Head Tilt #69: Start with your socks

Similar to when I was ten years old, I received a pair of toe socks for Christmas.

 

Toe socks!

I love them. 🥰

 

As a runner, I am often concerned with:

• my shoes (Mizuno)

• my running gear (Lulu, GapFit Breathe, Yogalicious)

• my hydration (Nuun)

• my route (ocean cliffs) and 

• my playlists (to match my mood and goals)

 

What I’ve learned through blisters and black toenails is that my socks are one of the most essential ingredients of a good run.

 

And it’s not just the socks themselves, it’s how I put them on.

 

If I hurriedly shove my feet in my socks and lace-up without a thought, I’m bound to feel discomfort around mile two or three. If I’m stubborn (often) and don’t stop to fix the misplaced seam, bunching or sliding, I pay for it later with pain.

 

My new toe socks, specifically made for runners, stay in place, are impossible to put on in a hurry, and keep my toes from hanging out together in the Blister Bar.

 

I love them so much and have already ordered four more pairs!

 

Beloved American basketball coach and Hall-of-Famer, John Wooden, knew all about the importance of socks. 

In a Newsweek interview years ago he said,

 

“I think it's the little things that really count. The first thing I would show our players at our first meeting was how to take a little extra time putting on their shoes and socks properly. The most important part of your equipment is your shoes and socks. You play on a hard floor. So you must have shoes that fit right. And you must not permit your socks to have wrinkles around the little toe--where you generally get blisters--or around the heels. It took just a few minutes, but I did show my players how I wanted them to do it.”

 

Can you imagine the players on that first day? They were undoubtedly amped to learn from the best! And Wooden told them how to put on their socks...

As with running and basketball, it is the attention to the little things in our lives that makes the big things possible.
 
So my question for you is,

What are the socks of your relationship/family, your work success, and your self-care?
 
What are the seemingly small but extremely important things that success requires?
 
🧦 The “socks” of my relationships/family are love and open communication.
🧦 The “socks” of my work success are autonomy and trust.
🧦 The “socks” of my self-care are sleep and running.

 

When these fundamentals are in place, success is that much closer.

 

What are your socks?

 

Is it time to order some more?