Post Enduro Challenge

by Phil

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Since the Enduro Challenge that I put myself thru I have noticed a great many changes in myself.  All positive.  All amazingly positive.

Before the enduro challenge if I ever gave advice to a friend it would be for them to go to Scandinavia (specifically Denmark and Sweden), South America (specifically Brazil), or to Asia (specifically Viet Nam, and Laos).  But now things are different.  Now I have lived life after the enduro challenge and I see that it is better than I had it before.  So now my new advice would be to stay awake for 100 hours or so.  Just do it.  Trust me.  You will be the better for it.

It crushes whatever you might get out of traveling to exotic and interesting different travel destinations.

Being awake for 4 days and 19 hrs straight was interesting in of itself but it is nothing compared to the experiences that I have had since. 

From the outset I did my best to approach this whole thing as a Man of Science.  Out of the gate I was happy to be my own human guinea pig in my own little experiment.  But I never expected such a remarkable difference in my day to day living post challenge.  What I expected was this.  Become massively tired on my way to beating the record, beat the record, go a little bit more, then go to sleep, and wake up refreshed sometime later and return to my life as usual.

But what happened was so much different.   First of all, I never anticipated feeling so strong at 80 hours, and clicking along for as long as I did, and secondly I never expected to feel so awesome in the weeks to follow.

Since the moment I woke from the challenge and straight thru to this very moment here is how things have been different for me.

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Confidence - Higher than ever, and does not seem to be waning

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General Love for Mankind, the Universe and all things... - Higher than ever before.

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My Poker Game - Improved (and I believe greatly!)  I have won 7 of the last 8 sessions.  I feel as if another door of the matrix has opened... I am seeing way more than I saw before.  It is hummingly trippy on so many levels.  I am fairly sure that this version of me would have huge edge over the version of me that was playing a mere month ago.

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Empathy Levels - Super high.  While on the 'life cycle' at the gym this week I was watching a show about the life and times of "Pink" the singer/song writer.  Pink shared a sad moment and it really hit me.  I started to cry.  I was sad so I cried.  I didn't catch myself and remind myself that I was at the gym nor did I see this as something to be embarrassed about.  I was sad so I cried.  It was simple.  Part way thru my cry I realized that this was for sure a new behavior for me.  I don't recall ever crying in a public place (movie theater's, funeral's and wedding's excluded).  And certainly not at the gym watching a TV show on the life cycle.  In the past if I was crying I was most likely alone or with at most one person. 

10 or so seconds into the cry I found myself happy that I was not finding it at all embarrassing.  The 'old' Phil would have his directionals on and not let this happen at the gym, at home maybe, but not at the gym.  But here I was:  I did not care one iota that I was on a life cycle machine at the gym crying.  I felt like I had taken a step closer to being self-actualized and it felt wonderful. 

On the same thought thread.... I saw Karate Kid this week (the new one).  There were many moments designed to evoke emotion.  And I let myself get swept away in each and every one.  I must have teared up or cried 4 or 5 times in that flick.  From experience I think a movie like that might have got at most one or two moments of 'tears' from me.  But the 'new' Phil was emotional then the old one and found himself crying at the very moments the director would have hoped for.

The newer and more sensitive Phil that I have been living with is, I believe, a better Phil.  I love this guy.  I want to hug him.  So score one up in the sensitivity department as I have more of it. 

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Patience for stuff - Off the charts.  Never mind the poker stuff.  It goes without saying that patience can really help a guy in a tough cash game, but that is not what I am talking about.  Just regular stuff.  My patience now seems to be infinite.  It feels super human, and I love it.

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Athletics - Crazy improvement.  I am hungry for the gym.  When I get there, I can't seem to get enough.  I have been playing Michael Binger in racquet ball for about 2 years now and have never beaten him.  The most points I think I ever got against him was 7 or 8 points.  But this week I felt like that was going to change, and it did.  The last three games went....

15 - 11 him
15 - 13 him
15 - 12 ME!!!  I did it, I finally cracked it.  I went from never having a shot against this machine to finally doing it!  Amazing.

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Happiness - I know it has only been two weeks, but for sure I have been happier overall.  I was always fairly good about this.  After all, it is not that hard.  Happiness is a choice after all.  However, that being said, something extra has found its way into my life.  Hard to put my finger on it, but it is real, and I am living it.  I only hope that it keeps on ticking well beyond just these two weeks. 

A distinctly powerful and solid feeling of happiness and well being has enveloped me since the challenge, and it feels great!

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My over all passion for everything - For sure has increased. 

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I can only hope that whatever changed in me stays with me forever.  I have had some crazy lucky turns in my life, but this really takes the cake.   

Phil Laak
The Happiest Degen to Have Ever Lived!