When I mess up doing a sidcha: I get to practice integrity
I’d been meaning to write a post like this since what I’m about to describe happens every now and then. Part of the value of a sidcha is developing the skill of integrity. As with any performance-based activity, we learn to practice integrity through practicing the basics. There are probably many basic practices for integrity, but sidchas are a good one. I can think of few things more valuable to learn than to live with integrity to one’s values.
My evening burpee-based calisthenics usually involves 27 burpees. How I do them depends on my six-day exercise cycle. On rest days, I do three sets of 9. Tonight’s set was four sets of 6 followed by a set of 3.
Today was busy. My mind was distracted. I lost track of how many sets I’d done. I was almost completely sure I was about to start the fourth set, but I couldn’t be sure. I don’t write it down. I rarely lose track.
Still, I lost track. No matter how sure I felt I had done three sets, it wasn’t one hundred percent.
What else could I do but do what was probably an extra set, but may have been my minimum number? So I did the likely extra set. I didn’t complain. I didn’t say to myself, “well, I’m pretty sure I did it right. I don’t have to beat myself up over it” or “I want to maintain the habit, but I need to balance too. Everything in moderation.” Like everyone, I balance values and this is the balance that’s right for me.
When integrity is on one side of the scale, it’s easy to choose what maintains and builds it over what’s comfortable and convenient. I love comfort and convenience, probably more than most. That’s why I did the likely extra burpees.
To clarify, I don’t know if I have more integrity than other people, though at this tail end of the mayoral race in New York City, I feel like I’m swimming in a sea of the opposite of integrity, but I know for sure that I have more integrity now than I would have without the consistency and discipline of my sidchas.
Sidchas also create mental freedom. It’s much easier to do the extra set and be done with it than to deal with the mental stress of not knowing, or even more challenging: to restart after pausing.
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