Overcoming Exhaustion
I woke up at 7am for a workout. I had a 3 hour deep work session before lunch. Then I was in meetings all day from 12-6pm. I made dinner. I went for a walk. Tonight, I’m tired but I still got stuff to do.
I’m reminded of the first chapter of NBA hall of fame Chris Bosh’s memoir, Letter to a Young Athlete.
In it he writes about overcoming exhaustion. An athlete’s life Is one of constant exhaustion. You’re exhausted from the games. You’re exhausted from training. You’re exhausted from film sessions. The grind of a season really gets to you. It’s as if you’re constantly pushing Empty on the tank, and you don’t know where that last bit will come from. You have to experience pain and push past it again and again. This is what athletes are trained to do. How an athlete plays when exhausted tells you everything about who they are as a competitor. The best players, Kobe Bryant, Richard (Rip) Hamilton, Tim Duncan, find that extra gear in the fourth quarter. The greats had another level.