Finding the 'Out'

"Never write when you can talk. Never talk when you can nod. And never put anything in an e-mail."

Elliot Spitzer spoke those words. Words I've often considered and words spoken by a man I once admired. My heart goes out to him and his family as they work through their crisis.

In training for cycling, as in most athletic training, coaches, trainers, and athletes universally apply the theory of alternating periods of intensity and rest. The human condition both mentally and physically improves when it's pushed to the limit and then rested to let the body and mind adapt to the new limits. It's often best to enter periods of rest on our own, before our bodies or other external factors force rest upon us - usually the case. Rest, however, isn't as easy as it sounds.

People as focused and unrelenting as Elliot Spitzer never cease being energized by their internal drive. Their desire to create change, solve problems, and enjoy the mental and emotional highs of success continue even during periods of rest. A balanced life provides us with an 'out' for each of the shifting aspects of our lives - the periods of intensity and rest within our jobs, family, and training. Perhaps political realities forced Governor Spitzer's work life into a period a rest and he had no out for the drive and fire within him. Does this sound familiar? It should if you were reading the news during Bill Clinton's second term in office.

By the fall of 2007, the two year deployment of my organization's new data network and my own new management position left me in a near state of burnout. My period of rest had arrived, whether I wanted it or not. But just because the locomotive has slowed doesn't mean the engine's stopped. Think of the 'out' as a place steam needs to go when a valve is turned off - another valve must then open or the pressure builds up (surely I've hit my quota for metaphors on this post). Anyone reading my blog knows I'm no stranger to wine (or sake) and anyone familiar with Houston knows well both its club scene and its score of gentleman's clubs. But as you the reader have no doubt already figured out, I found my 'out' by getting back into mountain bike racing. True, like Governor Spitzer, I do suffer from an addiction, but it's an addiction to coffee and not infidelity. Mmmm... coffee.

Find your out! Parent? Try coaching. Dating? Try gourmet cooking. Single? Pick a sport and stick with it. Not the athletic type? Become an niche expert in a larger body of knowledge and start a blog about it (I suggest Australian blended red wine - California is taken).

You will need rest. You will need an out. And remember, World of Warcraft requires an monthly fee. On the other hand, a good mtb racing bike these days is about $3000.

Manage well.