Staying In the Game

Posted on November 1, 2026 by Catherine Cheng, MD

You guys, it’s possible I can jump farther than I am tall!

I’m only 5’2″, so it’s really not that far, but I’m excited! I can make it from one end of the turf to the other at Ethos, Coach Mason and I estimate 30 feet, in about 5 jumps. Next week I will find a tape measure–OH that will be fun! I’ll see how far I can actually jump, and then have something to maybe work on in the coming year!

This block we are training deadlift again, and next week I will try for 200# x 4 on the trap bar. Friend Jerry the musician/filmmaker/NGO fundraiser and all around lovely human has been my workout buddy these last two weeks and we plan to achieve this goal together!

One movement I may stop pushing for a while is the back squat. My knees tell me they don’t want to lift more than my body weight from a very low position, and I’m okay with that. Glad they’re voicing their opposition. I am confident my coaches and I can find a modification that allows me to continue progressing and also prevent injury.

Simon Sinek wrote in Start With Why, “When you compete against everyone else, no one wants to help you. But when you compete against yourself, everyone wants to help you.” YES! His book The Infinite Game came to mind today as I considered my broad jump–how much better could I still get at this age? How much longer can I keep jumping like this? In finite games the goal is to win and end the game. Infinite games by definition never end; there is no ‘winner’. I’ve written about the book before as its tenets apply to organizations and leadership. But the idea of ‘staying in the game of life’ hit me today. He briefly discusses health practices such as diet and exercise in both SWW and TIG, using them as examples of actions (leading indicators) that stem from a commitment (our [just] cause) and reliably move us toward our ultimate goals.

So what is the goal, the objective, in the game of life or any infinite game, he asks? It is to stay in the game and keep playing as long as possible. To me this means maintaining and optimizing self-efficacy, autonomy, and vitality. It means fueling, training, resting, connecting, and thriving in a way that is stable, strong, flexible, agile, and resilient for as long as we can, with a mindset of allostasis (see Brad Stulberg’s books Master of Change and The Way of Excellence below).

Sinek’s book doesn’t discuss The Infinite Game in terms of individual health or longevity, but I think the concept still applies. What do we need to stay healthy and thrive with age?

Can we translate this mindset from business to health? My health is a just cause when it’s not only for my own sake. I will be the best mom, doctor, daughter, spouse, and friend if I am well, body, mind, and spirit. I do it to maximize my contribution in this lifetime. It doesn’t matter how far anyone else jumps, or how much anyone else lifts. That’s none of my business. I just want to show up and be my best self as often as possible. I need to recognize real limitations when they occur and pivot when necessary, navigating ever forward, open always to novel paths. And when my friends want to do the same, I’m right there on their sidelines, cheering loud and proud for them, just as they do for me.

I’m also reminded of Brad Stulberg’s excellent work, which he shares generously on Instagram:

Focus on effort and cultivate curiosity. Get good help when we need it. Adapt to changing conditions, strive healthily and reasonably. I confess I have not yet listened to The Way of Excellence, but I feel confident recommending it because I know Brad’s work and he engages his audience with grace, humility, and generosity. Maybe I will finally listen this month, in time to dedicate an entire post to it!

I just love when concepts from multiple sources intersect and integrate, inflluencing and validating my own lived experience, encouraging me to keep looking, thinking, wondering, asking, and sharing.

How are you competing with yourself, striving to make healthy progress in meaningful ways to you? What concepts, practices, and people hold you up along the way?
What infinite games do you play?

NaBloPoMo 2026: All Things Books

Posted on October 31, 2026 by Catherine Cheng, MD

National Blog Posting Month, Year Twelve, friends!
30 posts in 30 days, let’s go.

I thought intially I’d write one book review a day, as I have hundreds to choose from (see the Books post in December every year since 2019), and more each week! But why limit myself? Why not write whatever emerges that has anything to do with books, no obligations or pressure? It’s so much more fun to leave things open and possible, no?

Some topics may include:
-Books in any media
-Authors–impressions, presence, engagement, relationships
-Audiobook stuff (voice actors, audiobook community, storytelling platforms including audio erotica)… also impressions, presence, engagement, relationships, intersections
-Social media and online/virtual communities
-Social activism in the book world, eg Audio In Color
-Role of literature, reading, and books in history, culture, society, especially the ones that get banned; emergence/proliferation of queer lit, art, and media; intersection/relationship with politics, family dynamics, global economy, personal development
-AI perspectives–writing tool, human labor theft, generative slop, making us more efficient and dumber, no going back, potential to make us net better or worse
-Economics of publishing

How has consumption of books evolved in our lifetime? In what domains and contexts has that evolution occurred? What/how can we anticipate the future of writing and reading, and the function, value, and risks of words?

Last year I was immersed in jar smiles, twelve a day for thirty days. I managed to gift all but three sets all over the country, which was fun. They were spontaneous, honest, and fun, if not at all my best writing by a long shot! This year’s commitment feels a bit more daunting, especially since I plan to continue my six hours a week in the pottery studio, work is still busy, I’m still getting to Ethos three to five times a week (at least a three hour event front to back), I’m starting some amazing inner work with a new coach, and still writing love letters to patients each week! Teeheeheeeee, life is full… And it’s all good!

Body, mind, spirit, relationships, organizations, and society… Always thinking of the nestings and intersections, my friends. We each have a role to play in all the spaces we occupy. Books in all forms give us information, education, and perspective, if we are open to receiving.
I need to read more things I disagree with.

What do you need from your books?

Celebrate One Another’s Gifts

Posted on October 11, 2026 by Catherine Cheng, MD

Friends, I have jetlag so I will be brief:

“I think we could all encourage one another to acknowledge and articulate our gifts more. That could make the world better.”
I wrote this to JP Greene, @typewrittenlovenotes, in response to his story reel describing his gift of acute and specific memory.

I traveled to Portugal this past week to attend the wedding of two of my favorite young people. What a gift and privilege, and a memory I will treasure lifelong. Not only did I get to spend enough quality time with both bride and groom, but I got to meet their and their parents’ dear and loving friends, and came home having made a bunch of new friends myself.

The event included multiple opportunities to reminisce and reflect on the newlyweds’ roots, personalities, and relationships. The ceremony and vows represented them both so earnestly and exquisitely. Their honest and authentic natures clearly present to us all right up front and consistently, as every description of them from the best mates to parents were exactly the people we all know and love, all why every one of us was willing to fly over an ocean to celebrate their marriage.

How often do you hear from others about your gifts?
How often do you exercise them in both confidence and humility?

How often do you express your appreciation of others’ gifts to them?
How often do you notice yet stay silent?

When we reflect others’ gifts and impact back to them, specifically and in real time, we reinforce what we love most about them. We validate and strengthen their self-awareness and self-worth. When we notice someone making a positive difference in the world, acknowledging it amplifies the effect and helps us all absorb and integrate that energy better. I believe we are more likely ourselves to act in kind thereafter–it’s a win-win.

This week, I challenge us to practice.

Articulate our admiration with assertive positivity. To be clear, we must be genuine and honest–actively responsive in and to our observations. It need not be effusive, per se, just earnest and direct. If it feels uncomfortable, may we muster the boldness to overcome the discomfort (maybe explore it?) and connect despite it. Sincere compliments make us generous on the receiving end; they can someone’s day, which brightens our own day. I think we consistently underestimate the vast and beneficial ripple effects of a few kind and encouraging words.

May we make one another feel seen and appreciated, my friends. May we openheartedly point out others’ gifts to them, and help them self-acknowledge. Far from stoking egoism and arrogance, I think we will simply call forth our best selves for one another and for the world. Imagine what a better society we could build this way?