Live Until You Die

There are a lot of things out there that can kill us, but everyone seems to be worried about just one of them right now. And while this particular risk actually seems to have a very, very low mortality rate, its greatest harm seems to come from its ability to grip us with fear.

Our world right now is dominated by fear, if not sheer terror. My wife was at the grocery store the other day, walking down the aisle without a mask (cue gasps), when a mother with a small child coming from the other direction – upon seeing my maskless bride – grabbed her child and frantically pulled her out of the aisle and behind the cart. It’s as if my wife was wearing an “I’m an axe murderer” t-shirt or parked out in an alley in a windowless van trying to attract kids with a “free candy” sign.

Regardless of the danger and inherent risks of the virus, this is no way to live. In fact, it’s not living at all. Living in fear is merely existing at best, and slowly dying at worst. And guess what? We are all slowly dying in sense. Something, somewhere, at some point is gonna get you. Now, don’t be stupid. Don’t be like the guy I saw the other day, riding his motorcycle without a helmet while smoking. But don’t be content just trying to not die. You aren’t getting out of here alive, so you might as well live a little in the process!

As a society, we have suddenly become so consumed with not dying, that we have given up on living. We are all going to die someday, just make sure you don’t stop living before that day comes.

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on

Commitment

You know what the problem is with a lot of goals and grand plans? They are mostly fueled by emotion rather than commitment. It is why most New Year’s Resolutions are long forgotten by now and many aspirations quietly fizzle out over time. True commitment is sticking with the effort even – if and especially when – the emotion has diminished or disappeared. Emotion can be a great initiator of action, like kindling on a fire, but it lacks staying power. Commitment is the logs that keep the fire burning long after the kindling is consumed. The butterflies after falling in love, the best intentions of waking up at 4:30am every day to work out after you join a new gym, the excitement of your first day on campus, even the sleep-deprivation induced euphoria of a new baby: all kindling. But it is commitment that keeps you working hard on the marriage twenty-three years after “I do.” It is what causes you to keep going when you do not want to make one more sales call, do one more presentat

Glutton for Punishment

I’ve learned over the years that being comfortable can be a dangerous thing. I try to find paths to discomfort to push me out of my realm of “safety.” However, I have noticed my ability to develop comfort zones amidst discomfort. I’ve found ways to be comfortable in uncomfortable circumstances. I wonder, do I need to be stretched beyond those areas as well? One of the areas in which I have adapted to the discomfort is the gym. I don’t go to the gym to exercise, to get stronger or even to be healthier. It’s grown beyond that. Now, I go to the gym to clear my head by testing my will and resolve. I do it to see how hard I can push my limits and I strive to outwork everyone else there. I may not be the strongest, the fastest or the fittest. I may not lift the most weight or even do the most reps – I can’t control any of those variables – but I can control my effort. So one of my goals for each workout is to unleash more effort than anyone else at the gym. But along with this

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog