(“.But then I learned it”)

About 40 years ago when sports psychology became “a thing“ the term effortless effort became popular. Studies were performed with, among others, track athletes to demonstrate that trying too hard often got in the way of peak performance.

OK, I bought it, even mentioned it in my teaching, and life went on. Now when I’m not busy serving God and Man, I waste time playing solitaire on my computer. If you haven’t fallen prey to this obsession, you can do it for time. The faster you play successfully, the higher your score. A game usually takes just three or four minutes and fits conveniently into extended commercial breaks on ESPN.
So I had been playing like mad, trying to up my score with frenzied movement, and although it seemed to raise my blood pressure, my scores stayed about the same.

One evening I sipped by dirty martini, swore to relax,and vowed to play just for fun, and not for speed. Wouldn’t you know it, that round and the next several were faster than the ones where I had been trying Uber hard.

Time for an eye roll. I knew all along it was true, but that’s not the same as applying what you know. Do you suppose there is a conceptual link to the way we approach our riding?

Don’t answer!.