Sunday Setup
A weekly newsletter to help get your mind set up for a positive workweek.
04.27.2025 — Run, Mandroid! Run!
Robo Runners
Thanks to AI, computers continue to encroach upon the human existence. From self-operating vacuum cleaners to self-driving cars to ChatGPT, robots are constantly getting better at being human. But when it comes to running, they not like us.
Last week 21 robots ran in the first-ever Humanoid Robot Half-Marathon in Beijing, China, and some of them barely even crossed the starting line. Ranging in size from 5' 10" to a little less than 2 1/2 feet, many of these athletic androids ran alongside flesh-and-blood humans, but they didn't make up much ground in the man vs machine competition. Only six cyborgs successfully crossed the finish line.
The winning robot, Tiangong Ultra, required three battery swaps to complete the 13.1 mile course in 2 hours, 40 minutes. It even fell once and got back up, proving that mind over matter can also work for an inanimate object that kind of has a mind. While robots may appear to be taking some jobs away from humans, I think sports are still safe — for now. It may be another decade before robotics engineers make the 90's video game Cyberball a reality.
And I can't wait to see Cleatus the Fox Sports Football Robot get blown up by an exploding football! As John Madden would say, "BOOM!"
Shoshin
After about six months, it seems my unexpected sabbatical will soon come to an end. Thanks to my network and one persuasive kind soul who went to bat for me — even without my knowledge — tomorrow will be my first day with a new employer. And as first days go, I'm sure it'll be filled with excitement and anxiety.
Since you never get a second chance to make a first impression, first days can be anxiety-inducing. You want to make sure you start off on the right foot with your manager and colleagues, so you try hard not to say anything that could produce a feeling of buyer's remorse. First days can also be exciting not only because you get to start off with an empty inbox, but also because you get an opportunity to experience new challenges for the first time in a new environment. But, we don't always need a new gig to experience things anew.
Regardless of how advanced you may be in your line of work, you're bound to run into challenging roadblocks that stump you from time to time. You could relentlessly bulldoze through them by reviewing your extensive experience for similar situations, or you could apply the Japanese concept of Shoshin.
Also known as Beginner's Mind, Shoshin encourages you to let go of preconceived notions, expectations, and past experiences so you can see things with fresh eyes, which can help you uncover new ideas. Think about the first time you drove a car, used a cell phone, or maybe even fed an infant. You were probably excited — maybe a little nervous — and that energy helped you learn. You were curious because those things were new and you didn't have the expensive baggage of experience weighing down your mind.
In the words of Shunryu Suzuki, author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, "If your mind is empty it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few." While experience can definitely be an asset, it can also be a detriment if you let it get in the way.
The next time you tackle a familiar, yet challenging obstacle, try cultivating beginner's mind by:
Ignoring the stories past experiences tell you, as this can cause you to jump to conclusions
Taking inspiration from children by asking seemingly basic questions
Slowing down instead of operating on autopilot
Removing the word "should" from your vocabulary, as that ties you to an expected outcome
Putting your ego on the back burner and seeing the challenge as an opportunity to learn something new
As the world throws challenges at you this week, try to attack them with a beginner's mind. Doing so just might help you identify new solutions, and enrich your knowledge along the way.
Have a great "first day!"