When to go hard and when to step back – in business, sport, life

As a long-distance runner with decades of experience, I have learned, often the hard way, the difference between the times to go hard and bust through thresholds and the times to take a back seat, maybe take some time off, or at least, take it easy.

It’s a fine line of discrimination.

And the nexus point is our ego.

Think of it like this. You have at least two sub-personalities. (I have at least 20, but this is for another discussion.)

Sub personality 1. The ego brat. Highly competitive. Thrives on adrenaline, the RUSH, winning. May have some perfectionist tendencies.

Sub personality 2. The wise, all-knowing, super smart, super tuned in, quiet, real, no BS self. The one you should have listened to the night before, as it was saying…go home…now.

You are right at the threshold. Do you go hard? Or do you go home? Which path? And do you have the discipline to choose the path that is true?

The ego brat is very loud, very demanding and is not interested in wisdom.

The voice of wisdom is not into drama. Or loud. It has nothing to prove.

A very powerful question to ask is…”If I trusted myself, what would I choose?”

Another…”What would wisdom choose?”

Recklessly going with sub personality #1 will lead you to break down, bad hangovers, stupid business decisions and a whole host of other problems you might be wise to avoid. We have all walked this path. More than once. Hopefully, with each denial of the wise part of ourselves, we grow up a little more.

What would wisdom choose?