"Unlike them, I carried the burden of dreaming of being a capital W Writer. Shortly after arriving to New York City in my early twenties, I unceremoniously dropped off a bag of all my knitting supplies at Goodwill. No time for that. I lived by a routine that would ensure my success: I worked my nine to five in advertising, and then wrote freelance stories in the mornings, evenings, and on weekends."
"The bigger problem was that my end goal continually shape-shifted. First, I just wanted to get paid for writing. Then I needed to write for more well-respected publications. Then I decided to move to Los Angeles to become a TV writer. As I scratched up this neverending ladder, something else was in the back of my mind: trail running. During the early days of COVID I had read Chris McDougall's memoir "Born To Run" andbecome fascinated with the stories of people who could run 100 miles, on trails, over mountains. These hardcore runners seemed alive and free, like hyper-athletic hippies who had completely unsubscribed to the traditional career-oriented lifestyle."
A person initially regarded hobbies as frivolous and abandoned a knitting practice to focus on a writing career. Relentless pursuit of writing paid work and prestige produced a demanding schedule and eventual burnout. Career goals repeatedly shifted from paid writing to prestigious outlets to television writing, creating instability. Exposure to trail running and Chris McDougall's Born To Run during early COVID introduced a model of long-distance runners who pursued internally controlled goals. Those runners appeared alive, free, and detached from conventional career ladders. Trail running offered an accessible, self-directed ambition that broadened personal dreams and prompted regular running in local parks.
Read at Business Insider
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