A haircut shouldn't have this much power over a person… but here we are.
For the past 18-ish months I’ve been in the wilderness, not of ultra running, but of finding a new hair person! My old stylist moved an hour away, and even I won’t drive that far for a haircut, though I once flew across country to run 81 miles for “fun.” Since then, it’s been 18 months of experiments. A few “meh” cuts.
One appointment where I waited 30 minutes even though I had an appointmnet, and I finally just had to leave. The entire shop froze like I’d violated a sacred ritual. (“He’s… just walking out??”) They offered me a comp’d haircut if I came back the next day. I did, and the haircut was… fine. Not bad. Not great. Just… hair.
A few months pass and I tried yet another new person, hyped by a friend as “the best” who would “solve all my problems.” Spoiler: she did not. (Unless my problem was having expectations.)
And that’s when it hit me: Haircuts are basically running. And life. And business.
Sometimes you’re flying.
Sometimes it’s average.
Sometimes you walk out wearing a hat.
The trick isn’t lowering your expectations, it’s staying flexible enough to keep trying. To show up again. To see what the next mile, or the next stylist, or the next idea brings. Because settling? That’s the real danger. That’s complacency, the “meh” mindset.
I don’t want to lower my standards for my runs, my work, or my life. And honestly, I don’t want to lower them for my hair either.
So I’ll keep experimenting. Keep chasing better. Keep believing the next attempt might surprise me
.
Not perfection.
Just progress.
One haircut (or mile) at a time.