Wednesday 23 January 2019

The Waiting Room - Genesis

Have you ever had a long wait or been delayed? Airport, Hospital, Bad Weather etc.?

Yes, it’s downright annoying but it actually brings with a complete set of opportunities I believe. Sure, for me it means I have time in my day to write at leisure instead of rushing my thoughts down during a limited time-slot in the day.

But then that’s how we deal with most things in our daily schedule isn’t it? We could all be ‘Honorary Firefighters’ with the amount of blazes we put out each day IMO - but that’s just how it is.

Unless we start making space in our busy schedules for some metacognition (aka thinking about thinking).

Each year, people at the Marathon des Sables enjoy eleven days away from normality (google and email) and for a short time back in the real world vow to uphold their new found freedom, only to be back ‘Firefighting’ as soon as there’s a 4G connection and the planes wheels have touched the ground back in blighty.

I’ve used the space I’ve found myself in today to improve my communication skills and accountability process. I’m very much an ideas guy and not so much of a process and note taker so it’s been useful to look introspectively too - I've caught up with a lot as I was out of the office all day yesterday.

One common denominator of the people I meet is a ‘lack of time’. Not for accomplishing things, just for thinking. Getting ideas - making plans - adopting new concepts and principles. The things we all find exciting yet don’t have the time to fit in which feels very counter-productive and far too stagnant an approach for my liking.

It’s a proper conundrum if you ask me and I’m going to think on as my wait comes to an end - are you in ‘The Waiting Room’ or 'Putting out Fires' today?

1,029 Lifetime Marathons, 250 ULTRA-marathons9 Guinness World Records, 
15 Marathon des Sables & 25 Years' Dry

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