Intensity Vs Extensity — What Matters?
“A woodpecker can tap twenty times on a thousand trees and get nowhere, but stay busy. Or he can tap twenty-thousand times on one tree and get dinner.” – Seth Godin
1.
“All major changes evolve slowly over time.” - Gwen Schultz.
In muscle building, there is a phenomenon known as hypertrophy. Simply put, it is an increase or thickening of a muscle part. While some people do not have to do anything to get bulges in their biceps and triceps, a lot of us have to do workouts; and heavy lifting to achieve that. I remember when I tried to get some muscles after hearing too many “you are too skinny,” “you no dey chop.” I honestly wanted to grow muscles in five days. I was tired of hearing broken records; so I wanted a change of rhetoric. Then, I joined a group of guys who had homemade but crude workout equipment to grow my muscles.
However, my frustration grew when I didn't see anything after two days. Why would I lift barbells, about 50kg and even more (there was one wicked, satanic iron, a trailer plate nobody knew the weight but it was bloody heavy) and push my endurance levels to the max and not see anything, aside from severe arm and thigh pains the next day? Well, after pushing for a few days, I told them, "If I no see anything before Friday, I no go follow una do this suffering." I mean, I went more rounds than the chubbier ones, so that should count for something, right? Right?
Lol, I know better now.
As far as I've learned in my short time here, intensity is not the best way to show "workings," even though it may appear that way at the time. Intensity has its place, but if it is done improperly, that is, for a short period, it is a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, intensity is a good thing.
Enter extensity.
It's not an in-your-face term, it's just "extension," a tentacle of continuity, and consistency. This newsletter’s theme is intensities misinterpreted as hard work, and why intensity must be held by extensity.
2.
“Progress is a magnitude of consistency, not a magnitude of intensity.” - Billy Oppenheimer
To gain a better understanding of how planetary ice sheets are formed, several glaciologists have undertaken several studies. It was thought that extreme cold weather caused the ice sheets that covered the earth at some point. The consensus among some of the world's best naturalists was that the Ice Ages (labelled in 1837, by the way) resulted from the sun's distance from the Earth. I mean, that’s geography, innit?
But further research proved that it was not cold weather, extreme weather in this case, or the distance from the sun per se that caused ice sheets, but rather, consistently cold weather.
There is a difference and it is quite clear.
In the research-backed opinion of Wladimir Wobben, a meteorologist, ice sheets form when extreme weather is consistent enough, such that snow sticks around for some seasons, resulting in ice sheets. In other words, the extreme weather does not matter; what matters is the consistency in the extreme weather over a while, so ice sheets form no matter how little the snow condiments are, as long as they last over time.
Consistency. Extensity. Consistency.
Just as in building muscles, it is not about the intensity really, but the consistency that accompanies the intensity. If you use the gym for five hours, spread weekly, there will be considerable differences from when you spend five hours a day and do not use the gym for the next two months.
While you want to be intense with your goals, make plans for consistency. Consistency is showing up every day. Every damn day, you don’t have to be intense, because what intensity does without rest burns you up. It is easy to get fired up and lose the flavour as time goes on, but, the tea is, extensity with sprinkles of intensity.
Selah, omo iya mi.
3.
“The prize never goes to the one with the most talent, but to the one who sticks around the longest.” - Steve Martin.
Consistency is not just a skill that you need, it is a guarantee of success. One of the biggest life lessons is, hardwork done long enough creates the base for success. So, friends, consider adding consistency to your potpourri of skills.
Loves.
Lovely content brother, Occupyyy