I’ve been wearing the same shoes for 8 years.
Not the same pair… I would if they lasted that long. But the exact same model: New Balance 10v1 Minimus Trail shoes. Black.
And now they’re gone. The obscure websites that had a few leftovers have run out of stock.
They’re extinct.
This might seem like a trivial crisis.
But I found one thing in this world of a trillion options that I thought was perfect for the way I moved through the world. That doesn’t happen often. And if that’s ever happened to you, you know it sticks with you hard.
It’s not about brand loyalty. It’s about efficiency. When you find the perfect tool that works with your OS, changing it isn’t just inconvenient. It’s disruptive.
The Paradox of Pattern Recognition
We’re all pattern recognition machines, constantly seeking stability in a world of chaos. Some of us (like me) run this program a bit more intensely than others.
In evolutionary bio, there’s a concept called “evolutionary stable strategy” where a species develops a trait or behaviour that works so well, it becomes resistant to change, even when new variations might offer advantages.
So, these shoes. They were more than shoes.
They were a solution to multiple variables: the exact right weight, the perfect ground feel, the specific way they supported natural movement. Finding them was like solving a complex equation.
And now that equation needs a new solution. And in my sort of pissed off search preparing to be disappointed I found something actually better.
I couldn’t believe it.
I quickly realized I was in a comfort zone that kept me from adapting. Again, I get this might sound trivial but it opened up some ideas about a comfort zone equation.
The Comfort Zone Equation
Comfort = (Familiar Pattern × Proven Results) ÷ Energy Cost
But for growth, it’s a little different.
Growth = (Disruption × Adaptation) ÷ Resistance
Sometimes the universe forces growth upon us in ways both trivial and profound. A discontinued shoe line. A good friend spiraling into addiction. There’s a lot of range here.
These endings are invitations disguised as losses.
What I’m realizing is that our attachments to specific solutions reveal something deeper about the human experience:
Sometimes we resist change not out of fear, but out of respect for proven solutions
But the same instinct that makes us loyal to specific solutions can also prevent us from better ones.
The Art of Purposeful Adaptation
There’s a difference between changing because you have to and evolving because you choose to.
When I was buying my Minimus’ from sketchy websites, I was not only risking identity theft, I was in preservation mode.
Once they weren’t an option, I was forced into innovation mode.
That’s exactly what I needed.
While comfort zones are comfortable, they can also become cocoons. And sometimes the death of an old pattern is exactly what we need to emerge into something new.
True stability isn’t about finding one perfect solution and clinging to it forever. It’s about becoming comfortable with the pattern of change itself.
Cheers,
Jeff Depatie
PS The new shoes are Vivo Primus Trail II Firm Grounds in black.