On my run this morning I noticed a phenomenon that happens nearly every time I pass or see another runner, and sometimes even when I pass someone walking.
It's the looking good phenomenon.
I don't know if it's involuntary, but it certainly feels like it, that I find myself pulling myself up taller, perhaps kicking my heels up behind me a bit more and increasing my pace a little, or even a bit more than a little. :)
My need to look good takes over and overrides common sense such that I change the way I'm running. And it doesn't just happen in my running.
So is the looking good phenomenon a positive contribution or is it negative?
I think that it's actually both positive and negative.
It's positive because it can help me to raise my game, challenge myself a bit more than I might and can lead me to succeed in something that I wouldn't have done.
But at other times the same looking good can stop me doing things that I want to do because of my fear of looking like a fool, of maybe being laughed at or pitied.
The first type of looking good is OK. Let it raise your game, have a bit of fun, and enjoy the fun of pushing yourself a little to look good.
However, the second type is not good. It is damaging, stifling and limits your fulfilment and possibilities. Don't let it take control of you.
By the way, did I say that you're looking great today!
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