You woke up.
You’re breathing.
You’re connected to the world’s brain.
You’re coherent and comprehending what you’re reading.
And you have the ability to act.
…Don’t look at this as anything less than an absolute miracle.
Do something today that makes you proud.
P.s. January 17th was Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day… I hope this wasn’t you, but if it was… I published a new article designed to be your New Year Resolution First Aid Kit. Read it and get back on track STAT.
I pulled the rhomboid muscles in my back.
Here’s why: I created a daily warm up routine that included foam rolling and light stretching for essentially just my lower body.
Which, historically speaking for me, hasn’t lead to any issues and has worked out great. Especially for leg day and my martial arts training (which is pretty much leg day every time).
However, I can now see what the heavy lower body focus lead to… a lack of upper body focus.
…I haven’t been properly warming up the upper body muscles I’m using to do heavy lifting which, of course, is what lead to this injury.
So, I’ve since updated my warm up routine to be more balanced and specific to the muscle groups being utilized that day (duh moment). And I’m creatively modifying my workouts until my rhomboid injury heals.
Generally speaking, most of us operate with a “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of mentality.
Exercise related injuries, oftentimes, are an illustration that something is “broke.”
…But many of us don’t see this.
We do what we need to do to get healed and then go back to doing exactly what we were doing before—assuming it was a freak accident or some kind of “dumb luck.”
I’d argue that it’s almost always more than that…. that it’s your body’s attempt to communicate with you that something is wrong… that something isn’t being stretched, strengthened, or otherwise cared for enough.
Take a close look at what could have lead to the injury and modify your routine to include the proactive solution so it doesn’t happen the next time.
…This is experiential learning at its finest.
Lately, I have been reminding myself that being in a hurry is an excellent sign that I’m out of the present moment.
And I’ve been trying to slow down.
…While I read.
…While I drive.
…While I exercise.
…While I do chores.
…While I engage in conversation.
And there’s a palpable difference in how I feel when I do these things from a “I’m not in a hurry” mindset vs a “the quicker I go, the more I can get done” mindset—even if I’m operating with the same amount of time within each.
Which might have you wondering… how can I have a “I’m not in a hurry” mindset if I’m genuinely in a hurry?
What I tell myself is two fold: (1) Is there anything that’s in my control that I can change? If yes, then I do that… If not, then I accept the situation as is and move forward unhurriedly at the pace I’ve positioned myself to move at. Arguing against reality only makes everything worse. And (2) what can I do to prevent this from happening next time? Because “In a hurry” is not a good place to be.
See, mindset effects everything.
And rushing, as it turns out, is a primary source of anxiety—at least for me.
Subtract the rushing… and you’d be surprised how much anxiety you can subtract from your day, too.
P.s. I finished uploading quotes from If You Meet Buddha On The Road, Kill Him! to MoveMe Quotes. Read through my favorite 46 here ➜
“You’re not gonna like that I say this but, I don’t like reading self-help books.”
This is what an associate of mine said to me today.
To which I replied, surprisingly enough to her, that for the most part—neither do I.
Self-help has become a crowded space that features a ton of regurgitated ideas, shared in an often uncompelling manner, that frequently feels like fluffed up versions of blog posts that should’ve stayed as blog posts.
Maybe you can relate?
…And as a self-help nerd, you might think this presents as a problem.
But what I’m discovering more and more is that the best insights come from the best stories.
The ideas that resonate most deeply for me seem to be the hard earned ones. Not the ones where the insight is told directly—extracted by the author and written out plainly with a few supporting examples—but the ones where I feel like I lived the life of the person and experienced, through the lens of their story, the insight that was uncovered.
And I’m able to make the discovery and come to my own conclusion as a result.
In the same way that the best way to learn is to learn through (reflected upon) experience—the best way to self-help is to help yourself through the experiences of others.
In short: don’t read caricature self-help books—read fat biographies, autobiographies, and literature that has stood the test of time.
One insight from the latter is worth twenty insights from the former.
P.s. You can see what I’m reading and what I’ve read on Goodreads. Recommendations welcome.
My car wouldn’t start this morning.
At first I thought it might’ve been because of low gas.
My next door neighbor gave me about an 1/8 of a tank’s worth.
That didn’t work.
So my next thought was battery.
My other neighbor had a portable jumper kit and jumper cables—neither worked.
So I called roadside assistance.
After several hours of waiting, I needed to call a stand-in to be there for when the roadside assistance arrived so I could go to work.
My mom stepped in.
I also needed a ride to work.
My dad stepped in.
I also needed a ride home from work.
My mom stepped in again and said if it did get towed, I could also borrow her car while the mechanic figured out what was wrong and got it fixed.
How freaking fortunate am I to have such an incredible support network just a call away?
While it sucks that my car broke down, I’m super thankful.
As I say all of the time, life happens. And when it does, not only do we have a chance to learn, but we have a chance to reach out and ask for help.
I learned I needed to be more prepared so I ordered a portable jumper kit of my own. And I’m reminded not to let my gas tank get as low as it did.
And while asking for help can sometimes feel awkward or like we’re placing a burden on others, it really just gives others a chance to give… a chance to do good… a chance to connect.
…Which is a wonderful gift when it’s met with true gratitude and a reciprocating heart. :)
This Sunday, there’s a playoff football game that cuts into my usual workout time.
So today, I’m planning my alternative.
If I wait until Sunday, I’ll probably get swept up in the hype and skip it altogether.
But, if I know what’s coming, I can arrange my day in such a way where “workout” gets put into the best possible slot given the unique forecast of events.
“Winging it” on busy and exciting days isn’t a good strategy.
We have to make time for the things we know are going to make us.
…Even on—especially on—days we consider to be “special” or “out of the ordinary.”
Because as soon as we consider that to be a viable excuse…
We might suddenly see more and more “special” and “out of the ordinary” days creeping into our schedules.
Not because we’re lazy, per se, but because that’s what excuses do. Like weeds, they only ceaselessly grow once planted. So you can either choose to not plant the damn thing in the first place or you can deal with the thing as it grows and regrows and relentlessly grows time and time again despite your best efforts to kill it off.
…I know which option I’m choosing.
P.s. I’m looking to submit longer-form pieces of my writing to like-minded, like-themed blogs, magazines, and publications… Any suggestions on where might be a good fit?
A great strategy for living your best life, is to habitually dip into the lives of others.
There are as many different ways of living as there are people and no one person has lived them all.
But every person has probably found a few strategies that work well for them. Things that make them feel good about their life; things that make them feel joyful; things that make them feel proud.
And if we don’t allow ourselves to dip into other worlds, other perspectives, other experiences—we’ll forever be living inside of a fish tank… completely oblivious to the possibilities of the ocean.
Here; now; with what you know—is as good (or bad) as it gets… if there’s nothing to compare it to.
But, take a dip into the life of a stranger—who you happened to sit next to on a plane and ask them questions that give you a peek into their life… and you just might walk away with a golden life nugget.
Take a dip into the life of a historical figure via a fat biography—and get acquainted with the experiences that truly shaped and guided their path… and you just might end up with insight that’ll alter your trajectory.
Take a dip into the life of a family member who’s always around, but hasn’t shared much of their story—and get a glimpse into what *actually* ends up on people’s highlight reels—and you just might adjust what you’re saving onto yours… now.
P.s. Some of the best insights I’ve ever uncovered from dips I’ve taken into other people’s lives are captured in my first guide. 18% off for a limited time ➜