Move Over Marie Kondo: Here's the Memo Method.

Since the release of  "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" Marie Kondo has been sparking joy. This best selling book, written in 2011, addresses a system for simplifying and organizing your home by getting rid of physical items. The minimalist approach has left people wanting less, not more.

As noted in the New York Times, KonMari may have a kindred spirit in Guillermo Piñeda Morales, a.k.a. Memo. Morales is a talented runner who completed the New York City Marathon yesterday in 2 hours and 33 minutes. He's interesting for all sorts of reasons—he has only gotten faster with age, he was undocumented for many years—working in the United States as a bike messenger and as kitchen staff. He served time in prison and today he is a U.S. citizen who proclaimed on Twitter “Thank you everyone for your signs and cheers, I love this city and I love this country.”

Memo claims to be average, but he is anything but that. As noted by my students he is outstanding in virtue. Those they see in him are humility, gratitude, simplicity, frugality, industry and perseverance. 

There are many lessons we can learn from this story, but for the purpose of this posting, the one I find worth considering is "The Memo Method." It rests on two principles: hard work (industry) and never giving up (perseverance). We can get caught up in all the gear, gadget and accouterment in the world—but that never guarantees success. We have to put in the work. We must extend the effort. We get to hit the road, pound the pavement, and swim the sea.

His success doesn't even rest on his top 10 finishes or in the trophies and hardware he has won. Memo is free. Free from the clutter of false promises or expectations. Free from the rat race to pay for what we think we need. 

"Running is my life," he said. "It makes me feel free!"

Thank you for sharing your story and what I now know as "The Memo Method"—no book, no Ted Talk, to Netflix series required. By the way, your heart rate monitor—you gotta love the original!

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