Day 44: Spartan Up! Podcast

                When preparing to write my day 24 post on podcasts, I stumbled across the Spartan Up! Podcast that features Spartan Race founder, Joe De Sena sitting down with peak performers in many different aspects of life, discussing what it is that makes them successful & providing a healthy dose of motivation at the same time! After the interview that usually lasts 15 to 20 minutes, Joe sits down with some of his colleagues to dissect what the guest had to say, breaking it down into actionable next steps for listeners.

The official description states that ‘Spartan Race founder & CEO Joe De Sena travels the globe seeking the secrets to success from authors, academics, athletes, adventurers, CEO’s & thought leaders. This will shift your thinking, make you laugh & give you the tools you need. He’s on a mission to find success in all aspects of life. Not only does Joe interview epic people, he has brought together an amazing panel to break down & analyze every aspect of these interviews. We give you the ultimate blueprint & action steps to assimilating these powerful conversations into your own life.'

                The podcast comes out once per week on Tuesday morning & at only 20 to 30 minutes per episode, is a must listen. I have adopted the podcast as the official ‘soundtrack’ to my workouts & runs as it often provides the motivation I need to keep pushing. Since I first discovered the Spartan Up! Podcast a few weeks ago, I have worked my way from the most recent episode (140) all the way back to episode 100, & am showing no signs of slowing down!  I recently listened to episode 100 where the crew discusses some of their favourite podcasts to date, so I thought it a good time to discuss some of my favourite episodes from episode 140 to 100. 
                Below I discuss a few of the recurring themes that I've picked up on through my first 40 podcasts, and also discuss my 3 favourite podcast episodes to date.

 
 

Recurring Themes

 

                If you follow Spartan Race founder, Joe De Sena, on social media, or have heard him interviewed at any time, you probably quickly realized that he is a no non-sense kind of guy. Joe believes in perseverance & grit above all else, but as you listen to him more you learn that it is a type of 'loving toughness.' Below I discuss three of the major themes that I have taken away from the podcast through the first 40 episodes that I have listened to.

1. Perseverance: many of the guests that Joe has on the podcast have overcome some major obstacles at some point in their life, whether it’s episode 139 guest Mordechai Weiner who overcame a lifelong battle with obesity, or episode 120 guest Ray Morvan who overcame an alcohol & opiate addiction. The recurring theme is to keep moving. Although Joe & his crews approach to overcoming life's challenges may be more of a ‘tough love’ approach than many are used to, once you listen to the crew a few times you quickly realize that it is coming from a place of love, & that sometimes simply ‘sucking it up’ is the best way to push through life's biggest challenges.
    
2. Finding Your ‘Why’: a theme that is repeated nearly every episode, which is very near & dear to my heart & that I discussed in my day 19 post, is finding your ‘why’ for chasing the goals that you are after. For me this is a huge key to setting & achieving goals; it is not good enough to simply have a goal, you must know why achievement of that goal is important to you. For Spartan Racers, it may be to improve your health, live longer, or even simply to feel better. The key to pushing through the tough times, is to remember why you are working towards your goals. 
    
3. One Foot in Front of the Other: the third recurring theme of the podcast is to simply put one foot in front of the other & keep moving. This means that when tackling a huge obstacle or goal that at the surface may seem impossible, you must simply put one foot in front of the other & keep pushing through. A journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. The crew speaks to a number of guests who achieved incredible results in the fitness & business world, & a recurring theme is that when the going got tough, they brought their macro goal down to a micro level, & simply kept putting one foot in front of the other, day in & day out until the job was done.

  Favourite Episodes

 

            Although I am only 40 episodes in, I will pass along my favourite episodes to date, & when I make it back to the first episode 1 (which likely won’t take long at this pace), I will look back & see if these episodes stand up as my favourites. Below I start in italics with the official description of the podcast from the show notes page, then give my take on why the episode spoke to me personally.

1. Episode 138 with Elizabeth Weil: one of the most successful women in the venture capital field & dedicated runner, Elizabeth never stops driving toward success. Within her hectic schedule of career, & raising twins, she stresses the importance of ‘non-negotiables.’ They are key to a successful career & happy life. She describes them & her three keys to success in this interview. Weil shows us how it is possible to achieve balance even when you build your life to precipitous heights.
             For me, the episode with Elizabeth Weil highlighted a very important point; you must make finding time for what is important in life a priority. I sometimes find it challenging to balance work, family, & exercise, however in hearing Elizabeth’s story, I quickly realized that it is simply a matter of making the activities that you deem most important in your life non-negotiable, meaning no matter what happens that day, you will complete these activities, then building around your day from there. Regardless of what is going on in your life, you can always find 30 minutes to exercise, & often this exercise will make you more efficient than had you not gone in the first place. The episode with Elizabeth reminded me of the stones, gravel & sand in a jar analogy; when trying to fit stones, gravel & sand into a jar, if you start with the sand, you will never find room for the stones. If instead you put the stones in first, then the gravel, then the sand, the gravel & sand will naturally seek out the empty spaces & fill up the jar. The key is to put your stones into your schedule first; exercise, family time, work or whatever else you deem non-negotiable – once those stones are in place, then you can add your gravel & sand (recreational activities) 
    
2. Episode 125 with Jon Levy: behavioural scientist & expert on adventure, Jon Levy knows what makes Spartans tick. He wrote a book about it, The 2AM Principle: Discover the Science of Adventure. A big reason why people undertake challenges outside their comfort zone is to reach flow state, a Zen-like sense of timelessness, total absorption in an activity, & sense of mastery.
               Perhaps my favourite episode to date, Jon discusses the idea of pushing beyond your comfort zone & perceived limits to achieve a state of flow. A quote of his that I loved was “the size of your life will be proportionate to how uncomfortable you’re willing to be.” I love this quote because I truly believe that in order to achieve anything remarkable in life, you have to continuously push beyond your perceived limits & comfort zone. A second point from Jon’s episode that I really loved was his discussion of the ‘winner effect’ which is the idea of starting with small, daily gains & victories in order to build momentum for larger challenges. On this blog, I have constantly discussed the idea of incremental gains, particularly in my day 32 post, and Jon’s discussion of this idea really drove home the importance of celebrating the small wins. If you are going to start with one episode, episode 125 with Jon Levy would be my recommendation.
    
3. Episode 120 with Ray Morvan: Ray Morvan found extreme multi-day racing at random, after a battle with alcohol & opiate addiction. By helping him find community & a way to exert & build mental resilience, OCR racing was exactly what the doctor ordered. Ray went on to compete in 9 Peak Death Races, which is a record. Morvan credits stoicism for getting through life challenges that would break a lesser man. He is now championing the issue of addiction by assisting anyone who is willing to reach out to him.
              The episode with Ray was truly inspirational for me. Although I have not ever battled with alcohol or opiates the way Ray did, I could relate to his quiet desperation of not being able to break out of a negative routine. Ray’s story was truly inspirational, & I believe a very important part of this podcast is when Ray mentions that he did not turn around his life in a single moment; he first quit alcohol but continued with opiates even after he first began running Death Races. I believe this is an important aspect to his story because it is important that people understand that turning your life around is not an easy one-day fix; it is an ongoing struggle, but if you keep persevering, you will be successful. The second aspect of this podcast that I enjoyed was Ray discussing how the Spartan community embraced him. I have already experienced this through the encouragement that I’ve gotten on social media from fellow OCR’s, & I haven’t even ran a race yet!

                In conclusion, although I have only listened to 40 of the 140 Spartan Up! Podcasts available, I have already taken a ton away from them, and am excited to continue to work through the next 100. As mentioned in the post, if you are unsure about the podcast, I suggest you start with episode 138, 125, or 120 & go from there – I guarantee you will be hooked!

100-Day Spartan

Day 43: Systems Versus Goals

                I first stumbled upon the concept of choosing systems versus goals while reading Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss. In the book, creator of the Dilbert comic strip & best-selling author, Scott Adams, discusses his strategy of choosing systems versus goals. According to Scott, “choosing systems versus goals involves choosing projects & habits that, even if they result in failures in the eyes of the outside world, give you transferable skills or relationships.” While researching for this post, I stumbled across a 2013 blog post by Scott that I highly recommend, even if I don’t agree with his pasta versus potatoes argument.

                An example of choosing systems versus goals that Scott uses is contrasting the goal of losing 10 pounds versus the system of learning to eat right. Both initiatives are likely to result in weight loss, however learning to eat right is much more likely to produce long-term, sustainable results, whereas the goal of losing 10 pounds is likely to be successful in the short-term, however as most of us have experienced, we are likely to put that weight back on even more quickly than we took it off. As Scott puts it:

My problem with goals is that they are limiting. Granted, if you focus on one particular goal, your odds of achieving it are better than if you have no goal. But you also miss out on opportunities that might have been far better than your goal. Systems, however, simply move you from a game with low odds to a game with better odds. With a system you are less likely to miss one opportunity because you were too focused on another. With a system, you are always scanning for any opportunity. Goals vs Systems by Scott Adams

                In other words, by focusing on creating a system around your goal, you will develop a new set of skills that even if you don’t ultimately achieve what you set out to do, you can parlay into success in a new, potentially larger endeavor that will lead to previously unexpected, or unforeseen, benefits.

 

How to choose a system 
 

                You may be thinking to yourself that systems and goals seem very similar, and the reality is that they are. In fact, I find that to choose an effective system, it is best to start with an end goal. Again, I will return to the healthy eating example that Scott provided in his blog post; if it weren’t for the goal of losing 10 pounds, it is quite likely the system of learning to eat right may never be taken on, & the benefits never experienced.

                What a system involves then, is looking at an end goal & determining the best long-term, sustainable way to achieve this goal, focusing on the process versus the end result. Instead of crash dieting or fasting to lose the 10 pounds, you are far more likely to achieve sustainable weight loss by learning to eat correctly. Not only will this new knowledge of healthy eating aid you in your short-term weight loss (goal), but it will develop a new set of skills that will help you keep the weight off (sustainable results) & very likely lead to a healthier, happier life in the future (unexpected benefit).

               
 

Why systems work better than goals

  
               As we have all experienced, failing to achieve your goals can be devastating & de-motivating. To tie our identities to a goal that can take up days, weeks, months, or even years of our lives to achieve, only to fail can be debilitating. If instead we make a small shift to focus on developing the skills & knowledge required to achieve this goal, we shift the paradigm to focus on developing ourselves to achieve the goal. This small shift in paradigm makes it much easier. Back to the weight loss example, if come your end date, you have only lost 6 pounds, the result can be devastating if your identity was tied to the number on the scale. If instead you have learned about diet & nutrition, you may better understand the effects of water weight or weight fluctuation, & instead focus on the way you feel or the bodyfat that you have lost.   

                Additionally, by focusing on creating a system versus a goal, it is much easier to track & celebrate the small successes, a process that makes you far more likely to succeed in the long-run. Developing a system often involves a series of many different process changes in your life that ultimately lead to achievement of your end goal. Each of these process changes afford you an opportunity to identify & celebrate the positive change you have made in your life. If the only thing that is important to you is the number on the scale, it is far too easy to overlook these positive changes & instead think of yourself as -4 or +2.

                Perhaps the biggest reason to adopt systems versus goals lies beneath the surface. It is the unforeseen benefits. If you set out to achieve a goal, there is a good chance you achieve it & then move on to the next thing. By creating a system, you often change the way you live your life. This includes developing new skills & abilities that can have unforeseen benefits. In the weight loss example, by developing a healthier lifestyle, you may have more energy to put into your work that has positive career implications. Had you simply crash dieted, you likely would have been more tired & less likely to perform. The key with systems is that although you will hopefully achieve the tangible results you’re looking for (original goal), often far greater are the benefits that come as a result of your new system that you did not anticipate (unforeseen circumstances). The reality is, you never know what doors your new, healthy system will open!

   

My Systems

 
                To this point, it may seem as I am simply paying lip service to this concept. After all, in each of my weekly summaries, I discuss my 3 goals for the next week. To reiterate, the idea behind this systems versus goals concept, in my opinion, is not to eliminate goals from your life, but instead to shift the focus from achieving your goals to developing new abilities that will lead to long-term, sustainable results.

                Below I discuss two of the ‘systems’ that I have developed in my life, & what I am looking to achieve from them. 

1. Health & fitness education: this entire journey began when I signed myself up for a Spartan Race 42 days ago. At a surface level, the goal was simply ‘to run a Spartan Race,’ but there was a lot more behind this goal which I discussed in my day 18 post on ‘My Why.’ I wanted an activity that was going to force me to adopt a healthier lifestyle & finally get into the physical shape that I know I was capable of. A great way to achieve this goal was to challenge myself & use the ‘motivation of fear’ that the looming Spartan Race represented. That said, the reason I believe I will achieve long-term, sustainable results from this journey, is because I developed a system of thinking about health every single day, continuously learning about how to live a healthier lifestyle, executing on my research, & holding myself accountable to my health & fitness goals. Out of this simply goal of ‘running a Spartan Race,’ I have completely transformed the way I live & have truly seen some incredible results through 43 days. Had I just been focused on running the Spartan Race, it is quite likely a lot of my new habits would simply fall by the wayside come June 23^rd at the finish line. Instead, I have used this goal to create a system, or an entirely new way of living, that will sustain long after the race is finished. This new lifestyle will grant me increased energy, happiness, vitality, & likely a whole host of positive benefits that I cannot yet fathom. The key is to develop a system that will improve your skills & prospects of future success.  
    
2. Blogging: while providing myself with a fitness & nutrition education was within my ‘regular activities’ or at least within my interests, creating this blog has come totally out of left field, & if I’m being honest, nobody in my life except for my girlfriend knows about this weird endeavor I’ve started upon that eats up hours of my life. It is very likely, or almost guaranteed, that little to nothing comes out of this blog. Perhaps a few thousand people will read it, & it will die in the depths of the internet like so many blogs before it. And that’s okay. The system of daily blogging was also born out of my goal to improve my health & fitness. By forcing myself to sit down each day & write a blog post focused on health & fitness, I am (1) making sure I think about fitness in some capacity every single day, (2) learning about the best ways to achieve the fitness level I am searching for, (3) hold myself accountable to the schedule & routine that I’ve set out for myself. These are the benefits that I was searching for when I began this blog which have been greatly effective. The benefits I have already experienced that were not expected were (1) a deepening of my love for health & fitness, (2) finding a community of like-minded people, (3) vastly improving my writing & creative abilities, (4) learning to better manage & optimize my time. Although my girlfriend (who may or may not be reading this) thinks I’m crazy for pouring so many hours into this blog, those are 7 benefits to this blog that I have already experienced over the first 42 days, & I cannot wait to see what some of the unforeseen benefits will be in the future.

                In conclusion, systems versus goals does not mean throwing your goals out the window. Instead, systems versus goals focuses on shifting your paradigm from goal-achievement, to system creation. By taking the goals you have for yourself, & building a system around achieving these goals, you can ‘stack the deck’ in your favour to guarantee yourself success. If you set out to lose 10 pounds by October 1^st & attack it by crash dieting & fasting, you may achieve your goal, however it is far less likely that you maintain your new weight than if you had instead created a system of healthy eating & exercise around your goal. I challenge you to look at the goals in your life and think ‘how can I shift this to become a system.’ This small shift in perspective has already had a substantial impact on my life, & I can’t wait to see what some of the unforeseen positives coming down the line will be.

100-Day Spartan