I recently finished reading Shoe Dog, a memoir written by Phil Knight, the creator of Nike. I thought it was a super interesting story and I didn’t really know anything about the history of Nike and how they got to where they are today.
While I was entertained quite a bit by the history, there were lots of great anecdotes that got me thinking. A few that stuck out to me.
Art of Competing
I’d competed with, and against, men far better, faster, more physically gifted. Many were future Olympians. And yet I’d trained myself to forget this unhappy fact. People reflexively assume that competition is always a good thing, that it always brings out the best in people, but that’s only true of people who can forget the competition. The art of competing, I’d learned from track, was the art of forgetting, and I now reminded myself of that fact. You must forget your limits. You must forget your doubts, your pain, your past. You must forget that internal voice screaming, begging, “Not one more step!”
—page 61
I try and do a few races each year, which included both a half marathon and full marathon last year. I don’t go into these with any expectation of winning; I know my limits. But I am very competitive with myself and like to push as close to my limits as I can get. It’s hard at mile 18 to keep going when that voice in your head is screaming at you to stop. But you try your best to ignore that and forget the pain, forget what you think are your limits.
And you often find you do have more to give.
I don’t think you have to be a runner to apply these principles. I know in my career within web development I often look at others and feel overwhelmed. Everyone seems to be smarter than me, faster than me, adopting new technologies I haven’t tried yet. This can be disheartening if you allow it, but if you choose to forget your limits instead, forget your doubts and push yourself, you’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish.
Effort
No matter the sport—no matter the human endeavor, really—total effort will win people’s hearts.
—page 210
People love those who put in the effort, whether that’s in sports or just in life. When someone is passionate about something, when they put their whole heart into something, this draws others in.
Giving up
And those who urge entrepreneurs to never give up? Charlatans. Sometimes you have to give up. Sometimes knowing when to give up, when to trying something else, is genius. Giving up doesn’t mean stopping. Don’t ever stop.
—page 382
It’s pretty common to hear advice that boils down to “Don’t give up”. While I think that can be helpful in some situations, I do think there are times where you need to realize your own limits and learn when it’s time to pivot.
But I love the extra piece here, “Don’t ever stop”. It’s fine to realize you’re on the wrong path but instead of stopping, figure out what the next path you’re supposed to be on and get going.