Reason and Passion

Staying Motivated and Platforms

Julley from Ladakh.

This is my second newsletter from Ladakh and I am already liking the feeling. But alas, city calls and so would be back in Hyderabad on Tuesday. See you soon.

I was here to participate in the 122 KM Silk Route Ultra organised during Ladakh Marathon 2022. Now, many people, and rightly so, feel that it is insane to be even around such thoughts. Well, 60 runners signed up, 47 showed up at the start line (including your truly) and 20 finished within the 22 hours cut-off. More than half (including yours truly) dropped off at various intermediate cut off points. So, though it seems to be a passionate activity but it is also driven by the resonableness of the event organisers like Padma Shri Chewang Motup Guba who helms the Ladakh Marathon.
Let me quote my favourite poet philosopher Kahlil Gibran on Reason and Passion.

Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the sails of your seafaring soul.
If either your sails or your rudder be broken, 
you can but toss and drift, 
or else be held at a standstill in mid-seas.
For reason, ruling alone, is a force confining and 
passion, unattended, is a flame that burns to its own destruction.

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DTW

During the week, Apple Inc. announced Apple Watch Ultra which set the heart rates soaring for both endurance sports enthusiasts and smartwatch/sportswatch makers. Ultramarathoner Scott Jurek appeared in the presentation for the new watch, which is sure to make many ultra runners take notice .With this Apple Inc made its intentions clear about going all-in for Garmin watch-wearer market (for example in Long Distance Running) -- someone who wants a dedicated running watch or a smartwatch which can also be used as an accessory but also last (maybe) a whole weekend without a charge.

Of course, Garmin hit back with a funny tweet to highlight the longer battery life of its flagship multsport samrtwatch Enduro2. Let the battle begin so that the customers benefit from the trickle down of some of the advanced features to the low-end models.

Garmin @Garmin

We measure battery life in months. Not hours. #Enduro2

I have written about Platforms and Passion where I have examined the relationship of platform and the passion economy through three lenses- First- Discovery Conundrum ; Second-”Good Enough” is Good and Three-Rent Seeking by Platforms.

Various thought leaders have argued that the coming age would see influencers making a good living from their fans/subscribers. The passion economy proponents argue that the truly creative influencers would be able to monetise what they love doing and also do well. BUT now there is a growing concern that in the race for creating platform thickness , many ecosystems have added too-much-too-soon and perhaps have reduced the overall quality of the content. The idea that we have the most brilliant content on platforms is flawed and as usual mediocrity rules the roost. Nothing hurts me more than seeing it in endurance training where everybody seems to be a coach/trainer/influencer on Instagram and more often than not dispensing “quackish” instant Gyan.

Simultaneously, platforms have also been instrumental in providing reasonable amount of flexibility to all of us especially in the post pandemic world. According to a recent study by Amy Wrzesniewski at Yale School of Management, Justin Berg at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Adam Grant at the Wharton School, and Jennifer Kurkoski and Brian Welle at Google

altering job- and self-growth mindsets in tandem would yield larger gains in happiness.

Many of us have known about the benefits of job-crafting on psychological well-being, engagement, and performance on the job for the employee. Job crafting refers to the practice in which an employee intentionally alters the design of their own professional role. Remote work which has benefitted due to the platfrom design and entities is also responsible for increase in job-crafting practice. In addition, platforms have enabled a self related mindset amonsgt the employees leading to an even bigger change in their job design.

The authors conclude that

.. to achieve sustainable gains,it may be important for individuals to believe they can change their environments as well as themselves.

Like in work and even running, working remotely may make you loose your sense of belonging , meaning and purpose. It also puts a spotlight on the work iteself which may make work look less interesting, motivating, or meaningful. In long distance running, I have realised that though evrybody might be training for their respective goals but the experience of running is defined by our interdependence with others, and the relationships that grow as a result of running together that is important for the meaning and purpose they find in their daily workouts.

Run.Spread the Spirit.

OTW

Over the Weekend, we celebrated with runners achieving their respective goals during the Ladakh Marathon 2022. We all rejoiced as the runners crossed the finish for their 10.5 KM, Half Marathon and Full Marathon. Almost everybody was running at Leh for the first time and it was joy to watch them push their body and mind at an altitude of over 11,500 feet and substantial inclines.

More power to all the finishers from PeeranCheruvu Runners .

Though I am part of the picture, but unfortuately, I missed my 50 KM cut off time limit by 5 minutes and had to withdraw from the Silk Route Ultra 122 KM. As of now, content to have finished 50 km in 7 hours 35 minutes but could have been better. In hindsight, being low tech (no sports watch or additional nutritional supplements) can be a spoilsport in harsh events like Silk Route Ultra with minimal support and running during the cold night conditions.

It would have been nice to finish it but perhaps some other opportunity awaits. I firmly believe that we must try impossible as “What’s the fun in doing something unless there is a risk of failing spectacularly“.

Back to training. See you around.

I Love You

Shailendra

PS- Of course, the week started well on a professional front.I received Best Faculty Award for Overall Excellence at IBS Hyderabad for the Academic Year 2021-22. I am grateful to my institutional leadership, faculty colleagues and definitely my students over last two decades or so. As luck would have it, I was in Ladakh and hence could not receive it in person.

Of course, occasions like this are wonderful opportunity to take stock of what works and what does not. As I reflect back on my journey as a faculty at Sobhasaria Engineering College, Sikar and subsequently at Icfai Business School Hyderabad, I am again reminded of the struggle between reason and passion. I have practiced my own version of “Tough Love” though during pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, I have proudly let the ‘tough‘ part mellow down or may be simply i am getting old.

Thanks for all your love over last two decades of teaching and learning inside and beyond the classroom.

Hope to see you soon.

Stay Blessed.