Category: Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle

Try yourself Out: A Challenge For Meaning.

Posted on by littermature in Life Tips, Travel, Other, Littermature Metamorphosis, Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle
Opal Hills Loop. Maligne Lake, Alta. July 2019.

A Challenge For Meaning –WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Meaning is something I have struggled with for most of my life. Despite facing my own bit of depression through my 20’s, I don’t mean this in a depressive way. Instead, I’ve always held a natural curiosity to understand the underlying motivations of things. I was constantly on the lookout to challenge and uncover the most basic, most foundational, and most primitive drivers in our choices and behaviours.

It’s this natural curiosity to understand the basics behind our existence that has forced my attention inwards to investigate more of myself. Trying to understand was one solution to help problem solve the onslaught of questions flooding my brain. More specifically, the act of trying itself became something crucial for my personal development in whichever way I applied it.

Trying to understand meant trying new things, and trying them with effort. What I found is that trying ourselves is the challenge to find meaning. But, we’ll get back to that last point later on.

Questions, always questions.

I have toiled in thought many times contemplating the origins of the universe, or plagued by some other teleological thought or theological argument. As such, I realized relatively early that there are no real answers for any of us.

That’s quite the nihilistic statement to make, but it’s complicated.

There are answers for us, but the extravagance of it all only leads to more questions at the tail end of whatever answer we uncover.

Mad World

We can stir our mind into madness trying to figure out the world. Often time, the problem is too large and complicated to fathom as we expand our perspective into the global sphere and beyond.

Personally, I am reminded of the extreme bamboozlement I felt in university trying to piece together scientific concepts like the Big Bang theory.

“Right…” I thought.

“Modern physics makes sense right up to the point of singularity, and then things become highly convoluted and irrevocably misunderstood... So what banged?

How can all these experts imply something with such certainty only to find something even more uncertain on the other side? How can something ‘just explode into existence?

Surely there’s a catalyst…

What was the catalyst?… There must be a catalyst!”

Questions, questions, questions…. So many damn questions.

Sometime during the my 4th year, I recall watching a BBC/NOVA documentary called M-Theory and String theory. To spoil its conclusion, the aim was to highlight the concept of a multiverse.

M-theory or membrane theory goes on to describe our universe as a membrane that exists among a plethora of alternative membranes (other universes) that are ebbing, flowing, and colliding amongst each other.

With regards to the Big Bang, it is thus hypothesized that our universe has spawned from a collision of membranes/universes within the multiverse.

It also helps to refer to the multiverse as an arena of bubbles floating about. These bubbles ebb, flow, and collide all in the same. Alternatively, they can implode, explode, burst upon collision, or form new bubbles entirely.

Wait, tell me what banged again?

This documentary answered the deep yearning to find an answer, at least momentarily.

Clearly, according to theorists, the collision of universes in the multiverse banged up, creating our own as a by-product

“WHOAAAA!” I thought.

With that same stroke of enlightenment, I experienced a deep wave of depression wash over me in facing the infinite nature of it all.

The challenge for meaning became even more watery.

Okay, so now what?!

A question regarding the origins of earth turned into a question about the universe, before it became a question about the multiverse.

And surely, if and/or when humanity transcends itself and becomes somehow capable of peering into the multiverse for an answer on where that came from, we will only be facing the question of:

“Well where did ________ come from?”

Divine Labelling

We are too small to totally comprehend the plethora of existence beyond us. Thankfully, there is a word to describe this total inconceivable mass:

And that word is “God”.

People interpret GOD in so many different ways, but there are likely many similarities to draw between ideologies if you are so inclined to look.

Perhaps this is only my perspective, however, I make note to some of these interesting points and more in the crash course, Make it stick, Write it Down: A Journaled Philosophy.

Here is a little snippet to walk away with:
Ingredients Of The Human Body. Make It Stick, Write It Down: A Journaled Philosophy.

This is all relative from our perspective, and you can connect the dots anyway you can. But, how can we expand this out beyond us?

Again, relative to our perspective we are human beings. But, we can also perceive ourselves as bits of matter and space dust floating about an earthly plane that is composed of more bits of matter and space dust.

Synergistically, we are more complicated than the individual parts that comprise us, remember, as each layer of simplicity contributes to increased complexity with its repetition.

There is more to life than what we can see with just our eyes.

And while it may seem arbitrary to be expanding our thoughts into the subatomic world and the cosmos itself, it is worthwhile to connect as many dots between our physical world and their metaphysical undertones to truly comprehend life’s meaning for ourselves here and now.

So what are we, really?

We are cosmic beings –space dust.

With the focused experience on our modern world, we can often overlook at how miraculous our existence actually is.

G. Kourtesiotis, Make It Stick, Write It Down Crash Course.

The Challenge: Meaning, and metaphysics.

Without going too far off down the field, I want to draw two things away from our conversation to take action on, meaning, and metaphysics.

Meaning:

  • The meaning of something is what it expresses or represents.
  • Importance or value.

Metaphysics:

  • The part of philosophy that is about understanding existence and knowledge.

Metaphysical:

  • Relating to the part of philosophy that is about understanding existence and knowledge.

The etymology behind the word metaphysics originates from the early Greek philosophers, which means ‘after the physics’. In my interpretation of it, it comes to refer to the nature of things beyond the physical realm.

After The Physics

For the sake of pinpointing this blog post, life is an experience of meaning whereas a meaningful life is a heavily debated metaphysical conversation. It is also highly subjective, because one persons deepest passions are another’s disinterest and indifference.

How many of you out there are avid stamp collectors; model train enthusiasts; soap carvers; geocachers; extreme componers; news raiders; fish noodlers; ghost hunters, etc…

Whether you are or you aren’t, there is no shortage of people to fill into their unique community, as there exists a whole host of people for and against such ways to spend their time.

If you know you know, but many of us will meet great challenge at some point through the course of our lives trying to understand our meaning. Sometimes it is left undiscovered, and other times it is only identified in our reflection of time as it lapses.

Sometimes, and quite possibly worst of all, we may fall victim to our own sense of purposelessness as we struggle with the maddening repetition of our own existence.

With regards to the latter, these are things that we come to refer to as the chores of life, which are things to embrace as they can help us clarify what we need to identify meaning as individuals.

Let’s Talk About It

With that in mind, we may continue struggling with the challenge to find any meaning in life if we don’t actively pursue our interests, or the slightest of interests if we haven’t figured out our likes in the most basic sense.

Depression, anxiety, hopelessness, fomo and all their ugly cousins are one hell of an experience. Not only does it feel like hell, but the emptiness and isolation we deeply feel really drags us down.

It might be difficult to find the motivation to do anything at all, and sometimes extremely so. What’s especially disheartening in such a depressive state is the the shallow disinterest and clouded perspective.

Under these circumstances, the approach toward personal bettering is to root ourselves into our complaints.

Really go ahead, bitch and moan about it!

Express all of your personal dissatisfactions to instigate a personal catharsis.

Hell, Littermature started that way.

I would jot down the poetry of my mind onto scrap pieces of paper scattered around my home, workplace, or Jeep. 5 years later, it became the foundation into my first self-published piece of literature:

The Ugly Face Of The Mind
Littermature: The Ugly Face of the Mind.

I can’t tell you if it’s good or not, or if anyone truly appreciates it, but it’s extremely special to me as it reflects a time of great challenge and personal growth.

What Trying Is All About

It’s okay to visit some dark places, but we can’t make our living there— it’s too dark!

All in the same, we can identify, vent, and express our frustrations but we can’t make our life about it by passively bitching and moaning about our problems forever.

There must be a point in choosing to take some kind of forward action.

Life Is Outside

Life is lived, meaning that we do things day in and day out as they contribute to the meaning we create in our lives. If we eat and drink because we are hungry or thirsty, so too must we quench our callings based on what we aim to make of ourselves.

For that matter, trying is what it’s all about, trying ourselves to gather enough clarity as each endeavour bridges over into who we are.

Trying is physical and metaphysical (spiritual) in both respects. We physically delve into new endeavours or projects only to experience a deep spiritual revelation in our effort.

It’s not so easy however, because there are no guarantees to experience anything profound. If we are to learn anything at all, we must be aware of the process as it unfolds.

We Must Try. moreover, we must endure.

Endure, as in endurance. Something arduous that also takes us time to complete.

This step is important because our practice is our meditation. It is our trance in experience as the time spent trying with effort under stress allows us to sink and flow into the struggle in mind.

As such, we can uncover things in ourselves that have been left undiscovered, which is both valuable and liberating to experience. On this last note, we must do our best to remain patient, avoiding excessive force to illicit a speedy result.

For that matter, enlightenment is highly illusive.

When we try too hard to reach the pedestal above us, enlightenment eludes us. We can miss the experience entirely because our focus is on the wrong thing.

We must focus ourselves on the menial physical task(s) to ground us in the moment. Doing so means that we become firmly rooted in ground, whereas the enlightenment we yearn for is a by-product encompassing the enduring process as a whole.

This is what we can learn by trying ourselves with personal challenges. The struggle to achieve whatever goal/obstacle that we have set for ourselves can both humble and empower our spirit. It tests our mettle in ways that contribute to our resilience and overall life perspective for the better.

Personally, I can talk over any which way about how seeking challenge can steer us toward our life meaning, the Camino Pilgrimage being a cornerstone to my own experiential development, as it was one of the greatest challenges to reap meaning from.

Regardless, it’s one of those things that you must see and do on your own to witness its value. To sum it up:

You must live it to find out.

Patience in the Journey

Again, please be patient with yourself in your effort. Simply try your hand at the task, goal, or challenge that you have set out for yourself and keep at it with an open mind.

Maintain hope in the fact that you are working/trying for your goals without getting caught up on any self-imposed deadlines. Look forward to meeting your personal deterrents and choosing to keep taking forward progress in light of them.

wHat You’re Looking For Can’t Be Found.

“Grace” gets thrown around a lot.

I’ve talked with people who yearn for it because they haven’t found a way to feel it yet. From my own experience, grace can’t be found–It finds you.

Gratitude is always behind you. It shows itself in your moment when you’re ready to see it.
For me, being active gives me an opportunity to let beautiful moments find me where I am.

I’m out here doing regular things in regular places, yet beauty always has an opportunity to reveal itself to me.

I’m not looking for it, but with the little moments of grounding in my present, grace speaks to me. And for that, I am grateful.

G. Kourtesiotis, November 2019. Post 20km run along the 99 Sea-to-Sky Highway in Whistler British Columbia.

Make It Stick, Write It Down,

Littermature

Self Help Journaling

Ebook, Audiobook, Journaling Crash Course

Make It Stick, Write It Down. A Journaled Philosophy.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Be More Physical. Your Fitness Matters.

Posted on by littermature in Life Tips, Travel, Other, Littermature Metamorphosis, Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle

Fitness Matters: dO more, bE physical.

Do you want to live a sedentary lifestyle? Do you want to feel incapable in your day to day? Do you want to want to live a desperate, stress riddled life? Do you want to feel weak, unclear, or totally hopeless? Hell no you don’t, your physical fitness matters!

The way of the world.

We live in a world where technology is evolving at alarming speeds. Information moves faster than we can comprehend at times, and everywhere we go we are almost fully connected with the entirety of the globe through our computers, cell phones, and cars.

We can’t avoid it really because the world is already there, and it’s always there. If you can imagine it, the world is on a path progressing towards an even more digital world.

Although Silicon Valley is all about silicon, plastic, and precious metals, the rest of us are very much still flesh, blood, and bone. And though we are creatively complex as an organism, we are also primitive in comparing ourselves to the here and now. Because up to this point, the technology of our body and mind has evolved organically throughout our history.


So suck it up–the air that is– because our body is made to move.

To make a long story short, we are movers. And if you want to change your emotional state, start by changing your physiology.

Movement is the answer we are looking for, as it helps facilitate the natural pump to capitalize on our feel-good vibes.

If you’re generally down, depressed, anxious, lazy, uninspired, or some other feeling we are desperately trying to avoid, the best thing for us in our moment of perceived misery is to move ourselves away from it.

PHYSICAL FITNESS MATTERS- Get it? MOVE!

When we move– we stretch, contract, release, squeeze, and breathe. And so, we are able to purge away all of those uninspired feelings by purposely inspiring into ourselves through the breath.

With regards to the matter, here is something to quote from the Littermature Make It Stick Crash Course:

Regarding the breath, remember that inhalation is inspiration. When we inspire, we are inspired, we are full of breath, full of life.

G. Kourtesiotis, Make It Stick, Write It Down.

What more can We do?

Being physical with a consistent quality practice is an opportunity to shape our world view. It is something we can be intentional with in steering us toward our great life vision.

How?

Well, it will teach you more about yourself and what you’re made of. It builds character, mental fortitude, and other strong qualities, as it also develop the emotional self. Regarding the latter, it can bring you face to face with your vulnerabilities, and better, to your own personal revelations, or spiritual catharsis.

Of course, it’s never an overnight process but rather a lifestyle to adopt. We are all about something, therefore you must choose to be about it. Meaning, you must embody the habit to see and feel the revelation for yourself.

don’t take my word for it, see it for yourself!

If you’re already active, great, but seek out ways to change it up or to get more specific within your practice to effectively problem solve targeted areas of opportunity. In other words, be intentional with yourself in ways that effectively build on your goals going forward.

Do anything and start anywhere.

If you’re new to fitness, just do something. –Heck, do anything and start anywhere.

We need to be both invested and engaged in our physical health. “Boring” is no excuse, as there are many alternative outlets to be more active. Heck, what’s less boring than keeping yourself side-lined with your ass glued to the couch?

Take your mind to paper, and write down areas of intrigue that may push you down the road into action.

  • Have you always wanted to dance? That’s cool, take up salsa.
  • Do you want to climb? That’s cool, go to a climbing gym.
  • Do you love nature? That’s cool, look up some nearby trails, or plan a trip to some mountains.
  • Want to keep it local, or structured? That’s cool, join a gym, or join a class with routine.
  • Nervous to jump into it alone? That’s cool, join a running group, or tag along with a friend.
  • Looking for something totally out of the box? That’s cool, get into LARP….

Whatever.

Anything is better than sitting your ass down on the couch binge streaming Netflix, or numbing yourself to the point of total inebriation on the regular. Trust me, making your living on the couch is likely to pave the way toward apathetic purposelessness.

…

Alright fine, it’s great to unwind–sometimes. But, realize what you are sacrificing if you find yourself constantly checking out. Please don’t make your lifestyle purely hedonistic–Prioritize the hard work on yourself first.

Making movement a habit is something you won’t regret.

All in all, the solution for a quality life isn’t a temporary one, it’s not a few laps around the block to solve your life burdens. A quality life and a positive outlook is honed by continuously dedicating yourself to some form of movement practice, to some cause, and that is true personally, recreationally, and professionally.

Of course, there are more aspects to finding meaning in life, as there are deeper layers to address within yourself to steer your best life path.

Nothing is be all end all, but prioritizing the physical areas of life is a great place to start.

In fact, I firmly believe that it is the first place to start because I can only share myself with conviction what it has done for me in my life.

Empowering yourself by taking control of your physical health and wellbeing will undoubtedly make you stronger, more resilient, and more capable with your consistent quality effort and dedication.

So go ahead and move yourself. Move your body, move your mind. –You won’t regret it.

Best,

Littermature.

Self Help Journaling

Ebook, Audiobook, Journaling Crash Course

Make It Stick, Write It Down. A Journaled Philosophy.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Stop Having Bad Days- Parables Of A Duathlon.

Posted on by littermature in Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle
Stop Having Bad Days.

“Do you ever have a bad day?” is a question that I’m commonly asked. And though I am not some kind of super-optimist with a permanent smile on his face, I have put a stop to having bad days.

To answer the question then, well, it’s always the same…

“Life is good, even when it’s bad.”

You can stop having bad days too. Heck, we can all stop having bad days!

Wow, I do sound like some kind of lame super-optimist, but hear me out…

Life is made up of sequential moments in experience, where every moment is constantly shifting or evolving into the subsequent moment to follow. With the constant evolution of time unfolding into the next second, we are eluded by the seconds that came before it.

Impermanence is the concept that comes to mind, working its wonder, we find that nothing lasts forever.

What is at one moment, no longer will be at its next.

Even the most seemingly steadfast things in this world are something else from second to second, even if only in marginal ways.

Let’s look to the mountains for this example. From base to peak, every mountain is constantly shifting, and eroding. And as gradual as the process is, surely, it is a different mountain today than it was yesterday.

Understanding Impermanence Makes Your Life Better.

We are manipulated by our pain, losing sight of the impermanence behind it.

Get Out Of The Downpour –Stop Having Bad Days.

If life is raining down on you, it’s only a matter of time before the sky clears out above. If it doesn’t, well, there are beautiful moments and simple pleasures to find in the rain if you’re open to it.

We can’t deny any unbearableness of the difficult encounters we experience, as we may come to face many moments that morally defeat us.

Even still, the best thing we can do when facing hardship is to keep moving forward. That way, there is always something to look forward to.

There‘s Always Something To Look Forward To.

For example, in facing our ultimate demise, we can look forward to the Afterlife.

You can find solace in that even if you aren’t spiritual in any sense.

As you may believe in nothing, understand that an Afterlife filled with nothing is peaceful too. Because nothing, may be better than whatever pain plagues you.

Can you see what I did there?

It’s all a state of mind.

It just takes practice to allow yourself an opportunity to let go. Stop clumping time forward by carrying your pitfalls –no more bad days!

It’s ‘Hope’ That Keeps Us Going.

If you’re clouded in spirit, and feel as if there is nothing better for you down the road, look forward to something finding you by surprise.

That is what hope is, and it’s all we have alongside a strong faith to get us by, to move us away, or to simply hold on as we put forward a valiant effort in action.

Through thick and thin, action is necessary.

We must not let our fears permanently paralyze us.

Make a choice, choosing to move ourselves in one direction or another, regardless of its difficulty.

We must try, for the sake of finding the good road ahead.

Stop-Start, No Bad Days: Run-Bike-Run Kielder Marathon.

Due to the world events that we shall never speak of again, this has been the first organized race that I have participated in since the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2019. There have been some long days between now and then, which weren’t all that bad, so we’ll stop there.

Albeit my first duathlon, I went into the Kielder Marathon with a target time to finish between 02:30:00 and 02:45:00.

My official time was 02:57:22.

I blasted through the first 11km run, and made good time cycling 25kms –despite using my girlfriend’s sister’s medium sized bike.

I need my own bike considering that I’d like to compete in some other duathlons, and to cycle more in general. But having had my last bike stolen before leaving Toronto, the thought of buying a shiny new hybrid makes me uneasy.

180km Cycle. Lake Ontario, 2017… You were good to me, 2015-2020.

Walking out of Sobeys to find a grinded out lock on the ground with no bike, I was overwhelmed with a heartfelt injustice.

A shitty moment, most definitely, making it the second bike lost to someone’s sticky fingers. But we accept the difficult situation at hand, for when there is no resolution in our favour, we must shrug our shoulders as if to say…

“Oh well, f*ck it!”

Even still, in leading up to that moment, I wouldn’t go as far to say that I had a bad day, –I chose to stop having those remember...

On the contrary, until that point I was having a great day, and it remains a great day in memory. Especially after the fact, as disappointed as I was, I still had other things to smile and laugh at, or to find joy in alongside the company of others.

But back to race day.

I was running on a high, feeling empowered and high-spirited through the bulk of the race. But the wall was waiting for me somewhere along the last 6km run, and that final stretch became the death of me.

I still felt morally upbeat in good spirits, but dropping the ball with my intra-race nutrition, despite knowing better, set me up to underperform.

Fail to Plan, Plan To Fail.

Okay, I wasn’t totally unprepared, because I had somewhat strategized plan. What ruined me was failing to implement it.

I tend to eat relatively light throughout the working day. By the time I break for a workout, or run that afternoon, I am borderline empty.

After a long day working outside, the enthusiasm to go to the gym, or make for the trail just isn’t there late in the day.

It’s quite exhaustive really, but I know from past experience that I will find the energy to train, and I will enjoy it once I show up to do so. Fighting off the urge to fall asleep on the floor, I’ll chug down some BCAA’s if I have any, and I’ll go from there.

Training empty is something that I have been doing for years now, and truthfully, it’s likely why my body feels worse for it. For this reason, and more, is why I am going forward to include more frequent meals and plenty more carbohydrates.

A story for another day perhaps, but to keep it short, my goals have changed. Likewise, I have a better understanding of the physiological and emotional links between food and body and mind.

All in all, I am trying to genuinely listen to my body’s needs for the sake of my overall wellbeing.

Race Day Fueling

Knowing that I can handle nutritional depletion pretty well, I also knew that this may be slightly different. This wasn’t a routine run where I could feel it out and slow down where necessary, it was a race to make my own time standard. And so I figured that I would need more fuel for more power output.

Despite thinking this way, I ate a light the night before and even lighter the morning of, washing it down with plenty of BCAA’s leading up to the race. My plan was to leave a banana at the first transition along with more BCAA’s, but I only left a banana for no real reason.

“I’ll be fine.” I thought, chalking it up to fear and doubt.

Expecting to find water and electrolyte stations along the race, I figured that I would use what was there instead of concerning myself too much over bringing my own fluids.

I had half a banana as I got to my bike to complete the first 11km run, saving the other half for after the cycling the 25km ahead.

Although I could have done with a two bananas between transitions, my fluid intake was the most obvious culprit leading up to hitting the wall.

You don’t need water yet; Come on, go a little bit more; Come on, you’re almost there; Come on, a little a bit further; Come on You bitch, move it!

If I’m honest, I shot myself in the foot.

Shoulda, coulda, woulda– My ego got the best of me, as I omitted drinking anything until it was too late.

I was so worried about losing time having to stop and hydrate, particularly through the cycling portion.

As for the running, eating anything substantial also worried me, looking to avoid any gastrointestinal distress. This is why I prefer to run on an empty stomach, because running hard makes me crap my pants… True story.

All in all, I felt good and strong throughout most of the race, only starting to feel a bit wonky coming into the final kilometres by bike.

Feeling Wonky. It’s nothing new.

I often train feeling terrible, stiff, and tired, therefore half expected to get googly-eyed at some point through the race. The last few kilometres on the bike felt decent, even if I was starting to see stars. Besides, despite oddly fantasizing about cheeseburgers through those moments, looking forward to the rest of that banana mildly excited me.

My goal was realistic for my capabilities, and it is something that I often thought over while training up to the race.

At most, I’d run 11kms in 1hour, and 6km in 30-35 minutes. With 1.5 hours to running alone, I was most insecure about my timing on the bike. At best, I would have to cover the distance in one hour, fearing that it would take me 1.5 hours at worst.

Coming to a halt with the bike, I looked to my watch to see that I was still in good shape to hit the top end of my goal. My performance was good thus far putting my insecurities behind me. All was well, until my feet hit the ground going into the final run.

Bonk

I climbed down off the bike, my posture moulded to its medium proportions, while my feet felt like concrete blocks that were soaked and vibrated numb from cycling. I reached for the rest of my banana to find the downpour had waterlogged the exposed fruit, caking it over with grit. –It was deliciously gritty.

After eating the banana, I was looking for something to hydrate. One of the events marshals nearby pointed off somewhere into the trees while uttering the words “juice”, surely referring to an electrolyte sports drink. That’s exactly what I wanted, some sweet and salty concoction straight into my bloodstream.

Shuffling my way out with an outstretched arm, a squeezable water pouch made its way into my hand.

“Where’s that damn juice?!” I thought.

By the time I saw two giant pink jugs of it around the corner, it felt like more of an effort to stop. With that squeezy water pressed flat into my face, my feet kept me moving without hesitation…

“Fuck it, it’s the last stretch. Just 30 more minutes, and you’re done.” I mumbled to myself.

And That Was It, My Final Mistake.

My muscles were desperate for whatever sugar and sodium was mixed into those jugs of pink deliciousness, and I ran right past it.

Consequently, a half-hour routine run for that distance turned into a 45-minute fight with cramping quads. What I feared most in that moment was risking injury as my muscles spasmed, shooting pain from knee to thigh with every stride.

With my goal still in mind, I thought to strategize some time for recovery, slowing myself down to a walk. The intention was to rejuvenate my stride, but contrary to thought, walking was a mistake because it was somehow worse than running. It also chewed up more time than I’d anticipated because my body forced me to a standstill.

Shuffling ahead between squat and stretch I’d capitalize on any momentary relief, closing the gap to the finish line.

It was this crucial 15 minutes where I lost traction on my goal.

Runner after runner now passing me by. Runners that I passed early on along the first phase of the race we now catching up to surpass me. –The magic behind the strategy of nutrition and a regimented pace, perhaps.

Talk about The tortoise and the hare.

Here I am, feeling like a well oiled machine being outpaced by rickety Jim and Jane.

A humbling experience actually, and it brings my mind back to the Camino. Whereby I would find people of all shapes and sizes, age and ability making the pilgrimage to Santiago for themselves.

A vivid memory was walking past a blind man and his guide along the crest of some rocky hills in Spain.

If he was out there breaking barriers and perceived limitations, what excuses do I, or anyone else have to keep us from our yearned successes and experiences.

Truly inspiring, and it is the reason as to why I say that regular people inspire me most as we encounter regular people regularly. – I know, I have a way with words.

We may look to the limelight and find the stars of humanity. And though some of them have achieved miraculous things, we must never place them on a pedestal so high as to invoke a sense of inability for ourselves.

Regardless of who or what you are, where you came from, or where you’re going, you are always capable of greatness in some way shape, or form.

Sometimes We’re Bound To Simply Surviving

Prior to the race, I had informally met a a mother-daughter tandem who were running alongside a mutual friend. Now shuffling toward the finish, the mother-daughter duo paced by me and asked how I was doing.

“My quads keep cramping up.” I muttered back.

In hearing my response, they offered me up an Apple SIS gel for my troubles.

Life’s Little Reminders

In the past, I would refuse help from others despite needing it, excessive pride being one of the seven deadly sins. But, it’s not the sin part that bothers me.

I could never understand why I’d be so reluctant to accept genuine good deeds and offerings from others. Perhaps it is a seeding fear of weakness.

Ironically enough, that fear of weakness contributes to my own weakness, as it links into the feelings of being a burden for others. –I don’t want to be a bother, but who does?

Either way, learning to accept help was something for me to overcome, as they were lessons to grow from throughout the course of my life. As far as that goes, journeying along the Camino trail helped expedite that process.

We mustn’t forget where we came from.

I could feel my pride rise up as they offered me up that delicious Apple SIS gel. But as quickly as the emotions surfaced, I rerouted my thoughts to accept their good deed alongside the fact that I was both struggling, and failing.

Give credit where credit is due; they were a godsend to me in that moment, and they smashed their race together.

Adapt or Die

Those were the pivotal moments to refocus my goals, the aim now targeted to finish what I started, while striving under the 3-hour mark.

Surely, there is a mild sense of disappointment knowing that I could have better controlled the outcome of the situation. However, there is plenty of good and great to walk away with in my performance.

With that in mind, we can find success in failure depending on where our focus is. Regarding the latter, it is important to acknowledge for yourself. What went right, being just as important as what went wrong.

Lean Into Failure

All Smiles. –Cycling the last 10 minutes to transition, and running through the final kilometre to finish.

All in all, I wasn’t strong enough; the cramps got the best of me.

To be blunt about it, I failed to achieve my goal. Being totally honest, I failed to achieve yet another goal.

I fail, and fail often.

In my day to day, I drop the ball on my vision; with my diet; in my workouts; in my relationship; at work; with family and friends...

In Life I Am A Failure, But Failure comes with the effort to achieve.

It teaches you important lessons on how, what, or why you missed the mark, and what you can do about it.

Success is slim, really, because we are constantly striving for ideals that adapt and evolve as we achieve whatever ideal came before it.

Flexible Goals And Adaptation

Again, I failed my race time. In the moment of failure, I can hang my head, give up, or drop out. Or, I can adapt to the circumstances looking to make it out as whole as possible.

See, the goal changes then and there, when we’re in the thick of it for ourselves. Even in failure, I am left with a choice on how to carry myself forward.

What else is there to do but to put one foot forward again, and again until we meet the mark, to do our best, or to simply survive.

We will fail, and fail often.

All of us.

Even the best of us, and especially the best of us. As losers lose, winners do both.

There is no sense getting caught up in what didn’t go our way, because it’s the wrong thing to focus on. Doing so only strips us of the gratifying experience to learn, grow, and piece together missing information geared towards success.

That is why I smile or laugh, even when facing unfavourable circumstances for myself. –A relieving outburst of expression wrapped into the arduous path forward.

But I haven’t always been this way, opting to sulk in self-pity instead. But, I am fortunate enough to have been shaped towards better by the strong characters I’ve encountered, and by those I look up to and admire.

To point it out again, give credit where credit is due. Likewise, it’s important to grant myself credit for having trained into the capacity to be more resilient. After all, we are makers of our own choosing.

Embrace the ability to choose for yourself without overlooking your efforts in the making. And do so alongside the gracious contributions of others, as your life has been shaped by energy of characters you’ve been exposed to.

Aftershock

Crossing the finish line brought a different experience altogether. The race was done, but my fight was ongoing. My body was having a hard time regulating temperature following the stress of a 42km duathlon.

Back in 2019, the organizers for the Toronto Marathon handed out thermal blankets at the finish, but there was nothing of the sort here. To make things worse, I didn’t leave anything for the bag drop, and my raincoat was still with my bike. Any warm and dry clothing was in my car, 15+ minutes away by shuttle.

At this point, I didn’t think much into it, I was just glad to be done.

I caught up with my girlfriend and some mutual friends at the finish line who were waiting for other runners to cross. In that time I had another banana, more water, a tiny KitKat bar, and some chewable taffy that came with the post-race baggy they gave out.

It wasn’t that cheeseburger I’ve been dreaming about, just simple sugars lacking any nourishing substance and salt. They did toss in a bag of bath salts, but I wasn’t about to dive into a spoonful of that stuff.

It was about 20 minutes past my finish, my hat and clothing still soaked with sweat, and my shoes still damp from the puddles and rain. I was starting to get cold, and luckily I put on a dry-fit t-shirt they gave me upon completing the race.

It helped me feel better temporarily, but another heavy drizzle started coming down overhead. All that sugar I ate was making my energy crash now, leaving me feeling nauseated sick, and generally very terrible.

A Slow Death.

I gave my girlfriend a nudge with glazed eyes to make our way back. My body was cold, stiff, and shivering as the rain intensified, making the 5-minute walk to the shuttle feel longer than it was.

I found some relief once on board the bus because it was warm and out of the rain. However, warm wasn’t warm enough, and the circulating air felt cooler once the bust started rolling. I tried to keep myself together in those moments as I continued to violently shake cold, drawing my focusing to slowly breathe into my shirt through blue lips.

“We’re almost there.” I kept thinkin.
my girlfriend reassured me in kind, her face growing increasingly concerned. “How are you feeling?” she asked.
“I kind of feel like I’m about to die.” I responded with laughter.

In the physical distress, my focus remained on one slow breath after another trying to relax my musculature. The shuttle couldn’t get there fast enough.

Truthfully, I was on a different high at that point. As unbearable as it was, I could not help but smile and laugh at my own predicament.

It was what it was.

Of course, I could see the way out.

I knew where my car was, I knew what was in it, and I knew that I would sit my ass in the front seat with the heat on full blast. It was glorious to think about while physically fighting it out on the shuttle.

Finally, the bus came to its halt and we got off. The last stretch on foot back to the car was even more hilarious than the moments before.

The rain had ceased and the sky showed off a crisp late afternoon blue, while the low sun made room for the forest shadows to cascade over us along the path.

“It’s beautiful out here.” is what I might have said if I wasn’t so f*cking worked.

My legs were totally shot now, the cramps in my quads made their comeback in full force. One step after the other, chasing a visibly cold breath as it escaped my chattering teeth.

I don’t know what I must have looked like to those passing me by on foot, let alone what they may have thought about it. The visual I get in memory of the experience is that I was walking around like Cosmo Kramer in those tight jeans.

Finally making the scramble back to the car, I stripped down trying hard to keep from falling over. Success, I put on some dry layers, sat in the front seat and swivelled the dial on full for the heat. –Oh baby, how glorious!

In hindsight, I find it hilarious from the warm cushion of my couch. Quite truly –ironically, a miserably yearned moment in adventure, but I could only imagine how torturous over-exposure would be.

All in all, it was about an hour experience since crossing the finish line.

As shitty as it felt, the best I could do in that suffering was to take the same approach to get me by:

To take it step by step.

Or in this case, second to second, breath to breath.

Sometimes it’s all we can do when time comes to standstill in our suffering.

So, Do You Ever Have Bad Days?

Do I ever have bad days? I think the best answer I can give someone is no.

No. I don’t have bad days, I have bad moments.

I say this because I also have good, great, and beautiful moments all in the same day. Heck, some of my most gratifying experiences have come at the end of a seemingly terrible day.

**Especially considering that I got myself that giant cheeseburger with sweet potato fries when I got home.**

That’s grace, maybe, but it is something to look forward to, and something to smile about when trouble finds us.

That alone is energizing, our hope propels us forward and the suffering that we are experiencing in the moment goes on standby, even if just for a moment, as it is enough of a moment in peace to revel and rejoice in.

Very Best,

George Kourtesiotis –Littermature.

Self Help Journaling

Ebook, Audiobook, Journaling Crash Course

Make It Stick, Write It Down. A Journaled Philosophy.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

The Meaning Of Life And Coffee.

Posted on by littermature in Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle
The meaning of life and coffee.

The meaning of life and coffee is deeper than what you’ll find in the bottom of your cup. As good as your coffee may look, we can’t fully comprehend what it’s all about without tasting it for ourselves.

Yes, The Meaning Of Coffee Is Really About Life.

One of my greatest revelations was coming to understand that “life is work”.

Understanding this allowed me to improve my outlook on life. In turn, my mental and emotional self lightened up as well.

Likewise, I always try to maintain a functional mindset, being able to apply one thing to a multitude of things.

This is going down another route, but fractals come to mind, where we find similar characteristics across various scales of reference. From large to small, we find similar patterns– Or something like that.

It’s all in my crash course, if you’re into that sort of thing. Yes I have a crash course, Make It Stick, Write It Down: A Journaled Philosophy.

The Repetition Of Simplicity Gives Rise To Complexity

We can over-complicate life, but something to loosely quote from fractalfoundation.org is that “complexity is the repetition of simplicity.”

Meaning that simple processes, functions, or characteristics that are repeated, and layered upon themselves cater to create an evolved, and complicated whole.

Consider how an artist’s masterpiece starts with just one brush stroke. And as it started, the masterpiece is completed in similar fashion– With its final brush stroke.

All in all, from the artistic end, it took one precise stroke after another to bring it all to fruition, in line with the artist’s creative vision.

On the other end, taking in the whole while having missed out on the creative process entirely, we can become overwhelmed by the intricacies of the finished piece. We marvel and awe at its beauty, its mystery, and more– intrigued and perplexed by the puzzle of creation.

What are we to make of the story that comes along with all of its colors and hues, its textures and shades, or its mood and emotions?

What we take away from the masterpiece for ourselves is unique to our perspective outlook. Meaning, although we are influenced by such a striking painting, whatever story we take out of it only goes back into it. We pepper what we see with a creative story of our own that is projected from the history of our unique life experience.

In this sense, we make the painting come alive.

To bring it back, life is the same.

We get emotional about the ups and downs, as we may compare our effort across various pursuits. However, that “effort”, that “work” is a pattern that underlies every moment in life.

Take for example how we find the underlying characteristics to work in our morning cup of coffee. Truly, the meaning of life is evidence in the simplest of things, consider the “work” involved in making a good cup of joe in the video below.

Moka Pot | Travel French Press | Milk Frother | Glass Kettle


It is relatively easy work certainly, and something to enjoy as the work is rewarding in both process and result.

I am captivated by the simple processes to make my own cup of coffee, as I create it specifically suited to my very own tastes.

Successfully making it for myself, I can sit back and relish in the simple pleasures that come along with a nice warm cup.

That’s the meaning of life in coffee.

Easy Work is Still Work

We take the easy work for granted because it’s easy– We don’t have to think about it. The opposite is true when we are severely challenged with difficult and trying work– It can get to our head, as we can overthink it.

I’m not delusional, some things we may come to face as individuals are extremely difficult, trying, taxing, overwhelming, or worse.

We can buckle down to our hands and knees, paralyzed by the sheer difficulty of it.

However, resilience is another topic. How thick our skin is dictates the resistance we are able to tolerate. If you can’t tolerate much, find a way to make yourself more resilient to life’s resistance.

Bulletproofing

For this reason, if life is work, we must embrace the grind of our day to day.

When challenged at your day job, at home, in your relationship, or wherever else, break down the path forward to get yourself out into your better days.

Look to simplify the process and path ahead of you– Look to the next step, and work from there.

Seeing Is Believing

Ultimately, I can say these things, but you have to see it for yourself to understand. Meaning that your revelation must come from your own experience in action.

Go on then, get out there and challenge yourself in whatever way, shape, or form to improve the qualities of your life.

What am I even saying anymore…

My coffee is getting cold, have a great day.

**Sips Coffee**

Littermature

Self Help Journaling

Ebook, Audiobook, Journaling Crash Course

Make It Stick, Write It Down. A Journaled Philosophy.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

A Story To Learn From: Moving With Pain, Motivation for Personal Betterment.

Posted on by littermature in Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle, Society, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

Where are we in the world today?

These are some crazy times indeed, but life goes on either way.

So what are we to take from that?

Quite simply, it is just another experience to keep on and reflect on down the line in the scope of our life’s experiences.

Enough of that ramble, what I have been meaning to talk to the world about today regards movement, injury, and pain.

I put out a video not too long ago about a small injury to my low back, and as always, I find a way to make it some great parable for life– I do kind of get my kicks thinking about eveything in that way.

This is something that I touch up on in my new ebook/audiobook Make It Stick, Write It Down. A Journaled Philosophy

Click HERE To Learn More

What I’d like to steer towards is this:

Something is kind of like something else, and it is important to maintain a level of functionality with everything in life because life itself is fluid.

Take us in our current perspective,

Life happens, and we are prone to so many different variables and scenarios– both seen and unforseen. But, if we don’t learn, adapt, and grow– or at least take the intiative to TRY to learn, adapt, and grow— then we are left living in our own shambles for the rest of our lives.

Or worse– Dead.

Continue reading “A Story To Learn From: Moving With Pain, Motivation for Personal Betterment.” →

Words in Experience- Aging Meaningfully With Death.

Posted on by littermature in Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle, Society, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

The start of something new- sort of.

I think a lot, we all do, but I can’t help to think that I think a lot — sweet irony!

With regards to my posts, I have generally been saving my words for deeper and longer pieces to blog about, though I frequently vlog my thoughts in experience regularly.

But I can’t lie, if I’m not sharing my words for others to digest for dialogue, the experience feels all too vain.

That beng said, I want to make more of a habit to start sharing some of these ideas, concepts, and stories with you by bridging it through writing.

And though some of them might be fairly short, I digress, I am will continue to share them.

I will also be sharing the vlog pertaining to the topic when available as well.

Moving On

I feel that most of my profound thinking comes to me when I am physically interacting directly with the world, and what I really mean to say is that I am outside doing something physical.

Continue reading “Words in Experience- Aging Meaningfully With Death.” →

A Year In Review: How I Manifested My World in 2019

Posted on by littermature in Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle

Blogs should have a theme; Blogs should have a niche.

I don’t know what that means to me anymore because this one is always evolving and I won’t fit it into a box because it is an extension of my life. Naturally, my writing and perspectives change, shift, and evolve–constantly– and this post is a reflection of that.

Moving on

For no reason whatsoever, one day in January I felt compelled to video log myself with a quick New Year message into 2019. Perhaps it could have been sparked by my 30th birthday about 2 weeks prior, but what kicked off was a month to month documentation of the intentions of my future in my 30th year alive. Thoughts are powerful, and it is the reason behind Littermature’s motto:

Make It Stick, Write It Down.

Continue reading “A Year In Review: How I Manifested My World in 2019” →

In The Prelude of Experience: Intentions of A Camino, 1010+ KM on Foot From the Heels of French Airspace to the Lip of Spanish Waters. Pt. 2.

Posted on by littermature in Life Tips, Travel, Other, Self Help, Personal Development, Lifestyle, Society, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion, Spirituality

IntentionsOfACaminoPART2

Continued From:
In The Prelude of Experience: Intentions of A Camino, 1010+ KM on Foot From the Heels of French Airspace to the Lip of Spanish Waters. Pt. 1.

About Work

After the Camino Frances, I looked at distance, work, and work ethic differently.

I spent 6 to 8 hours a day walking 20-30km– And that was it. The bulk of my life meant just walking, and Behind the walking,

Was the preparation to walk.

It was so simple in monotony, but there were no distractions. It was just myself, and the people around me, while the rest of my day was spent settling a bed, washing my clothes, bathing myself, eating, and sleeping.

That was my day– everyday.

The realization here is that there is a key word to describe this, and it epitomizes life– That magic word is WORK.

“That’s Not Work, That’s Just Life”

You’re right exactly— Because it’s both, they’re the same thing — life IS work.

Continue reading “In The Prelude of Experience: Intentions of A Camino, 1010+ KM on Foot From the Heels of French Airspace to the Lip of Spanish Waters. Pt. 2.” →

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