{"id":22673,"date":"2025-07-18T23:11:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T23:11:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/?p=22673"},"modified":"2026-02-21T00:25:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:25:41","slug":"cimw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/2025\/07\/18\/cimw\/","title":{"rendered":"Catharsis – In my way"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Shane Livingston \u2013 Logan, Utah. You are an Ironman.<\/h3><\/span><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When the Noise Gets Loud, I Go Back to the Basics<\/h3><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Most people won\u2019t care about what I\u2019m about to say\u2014and that\u2019s perfectly okay. This isn\u2019t for them. It\u2019s for me.<\/span><\/p>

Lately, work has felt like a grind. Too much noise. Too many shifting priorities. Not enough clarity. I find myself constantly decoding signals, silences, and subtext. It\u2019s mentally draining. I share when asked, but I try to stick to what\u2019s known\u2014not the maybes or probablys\u2014even when Occam\u2019s Razor is leading to quite obvious conclusions and answers.<\/span><\/p>

When I hit that wall\u2014mentally, emotionally\u2014I come back to this space. To movement. To mindset. To triathlon. It\u2019s where I reset. Where the noise fades and the signal gets strong again.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cYou don\u2019t have to see the whole staircase to take the first step.\u201d <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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quite often attributed to MLK<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Seeing the Whole Staircase<\/h3><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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That version hits me hard\u2014because most of the time, I\u00a0do<\/em>\u00a0see the staircase. I see the step I\u2019m on, the ones ahead, and even the destination. And that\u2019s where things get complicated.<\/span><\/p>

My mind doesn\u2019t just process the obvious. It starts connecting dots across layers of context\u2014signals, silences, patterns most people don\u2019t even notice. It\u2019s a kind of dyslexic-driven overdrive, where letters, symbols, and meanings blur and blend into something bigger. It\u2019s not chaos\u2014it\u2019s just a different kind of clarity. But it can be overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>

(See the video below for more context.)<\/span><\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Slow Down to Move Well<\/h3><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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So I pause. I slow my thinking\u2014deliberately. Because only then can I move with purpose. One step. Then another. Just like running:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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  • Left foot.<\/span><\/li>
  • Right foot.<\/span><\/li>
  • Repeat.<\/span><\/li>
  • A lot.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

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    When the volume at work cranks up, I tend to go quiet. I begin to turn inward. Sometimes I go deep and others its surface level or shallow! I turn to what grounds me\u2014my family, the swim, the bike, the run. Triathlon isn\u2019t just a sport for me. It\u2019s a playground. A proving ground. A classroom. A sanctuary.<\/span><\/p>

    It\u2019s where I reconnect with my body, recalibrate my mind, and remember who I am beneath the noise.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    \u201cAll of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.\u201d<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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    Blaise Pascale<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    I\u2019ve had hours alone\u2014on the road, in the water, in my own head. And in that silence, I\u2019ve had to face it all: the doubts, the dreams, the demons, the hope.<\/span><\/p>

    • I finished a full Ironman.<\/span>
      • 1.2-mile swim. 112-mile bike. 26.2-mile run.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>

        And yeah, I had a mechanical issue for 65+ miles on the bike. Most people would\u2019ve quit. I didn\u2019t. I\u2019m still not sure why.\u00a0 Well, I don’t find that to be authentically true. <\/span>Maybe it\u2019s the internal motivators. Maybe it\u2019s the external motivators<\/span><\/p>

        • my wife\u2019s sacrifices, <\/span><\/li>
        • my kids\u2019 dreams,<\/span><\/li>
        • the quiet observers rooting for or against me.<\/span><\/li><\/ul>

          All of it matters. All of it burns. But mostly, I had wisdom baked in from the many lessons learned\u00a0 in the steps I\u2019d already taken and completed. <\/span>Since 2013, I\u2019ve been doing the work\u2014mental, physical, emotional. I\u2019ve passed on career moves. Watched others climb. But I stayed focused on what mattered: becoming the human, the Husband, the Dad, colleague and friend –\u00a0 I needed to become and be!<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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          In 2015 – IVF gave us our second miracle baby. That door, assisted fertility supports, is closing for others now – except for the deemed privileged few. That\u2019s a story for another day. While I was concentrating on me internally and my. roles as a husband, and\u00a0 father – I didn\u2019t let my career skills fade. I just stopped chasing titles and started chasing meaning.\u00a0 <\/span>It often stings when I see ideas I birthed\u2014shared in good faith\u2014get used without context or credit by others. But I\u2019m learning to let go. If I\u2019m not asked, I\u2019m not offering. That\u2019s not bitterness. That\u2019s boundaries. Let it go!<\/span><\/p>\n

          (Thanks, Anna and Elsa.)<\/span><\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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          So here\u2019s where I\u2019ve landed:<\/span><\/p>

          • Observe. <\/strong><\/span><\/li>
          • Inform. <\/strong><\/span><\/li>
          • Instruct. <\/strong>(<\/em><\/span>with consent or contract.)<\/span><\/em><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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            Rather than endlessly debating which worldview is superior, consider drawing wisdom from multiple traditions. Use these insights to shape your own philosophy and personal practice\u2014then let your actions show that collaboration and diversity of thought are more powerful than any single perspective<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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            My personal remix of a Ryan Holiday idea\/quote<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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            And this:<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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            It is a lifelong quest for more knowledge, more courage, more humility, and more belief. Because when you summon the strength and discipline to live like that, the only thing limiting your horizons is you.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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            \u2014 David Goggins, Never Finished<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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            <\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Shane Livingston \u2013 Logan, Utah. You are an Ironman. When the Noise Gets Loud, I Go Back to the Basics Most people won\u2019t care about what I\u2019m about to say\u2014and that\u2019s perfectly okay. This isn\u2019t for them. It\u2019s for me. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[674,817],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2025-check-ins","category-prnci"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24159,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22673\/revisions\/24159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/happyinthehills.com\/zentriathlete\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}