{"id":1939,"date":"2025-12-29T15:49:06","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T22:49:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/?p=1939"},"modified":"2026-01-07T13:06:38","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:06:38","slug":"why-its-easier-to-run-200-miles-than-to-open-a-spreadsheet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/why-its-easier-to-run-200-miles-than-to-open-a-spreadsheet\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It\u2019s Easier to Run 200 Miles Than to Open a Spreadsheet"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--presto-player:video_id=30--><figure class=\"wp-block-video presto-block-video  presto-provider-bunny\" style=\"--plyr-color-main: var(--presto-player-highlight-color, #00b3ff); --presto-player-logo-width: 150px; \">\n\t<presto-player \n\t\tpreset='{&quot;id&quot;:1,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Default&quot;,&quot;slug&quot;:&quot;default&quot;,&quot;icon&quot;:&quot;format-video&quot;,&quot;skin&quot;:&quot;modern&quot;,&quot;play-large&quot;:true,&quot;rewind&quot;:true,&quot;play&quot;:true,&quot;fast-forward&quot;:true,&quot;progress&quot;:true,&quot;current-time&quot;:true,&quot;mute&quot;:true,&quot;volume&quot;:true,&quot;speed&quot;:false,&quot;pip&quot;:false,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:true,&quot;captions&quot;:false,&quot;reset_on_end&quot;:true,&quot;auto_hide&quot;:true,&quot;show_time_elapsed&quot;:false,&quot;captions_enabled&quot;:false,&quot;save_player_position&quot;:true,&quot;sticky_scroll&quot;:false,&quot;sticky_scroll_position&quot;:&quot;bottom right&quot;,&quot;on_video_end&quot;:&quot;select&quot;,&quot;play_video_viewport&quot;:false,&quot;hide_youtube&quot;:false,&quot;lazy_load_youtube&quot;:false,&quot;hide_logo&quot;:false,&quot;border_radius&quot;:0,&quot;caption_style&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption_background&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;is_locked&quot;:true,&quot;cta&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;watermark&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;search&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;email_collection&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;action_bar&quot;:[&quot;&quot;],&quot;created_by&quot;:102,&quot;created_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-16 22:32:43&quot;,&quot;updated_at&quot;:&quot;2024-10-16 22:32:43&quot;,&quot;deleted_at&quot;:&quot;&quot;}'\n\t\tbranding='{&quot;logo&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;color&quot;:&quot;#00b3ff&quot;,&quot;logo_width&quot;:150,&quot;player_css&quot;:&quot;&quot;}'\n\t\tchapters='[]'\n\t\toverlays='[]'\n\t\ttracks='[]'\n\t\tblock-attributes='{&quot;playsInline&quot;:true,&quot;id&quot;:30,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\\\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\\\/playlist.m3u8&quot;,&quot;preset&quot;:1,&quot;thumbnail&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\\\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\\\/thumbnail.jpg&quot;,&quot;preview&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\\\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\\\/preview.webp&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;original.mp4&quot;}'\n\t\tanalytics=''\n\t\tautomations\t\tprovider='bunny'\n\t\t\t\tid=\"presto-player-1\"\n\t\tsrc=\"https:\/\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\/playlist.m3u8\"\n\t\tmedia-title=\"original.mp4\"\n\t\tcss=\"\"\n\t\tclass=\"presto-video-id-30 presto-preset-id-1 skin-modern\"\n\t\tskin=\"modern\" \n\t\ticon-url=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-content\/plugins\/presto-player\/img\/sprite.svg\" \n\t\tpreload=\"\" \n\t\tposter=\"https:\/\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\/thumbnail.jpg\"\n\t\tyoutube=\"{&quot;noCookie&quot;:false,&quot;channelId&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;show_count&quot;:false}\"\n\t\tprovider-video-id=\"\"\n\t\tvideo-id=\"30\"\n\t\t\t\tvideo-attributes='{}'\n\t\tplaysinline\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t    \n\n\t<\/presto-player>\n<\/figure>\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n\t\t\t{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"VideoObject\",\"name\":\"original.mp4\",\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\\\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\\\/thumbnail.jpg\",\"uploadDate\":\"2025-12-29T12:48:15-07:00\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/vz-4f649c94-ea8.b-cdn.net\\\/8a06dde4-7bff-42cf-b71b-b2cac9659009\\\/playlist.m3u8\"}\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n\n\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve been hiding behind my &#8220;badges of honor.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most people look at my life\u2014the TEDx talks, the 200-mile ultramarathons, the book\u2014and see a man who lives outside his comfort zone. But I have a secret: I\u2019ve become comfortable with the grand discomfort. It\u2019s the small things that are currently defeating me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This year, I am committing to doing more things that make me uncomfortable. Most of us who are on a path of lifelong learning accept that growth happens outside our comfort zone. But when was the last time we actually audited what our comfort zone looks like today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I take pride in doing many things that most people find very uncomfortable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>3 TEDx talks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>100 and 200-mile ultramarathons<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Writing a book<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facilitating a men&#8217;s group and a grief support group<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hosting a podcast for the Canadian Men\u2019s Health Foundation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Starting the Love Letter to Men conference<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These are my badges of honor.<\/strong> But lately, I\u2019ve realized that I\u2019ve become comfortable with this &#8220;grand&#8221; discomfort. The adrenaline of a race or a stage is a known quantity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there is a different, quieter kind of discomfort I\u2019ve been avoiding\u2014the kind that research shows many of us are struggling with in silence. Recent data from the <strong>Canadian Men\u2019s Health Foundation<\/strong> and 2025 surveys highlight a &#8220;silent crisis&#8221;: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/ca\/blog\/the-psychology-of-debt\/202506\/men-money-and-mental-health-the-silent-struggle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly half of men keep financial secrets<\/a> from their partners out of shame, and 40% feel socially isolated because of financial stress. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We often think of &#8220;health&#8221; as physical or mental, but financial transparency is a massive, often overlooked pillar of a man\u2019s well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I looked at my own life, I saw the <strong>&#8220;Mundane Uncomfortables&#8221;<\/strong> I was avoiding to protect my ego:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Budgeting:<\/strong> Facing the actual numbers instead of hiding behind the &#8220;provider&#8221; mask.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rejection:<\/strong> Risking a &#8220;failed&#8221; launch instead of protecting my ego by staying quiet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Minor Conflict:<\/strong> Addressing a boundary in real-time instead of calling my avoidance &#8220;compromise.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>As a man, it\u2019s often easier to run 200 miles than it is to have a 10-minute honest conversation about a boundary or a bank statement.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few more, far more personal ones that I will leave to your imagination. As I reflect, I realize that it is not the \u201cthings\u201d I avoid, but rather an effort to avoid the emotions those things bring up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of my favourite coaching questions is this: <strong>\u201cWhat is that keeping you safe from?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if one of your objectives as we head into the new year is to do things that you have not done, rather than asking yourself, \u201cHow do I do the thing?\u201d ask yourself, <strong>\u201cWhat feeling am I protecting myself from by not doing the thing?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you can answer that question and learn to sit with the feeling, the &#8220;thing&#8221;\u2014the budget, the talk, the conflict\u2014loses its power over you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Resources &amp; Taking Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Practice Sitting With the Feeling:<\/strong> If the &#8220;Mundane Uncomfortables&#8221; I mentioned resonated with you, don\u2019t sit in that silence alone. We built the <strong>Connect&#8217;d Men&#8217;s Group<\/strong> specifically as a practice ground for this. Join the next <a href=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/wednesday-night-virtual\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"747\">Connect&#8217;d session here<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Deep Dive into the Data:<\/strong> For those who want to understand the &#8220;Silent Crisis&#8221; better, the <strong>Canadian Men\u2019s Health Foundation<\/strong> has incredible resources. <a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthfoundation.ca\/research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explore CMHF Research<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What is your &#8220;Mundane Uncomfortable?&#8221;<\/strong> I\u2019d love to hear from you. Send us a <a href=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/contact-us-2\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1030\">private message<\/a> and tell me: What is one &#8220;small&#8221; thing you\u2019ve been avoiding? I read every response.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div data-wp-interactive=\"core\/file\" class=\"wp-block-file\"><object data-wp-bind--hidden=\"!state.hasPdfPreview\" hidden class=\"wp-block-file__embed\" data=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Discomfort-Audit-1.pdf\" type=\"application\/pdf\" style=\"width:100%;height:600px\" aria-label=\"Embed of Discomfort Audit.\"><\/object><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-32e0a2d5-9c5e-4867-809f-31c906f5b0cf\" href=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Discomfort-Audit-1.pdf\">Discomfort Audit<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Discomfort-Audit-1.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-32e0a2d5-9c5e-4867-809f-31c906f5b0cf\" download>Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve been hiding behind my &#8220;badges of honor.&#8221; Most people look at my life\u2014the TEDx talks, the 200-mile ultramarathons, the book\u2014and see a man who lives outside his comfort zone. But I have a secret: I\u2019ve become comfortable with the grand discomfort. It\u2019s the small things that are currently defeating me. This year, I am&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1941,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":25,"label":"Articles"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Me-and-Michelle-finish-line-small-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Mike Cameron","author_link":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/author\/mike\/"},"comment_info":3,"category_info":[{"term_id":25,"name":"Articles","slug":"articles","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":25,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":25,"category_count":14,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Articles","category_nicename":"articles","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1939"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1950,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1939\/revisions\/1950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1941"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/connectdmen.com\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}