Life is Damn Hard, No matter how you slice it. From the moment you are pulled down the tunnel, fight to get out, thrust into the spotlight, smacked around a bit, controlled, manipulated, forced into an ideal lifestyle for you, learn to fail and eventually, one day, you don’t wake up. You are told what to do, when to eat, how to dress, friends you can keep, places to avoid, jobs that are worthy, things you should believe and that death and taxes are the only truth, you can count on. Not sure about you, but this sucked for me. While certain things are out of your control, especially as a kid, eventually, you make you own decisions, at least, I hope you do.
I do not consider myself a rebel, instead, a person who marches to the beat of his own drum. History is littered with these figures: Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and Jackie Robinson, among others, who failed, repeatedly or completely misunderstood at times and were ‘destined’ to silently lead lives of desperation, until they weren’t. I am not, by the way, comparing myself to these people. At one point or another, they all had people telling them what they couldn’t do, that they were no good. How does our country look, if some of these people listened? Disgraceful, that’s how. The United States is forged on the belief, that people have the strength to govern themselves. That freedom, freedom of oppression, freedom of dictatorship, freedom of greed and freedom of absolute power, are rights every man, woman and child, should have.
Fast forward and we’re now at a place, where most live in self imposed prisons. We work hard for that big paycheck, by sitting at a cubicle for 10 hrs a day, driving to and from work in our luxurious steel coffins, then get home to our ‘castles’, which cost so much to maintain, that we can never miss work. We go from one appointment to the next, mindlessly. The interaction we have is robotic, cause hey, it’s just business, right? Family time is spent on the mobile devices and interacting with everyone, but those in the room. Our communities have become isolated, people distant and our so important Lifestyles, dominating our ability to Live. We’ve become so conditioned to believe that, if it looks like you are doing well, then you are someone who should be respected. You have it all, right? Big Time Job, Money, Family and Kids, Cars, Houses, Vacations, Stuff, More Stuff and even More Stuff! How ‘Free’ are we, when you are actually a slave to your Lifestyle?
Our great nation is the weakest, fattest and most prone to disease! What are we missing, if everyone has this freedom? I may piss some off, that’s ok, but our nation has become soft, lethargic, entitled and worse, narcissistic. We’ve forgotten the hard work and backs broken, to build such a place. Instead we look for others to pick up the slack and dump the problems on the next guy, instead of personal responsibility for our actions and the ripple of those actions. Humans are designed to be efficient, save energy, work smarter and enough to get the job done. With all our freedoms, industry, genius and technological advances, we’ve done just that and we’re paying for it.
Humans are also meant to move, to engage their bodies against the environment around them, which creates authentic learning experiences, teaches the body how to sense, sharpening awareness, creating strength and resolve. Kids may cry, when they fall, but inevitably, are laughing, smiling and playing, just as soon as their little hearts can muster. They are happy and content, because they already understand, that life will knock them down and they will get back up. This is a lesson kids give us and we can all take a break from our serious lives. We’ve managed to become so advanced, unwittingly, we’ve taken our bodies out of the equation. Robots and machines do the work, while we just sit and control. Or worse, over parenting and caution of ‘getting’ hurt’, forces kids to be protective, instead of learning to be assertive. To live in a bubble, instead of leading a happy life. While we may have the illusion of having it all, it is all slowly eroding.
I will argue here, that true freedom, and not delusional freedom, is having the ability to carry your own weight, literally and figuratively, to lead a company or be a leader in the company, a Parent that loves, a Citizen that gives back to their community, a neighbor that lends a hand, a person content living a life of purpose, not excess and someone that always finds opportunity in problems, not problems in opportunity.
Such strength of character, takes precisely – courage or translated, strength. Strength to test your limits and build your body against disease and injuries. Strength to make critical decisions, when the company depends on you, or the strength not to crush a coworkers spirit, because you are having a bad day. Strength to work 2 jobs, because you have kids who need you healthy, not sick. Strength to volunteer as a Big Brother or Sister, because they need a strong mentor in their unfortunate situation. Strength to help a neighbor move their couch around, on a weekend. Strength to live within your means, deleting debt, not creating it. Strength to go from Negative to Positive.
As a Strength Coach, I could sit here and list out program after program, exercise after exercise and attack the problem that way. While we will definitely be getting into the ‘Nuts and Bolts’ of training and Healthy Lifestyles here, that’s not for this post. Today, we a starting with a simple decision, a mindset change. Because nothing can truly change, unless the mind, body and spirit is 100% committed, to the end result. That’s a Lifestyle choice you have to make. To be a ensconced in the illusion of freedom, that modern society allows, or staying true to our nature by engaging our bodies, minds and hearts to creatively problem solve, while leaving the Earth, better than we found it. The highest form of selfish, is burdening others with your responsibilities and If you don’t take care of yourself, eventually someone else will. This is Freedom. This is Strength. This is your Life and this is Your Choice. Make It and when you do, I will show you exactly how Free, you can actually be!
Please leave a Comment below, so we can continue the Conversation.