Welcome back!
My answer to question #1 or my reason for living – is because I feel I still have much more to accomplish to reach my potential. Not in a vain way for myself, but rather, helping to build a strong community of people who want to be an asset to society and not a liability. I have a passion for physical culture, because it literally changed the trajectory of my life. The saying: ‘the strong survive’ is true. They also have more fun, more money, are more productive and have less; injuries, pain, worry, sickness and anxiety, overall.
Strength is a very important bio-marker as we age, meaning, without it, you are more likely to be at a higher risk of depression, injury, illness or worse. A big part of this is self-serving, I’ll admit, because I sure as hell do not want to pay (emergency service, insurance or whatever) for the lazy buttheads who sit on the couch all day and do nothing, living off the powers that be. I could make more money doing something else, but I will be in the trenches helping the cause, by teaching folks real world strength because I believe in it that much.
You can apply that answer to #2 and to #3. I get up to spread the word of strength and I do it for my community, because I see how much strong, compassionate people can positively make an impact. So for me, I want everyone to experience that. It’s what drives me to be up at 4:20 am every day, commute to my studio in the pitch dark and help others the way strength has helped me.
I only have this insight, because I had no purpose or reason why. I was in that dark place of depression, blaming others, doing nothing, being miserable and watching my life slip away. It took horrible tragedies for me to get on the right path and while I never wish that for you, you can certainly take something away from my experience.
The people who are not training for life or doing anything to better themselves for their future can certainly do it for someone elses benefit. Don’t want to care about yourself? Well, what about your child, or spouse, or parent, or neighbor or whomever – who may need motivation, inspiration or a reason why? There is somebody who is watching you, counting on you and they need you to step up. You give them every reason to live with purpose, instead of living afraid and hopeless.
Do you really want your kids to have to pick the ‘home’ you end up in? (be nice to them) Worse, do you really want the state to pick the home because you don’t have anyone around? I’m guessing, no. What about time with your grand-kids? Well, it would be quite a tragedy to miss out on the memories and experiences you could share with loved ones. How much fun can you really have if you are injured, sick, depressed and emotionally unavailable most of the time?
Think of it this way. If you don’t take care of yourself – someone else will. By making the choice to do nothing, you’ve made a choice. If you’re not strong, capable and energetic then you will be miserable and get left behind…. who wants that? Life is too short for misery.
On those shitty days where you don’t feel like training, go. If you’re not keeling over, have a fever or bed ridden, then think about your why and go (do something)! Seriously, know the difference between you really can’t go and you don’t ‘feel’ like it because your a little tight or tired. Life is tough. It requires movement because movement strengthens the body, keeps you sharp and nourishes your brain like food nourishes your body. Your body is the protector of your brain, where all those happy memories and habit loops reside, take care of it. It’s what makes us beautifully human. This takes conscious awareness, being in the moment and making strength and happiness a habit, not; a hoping and a wishing…
That’s how we get to the bottom of the bad habits and create positive long lasting habits. Finding your reason to get up, to keep going and live life with purpose. Making that the first thing your brain thinks about before you decide to flip someone off or skip a workout and scarf a whole box of donuts.
So again, please, what is your reason or purpose for living?
Taking care of yourself is vitally important for the future of those you care about, to ensure their safety down the road. If you don’t like something about your life, you can change it and if you can’t or won’t change it, then your complaints are moot. If you’re not going to do the work for change, you will not help society in any positive way. I hear living on an island can cure you of that.
Studies have shown that folks who feel as if they ‘have no purpose’ or ‘hope’ will die or get sick much more prematurely, than people who feel as if they ‘have something to accomplish’ or ‘a reason for living.’
Which brings me to a funny story I heard one time, or maybe a tale, but the point is relevant. (and I’m paraphrasing)
‘A man tells a woman that the apocalypse is near’
‘The world WILL end tomorrow’
The woman’s response was epic…