“How are you?”
“Oh, you know, crazy busy.”
If you find yourself responding like that, or if you find yourself dealing with lots of people who respond like that, then this blog post is a great read.
>> Busyness is Not a Virtue : iDoneThis blog
How do you deal with feelings of being crazy busy all the time? Or do you feel that way at all?
Throughout our lives we face critique — feedback from others about our work and behavior. How do we tell what feedback to take to heart, and what to disregard?
Recently The 99 Percent featured an article about Criticism vs. Cynicism, which presents a lens through which to evaluate the responses we get from others. I thought it was well worth a read, especially if you’re involved in a creative craft.
>> Read: On Criticism, Cynicism & Sharpening Your Gut Instinct :: Tips :: The 99 Percent
Fouad Ajami wrote the opinion piece below for the Wall Street Journal back in June. It’s still timely a couple months later as Palestine seeks a declaration of statehood from the United Nations this week. While it’s high time that the Palestinian people join the international community and adopt the responsibilities of statehood, Ajami makes a crucial point that achieving statehood takes much more than declarations.
I’ve said before that the real difference between a lot of elite athletes–especially cyclists–is not in the muscles but in the mind. On a killer mountain, or a fast stretch, it’s your mind that often wants to back down first. You have to train yourself to keep pushing in those situations. (I like to think about this in terms that Jens Voigt famously said: “Shut up, legs!”
Many seasoned cyclists say the best way to become a better cyclist is to ride with riders better than you. I can attest that riding with better riders makes you realize just how much you can do. Now it seems that research substantiates this idea.
What I wonder is how much this principle applies in endeavors beyond physical performance? How many exercises in life do we self-limit? How can we coach ourselves to eek out an extra percentage point of performance when it comes to goals beyond just pedaling to victory?
>> Read More: A Little Deception Helps Push Athletes to the Limit – NYTimes.com
The 99 Percent presents an overview of Haruki Murakami’s memoirs, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.
>> Link: Haruki Murakami: Talent Is Nothing Without Focus and Endurance :: Articles :: The 99 Percent
April is Distracted Driving Month. The Economist reports on the effects of cell phones on driving ability:
The human brain has to work harder to process language and communication with somebody who is not physically present.
…
Such distractions, according to one study, make drivers more collision-prone than having a blood-alcohol level of .08%, the legal limit in America. It appears to raise the risk of an accident by four times. Texting multiplies the risk by several times again.
This is striking. While research into the quantitative effects of distracted driving will surely continue to amaze us, we don’t need statistics to remind us to be safe while driving. Everyone let’s remember to pay attention to the road.
>> Read more: Car safety: Think before you speak | The Economist
Los Angeles public TV station KCET presents A Brief History of Bicycles in the Los Angeles Area on their blog. For everyone interested in bicycles or LA history–or both!–the article includes some wonderful photos of a bike-friendly LA from a century ago.
One particular bit of note:
Seeking to capitalize on popular interest in the sport, the Southern Pacific Railroad built a bicycle track and spectator stand in the beach community. The Santa Monica Cycle Path to Los Angeles was later built along the present-day route of Washington Boulevard.
Good timing on the blog post, KCET: tonight is the Hammer Museum’s 3rd annual Bike Night.
>> Link: A Brief History of Bicycles in the Los Angeles Area | History | SoCal Focus | KCET
The United States–its citizens and lawmakers–need to pay careful attention to the effects of our near-term actions. The outcome of not raising the debt ceiling is uncertain–nobody really knows what will happen. But the press is ablaze with information:
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