morningstar
Cathlete
I was reading KBlover's post and found myself thinking about the nature of Catheites. My thoughts didn't really correspond directly to her post, so I didn't want to hijack her thread by posting there.
I think people who gravitate to Cathe have big dreams and goals, and are willing to work hard to get there. The flip side of that is that we expect a tremendous amount from ourselves, don't take excuses for answers and are sometimes quite harsh with ourselves when we don't live up to our own extremely high standards. Perhaps we tend to live to extremes more than the general population and our interest in an instructor as hardcore as Cathe (and Shaun T and AOS, etc.) fits our need to challenge ourselves in a way that less intense instructors don't.
When I was young, I came up with this motto, and it still rings true to me:
Human beings live best in moderation, but they are at their most human when living to extremes.
In other words, a balanced lifestyle, with varied interests and an even attitude toward life will allow us to live happier lives, but it is when we are putting everything we have into something (loving fiercely beyond all reason, sky diving, running an ultra marathon, working day and night for years to find a cure for cancer, sinking to the depths of depression over a relationship that didn't work out...) that we are really alive and exploding through life in that uniquely human way, even if we are absolutely miserable doing it.
When you are living in moderation, you will probably overall have a happier life, but you may never experience how the intense lows make the exploding highs that much sweeter.
Me, I aim for balance and moderation. My life circumstances have led me to a personality that favours extremes and I tend to live in an unbalanced way. So one of my goals is to find the beauty in consistency and evenness and the strength in solidity, leaving behind the tsunamis and hurricanes. I no longer work to create drama in my life; I would happily settle for peace.
How about you?
I think people who gravitate to Cathe have big dreams and goals, and are willing to work hard to get there. The flip side of that is that we expect a tremendous amount from ourselves, don't take excuses for answers and are sometimes quite harsh with ourselves when we don't live up to our own extremely high standards. Perhaps we tend to live to extremes more than the general population and our interest in an instructor as hardcore as Cathe (and Shaun T and AOS, etc.) fits our need to challenge ourselves in a way that less intense instructors don't.
When I was young, I came up with this motto, and it still rings true to me:
Human beings live best in moderation, but they are at their most human when living to extremes.
In other words, a balanced lifestyle, with varied interests and an even attitude toward life will allow us to live happier lives, but it is when we are putting everything we have into something (loving fiercely beyond all reason, sky diving, running an ultra marathon, working day and night for years to find a cure for cancer, sinking to the depths of depression over a relationship that didn't work out...) that we are really alive and exploding through life in that uniquely human way, even if we are absolutely miserable doing it.
When you are living in moderation, you will probably overall have a happier life, but you may never experience how the intense lows make the exploding highs that much sweeter.
Me, I aim for balance and moderation. My life circumstances have led me to a personality that favours extremes and I tend to live in an unbalanced way. So one of my goals is to find the beauty in consistency and evenness and the strength in solidity, leaving behind the tsunamis and hurricanes. I no longer work to create drama in my life; I would happily settle for peace.
How about you?
