I've been a Farnam Street reader for many years and am a better thinker because of the reading I've done there. I was fortunate enough to attend Shane's inaugural Re:think Innovation workshop in Chicago four years ago and lessons learned there influence the way I approach the world today.
A little while ago, Shane published his Farnam Street Principles. Thoughtfully crafted, I think each of the five ideas apply directly to ideas I have around life and running. One particularly stood out to me when thinking about helping others achieve their goals in running, "Thoughtful Opinions Held Loosely."
As someone who loves to study training theory and analyze programming, it's clear many different approaches can produce strong results. Each coach subscribes to methods and systems they believe in, but in many cases they also become attached to the idea that there is only one way to achieve optimal results.
Each athlete is different, has different strengths and weaknesses, different preferences, and ability levels. Each athlete should be coached differently. The best coaches in the world strongly believe in what they are doing but are constantly evolving and testing their conviction. The best are thoughtful in their approach, but willing to change their mind and try new things when strong evidence is present to consider other ideas.
Believe in your process, but stay open-minded.
