I went for a run yesterday. It was cold, windy, and late in the day. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to bundle up. I didn’t want to fight traffic. I didn’t want to deal with the elements. I didn’t want to get too far away from the house and be ready to stop. Just didn’t want to deal with it.
I thought about going to the gym instead. I could get on a treadmill, in shorts and a tee shirt, and not have to deal with the “variables” that come with running outside. I could run on a treadmill and be more “comfortable.” I could likely stop whenever I wanted to and justify it.
What to do? I decided to bundle up, suck it up, and go for a run outside. It was cold. There was traffic. I got several miles from home and was read to be done…but I had to run home…into the wind this time. I chose the open road, and all of the inconveniences that came with it, over the treadmill.
It made me think about how this relates to life. Am I living my life on a treadmill, or on the open road?
Living life on a treadmill is much more controllable. I set the pace and the elevation. I have temperature control, and even a fan if I get hot. I have a TV and lots of people around there to distract me. I even got a monitor to show me how far I’ve gone. It’s predictable and regulated.
The problem with a treadmill life is that I’ve put in a lot of effort and haven’t gotten anywhere. I’ve operated in a safe, controlled, environment that eliminates all of the variables of the experience. I’ve used distractions to get me through the process. If I wanted to stop, all I had to do was push a button. There’s a lot of motion, with little experience, in a treadmill life.
On the other hand, living life on the open road requires dealing with the “elements.” It requires setting out on a journey and having to deal with anything that comes at you on that journey. It requires not stopping until you have reached your destination. There are no “stop” buttons, no fans, and no TV’s to distract you. If you come to a hill, you have to climb it. If you get to a downhill, you can coast for a bit and catch your breath. If you get a headwind, you have to push harder. If it start raining, you deal with it. When the sun comes out, you appreciate it. There is a lot of variety, with little stability, in a open road life.
In the world of running, there are “treadmill people” and there are “open road people.” I will have you consider that in life, there are “treadmill people” and “open road people” as well. Some of us crave the controlled environment and some of us crave the elements. I’m not suggesting that one is “right” and one is “wrong.” I am suggesting that most of us choose, and become comfortable, in one of these environments.
There are runners who only train on treadmills, and then get into an open road race and struggle. It’s not because of their fitness, it’s because they are not mentally able to deal with the elements and variability of the open road. Likewise, there are open road trainers who get on a treadmill and struggle because it is too controlled and they get board.
Where in your personal or professional life are you only existing on a treadmill, and need to test your mindsets and skillsets on the open road? Or, where in your Iife are you living on the open road and could use the mindsets and skillsets of the treadmill? How are you going to make the switch?
GRIT 
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