This week we focus on building strength. Why? Because if you're going to change the world, it helps to be fit—physically, mentally, and spiritually. Again, let's come up with manageable tweaks for this topic in the domains of living, working, and being.
Living – Peter Ragnar asks the simple question, "When you look at yourself in the mirror with no clothes on, do you like what you see?" This is a question that has nothing to do with age (Peter is a self-proclaimed senior citizen), or any comparisons with other people, but instead has to do with our physical vitality, energy, and presence. So next time after a shower take a look and answer Peter's question for yourself. If the answer is "not so much," then it's time to start exercising. You will find that outer strength leads to inner strength and so much more.
The tweak: do something each day that improves what you see in the mirror when it's just between you and you.
Here are some ideas: do yoga, row, shoot hoops, learn the Olympic lifts, swing a kettlebell, go for a jog, climb the stairs, do a pull-up ladder (1,2,3,4… up to 10), dance in your living room, walk to work, basically do whatever gets you jazzed! It's far more important to get your blood flowing every day than it is to be overly concerned about what exactly you're doing.
Extra credit:have a goal. When done properly, a goal will help you stay motivated and looking towards the future. Personally, I want to be able to do a Turkish get up with Erin as the weight, and do it by my 37th birthday in May. I know, it's kind of weird. But I think it would be awesome to be able to do, and would require me to gain a good amount of strength and technique by then. Without giving away any personal details, I would have to increase my max weight on the exercise by 25 pounds or so, plus the added stability required of lifting a person versus a far more compact kettlebell or dumbbell. So it will be a nice challenge (and a real example of Erin's trust)!
Working – Take on a challenge that lies beyond your comfort zone. One of the people I know who most exemplifies this is Julien Smith. His main thesis for growth is to take on challenges that stretch what you think you can accomplish. Do something radical, somewhat painful, definitively artistic, and at least slightly crazy and you will be a better person at the end. You also just may be wealthier as a result, if not in dollars then certainly in life experience.
Julien is proof that this approach to life works: he's published a New York Times best-selling book, launched several new ventures including the recent great idea Breather, travels the world for speaking engagements, goes on epic adventures, and inspires countless people each year.
The small tweak to build strength in the domain of Working is to get clear about that thing that has captivated your attention and imagination for so long and decide that this is the year you will actually do it. Why wait? Each day, take one step forward in actualizing that dream. It's what Erin and I are doing for Project One, and I've been amazed by how much we've achieved so far, just by taking small steps each day.
Go ahead. Write it down right now. What will you achieve this year? Make sure it's slightly scary and definitely a work of art (it can be figuratively artistic). Each day this week, make one step towards bringing it into the world.
Being – How does one build strength in the realm of Being? How do you build your inner strength? The position of meditation, of equanimity, of "thinking neutral," is a powerful and creative posture. To not lose your grounding when things are going sideways, but instead be clear-eyed in the face of confusion, takes guts. It not only makes you more emotionally stable, but provides more creative solutions to problems, as your mind isn't being pulled all over the place, but instead is in the habit of remaining calm amidst the chaos.
So the small tweak for this week in the realm of Being is, once again, to meditate for 15-20 minutes each day. Let your outer stillness lead to inner stillness, and notice how that inner stillness gives you greater strength in the tough times. Even if you may not feel stronger in the moment, notice that you may be able to go further under the kind of stress that would have stopped you earlier. You may notice you're more resilient and can bounce back from defeat or despair quicker than before. So meditate. Your being will thank you for it!
We'll be in touch again on Wednesday with an update on how everything is going.
