pond scum wrote:
You should read about the spotlight effect:
You think everyone is paying attention to you, but in reality they don’t care about you as much as how they care about themselves. We are all in our own spotlight and we think we’re the major characters - we’re not - at least to others.
That is why when I was in college and so obsessed with running, I’d go to the dining hall wearing 2” split shorts.
Sometimes I’d eat and go for multiple plates of buffet food and I’d stay there 30-45 minutes at a time.
I was basically in my boxers but at the time I already knew what the spotlight effect or theory was, and I chose to believe in it.
You need some cognitive dissonance, but if you really believe that all humans are equal and deserve respect and kindness, then when you think about yourself - you’re no different from them.
So I did whatever I wanted. From junior to senior year in college is go running almost every day and the eat dinner in my split shorts.
I turned a lot of people away from me but I was so obsessed about running. When I think back - yeah, it was cringe, but because I went through that experience I can tell you that no one cares as much about you or your appearances as they do themselves.
It was this obsession with running, being fast, shaving my legs and being proud of my legs that I could go into the dining common or restaurants and eat in my split shorts. No one gave me shite about it because they could tell I was serious about my running.
You gotta be serious about your running for you to go anywhere in split shorts.
If I didn’t keep up with my running, I wouldn’t be able to pursue soccer training as I am now and I want to go the MLS. I didn’t quit my training and I have that obsessed running background that is my mileage and now I’ll put it to use for soccer.