger with each crisis you face.
Lesson #2 Prioritize in Life
‘I’m struck by how , except when you’re young, you really need to prioritize in life, figuring out in what order you should divide up your time and energy. If you don’t get that sort of system set by a certain age, you’ll lack focus and your life will be out of balance’ pg- 37 ibid
Prioritize yourself, your goals, align you aspirations, and give your best to achieve them.
‘Sometimes your relationships with other people become problematic. Some people even get mad at you, because they invite you and you keep turning them down’ pg37 ibid
Relationships which impede your way to success are not worth your time, money and energy. Exclude these people, change your social circles and sometimes learn to seek solitude for your own sake.
“In certain areas of my life, I actively seek out solitude” pg19
Lesson #3 Life is unfair
Let’s face it : Life is basically unfair. But even in a situation that’s unfair, I think it’s possible to seek out a kind of fairness. Ofcourse, that might take time and effort. And Maybe it won’t seem to be worth all that. It’s upto to each individual to decide whether or not it is. pg43
Keeping sunny mental disposition is significant when it comes to dealing with unfair situations. You really must have a strong will to overcome difficult unfair situations. So, believe in yourself and your journey. Look for the next best thing in life: Amor fati.
Lesson #4 Most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school
You only learn when you want to, nobody can make you learn by forcing a curriculum or schedule on you. In this digital epoch you can easily learn pretty much everything online, except swimming or driving for that you’ll have to take classes! So learn to stay relevant in this ultra-modern, ever-evolving world. Take a hobby or practice a skill, it’s all upto to you how you wish to proceed with it.
‘Running is great. Everbody should try it. If some people have an interest in long-distance running, just leave them be and they’ll start running on their own. If they’re not interested in it, no amount of persuasion will make any difference.’ pg44
Lesson #5 Quality of your physical health is directly propotional to your mental Health.
Being a Runner and Writer myself, I could completely understand Murakami’s obsession with running. Physical exertion keeps your mind at peace. It helps you live your life to the fullest. You don’t need a trainer, just start with few meters and carry on! Exercise daily.
‘Most runners run not because they want to live longer but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you are going to while away the years, it’s better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life-and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runner world agree.’ pg 83
These were #5 lessons, I learned from Murakami. Follow for more blogs on Personal growth, Personal development, Productivity, etc.
