They say we are what we eat. They also say we are what we consistently do. They also say that if we don’t use it, we lose it. Then again, if we over do it, then you get what you deserve. What am I talking about?
If you haven’t read the title, let me tell you: YOUR HEALTH.
How you take care of your body, will reflect on what you are capable of doing today and most definitely what you will be able to do later in life.
While I am no medical professional, I do know about my life, my health, with all its ups and downs over the years. It may just be two cents worth to you but it is priceless to me.
Exercise, Eat Well, and Rest
When I was in the US Army three things were certain:
#1. I was exercising whether I liked it or not. #2. I was eating everything (good or bad to include the green eggs and Doner Kebabs) #3. Rest was a luxury that I never knew until after I left the Army.
Back then I did not know that Exercising, Eating Well, and Resting was the trinity of my health, my life.
Now many years (actually decades after the last 12-mile road march) I am learning this the hard way.
I am not asking for you to feel sorry for me or pity me. I own it. I own enjoying every single morsel and all those lazy days and nights. See, I took all that for granted. However, it took a health scare to make me take notice to where I was (health wise) and what all I have been slacking off on.
I faced the issue head on and I also made the immediate pivot to do what I can to minimize the damage done and quite possibly stopping it from getting.
So far, so good but time will tell. In the meantime, the work continues and will never end.
If you find yourself in a situation similar to mine then you know. You know to get back and keep your health there is really no magic bullet, no magic pill, no secret formula. Just plain old common sense. That’s right just follow these three (the sooner the better): Get Moving, Eat Well, and Rest.
Controlling your thoughts may seem like something easier said than done. Truth be told it is the hardest thing anyone can ever do. Controlling your thoughts is NOT as easy as saying, “I got this.” YOU GOT NOTHING.
You do not wake up one day and start consciously controlling your thoughts.
Far from it. You have to start off small and intentional.
It begins with know what you can and cannot control. Then it moves on to understanding that there is so much more you can NOT control than what you can control.
Once you have fully accepted that fact you are more than halfway there. The rest falls on you to be vigilant and ready for when what you cannot control tries to control you. Your thoughts will work against you. Your mind will go to the dark place and put you on the offense instead of hunkering down and playing defense against the darkness, the negativity.
When you allow the negative to take over you have no room for the positive. When there is a lack of the positive, there is no growth. When there is no growth there is no success. Yes, that negativity will limit your success all because you are trying to deal with the nonsense. Taking your mind off what is important to give attention to what should never be important is a surefire way to stop your growth.
That is why you must always be on guard for the negativity will pop-up at any time for almost any reason. As you grow older, experience more, and get wiser it will become easier for you to spot and stop the negative from taking a foothold in your mind. However, as you are growing and learning you will fall into the trap of others.
It’s unavoidable, you will fall down that rabbit hole. However, as time goes by your defenses will go up. You will start to recognize the “wolf at the door” along with those with cruel intentions, but stay on guard. Head on a swivel to avoid falling into a future trap or rabbit hole of negativity, especially if the trap is in your own mind.
Guard Your Mind, Fiercely
Wisdom. As anything can change, in an instant, it falls on you to protect yourself, your body, your spirit, and your mind. Guard it all as if your mind depends on it, because it does. Things can get out of hand and spiral to the ground if you let negativity take root. Also, be on guard with who you let into your inner circle.
There will be individuals that cannot help themselves and bring their negativity into your world. Don’t believe me? Give it a minute.
FAIR WARNING: Some of those that bring that negative may be close (in relation) to you. It happens.
What does not have to happen is keeping that negativity close to you. Of course, you can always express your concern and need to keep the negativity at bay. However, if those individuals refuse to respect you (and some will) then you are well within your right to cut them loose. Set them adrift because no one has time for negativity anchoring them to lack of progress, stunted growth, and a journey down a path of misery.
That is one reason why you should protect your mind at all costs. Guard yourself, head on a swivel, and do not be fooled. Many will try to break in through your defenses. Some make through (usually out of a misguided sense of obligation) but the sooner you stop that nonsense the better off you will be.
Once you got the external under control, the next is to pay attention to the internal: Your Thoughts.
You now begin to work on staying positive, all the time, you have no choice because your own thoughts will betray you. Why? Life is not easy. You can only control what you can control, the rest is life happening at its own pace and on its own agenda (otherwise, known as the UNCONTROLLABLE).
Working to control your thoughts will take time. It will be hard work. It will be worth it. Stay Vigilant to Stay Positive.
Why be a lifelong learner? Simple; you stop learning means you stop growing and when you stop growing, start dying. Once you are dead there is no more to learn. It is at this point, most people will ask, “what’s the point in learning anything if we just become worm food in the end?”
The point is you that while you are here (above ground) you must learn all that you can and turn all that knowledge into wisdom. The kind of wisdom you pass along to your legacy. Something magical happens when you pass the knowledge down to your legacy: you live on, long after you have “shuffle[d] off this mortal coil.” Your wisdom is passed on to the future.
In the meantime, your mission is to learn all you can, do all you can and absorb knowledge. Discipline yourself enough to accomplish the mission of learning to the very end.
Opportunities are all around us. Opportunities to learn and grow and evolve are everywhere. However, one thing is certain: NO ONE IS GOING TO JUST HAND IT TO YOU. You have to reach out and take those opportunities.
You have to claim them as yours. Once claimed, you have to put in the work. Otherwise, the opportunity vanishes in the night and you are left with nothing. Yep, without seizing the opportunity to maximizing the possibilities, it will all be for naught.
The more you know, the greater the opportunities.
So, what should you know? What should you learn?
Simple: If you have a chosen vocation learn as much as you can about it. Become more than just a subject matter expert become the master in your field. Become the one that other professionals turn to.
However, being a lifelong learner means that you will be learning for the rest of your life. There is no short cut to becoming the one that other professionals turn to. It comes from putting in the work. Always putting in the work.
How do you put in the work?
Simple, you start reading, writing, watching, conversing, and absorbing all of that, all the time, for the rest of your days.
You are always reading something. Personally, I am always reading at least three books at any given time. Of course, all three are in different genres (business, fiction, and a cookbook). You do not have to be reading more than one book at a time. It is what works for me. Find yourself a book and get to reading.
When it comes to writing, you can start a blog or just write for yourself. You learn more about yourself when you put your own words down on paper or computer screen. It matters only to you who sees your words. It matters only to you as to what you want to write. Let your inner-self out.
Watch videos, movies, and documentaries. See how others interpret the words you read or read about. I once saw a documentary on how ramen is made in Japan. It was not only quite entertaining but very informative. I did not think I would learn from such as a subject. Who knows your next great inspiration may come from a twenty-minute video on Yurt building in Siberia.
Start talking to people. Close friends and family, colleagues, and yes, even strangers. Seems that the art of conversation has fallen to wayside and overtaken by emojis and three- or four-letter text code, IMHO. Conversations is how people get to know each other and learn from each other.
Absorb all that you can all the time. Remember, the more you know. However, in my case, the more I know the less I understand therefore, I must continue to learn more.
Knowledge Compounds
Wisdom, they say is what occurs when you acquire knowledge and life experience.
So do not forget to live while you are on your lifelong learning journey. If you find yourself slacking off then that’s where discipline comes into play. Having the discipline to becoming a lifelong learner is critical to your success.
Of course, life has a way of getting in the way of anything we want to do. That’s why I keep at least one small book in the car and a copy of the car book in my EDC backpack. I do have a digital copy on my phone but that’s about it for multi-copies. What kind of book warrants having multiple copies?
The classics: Art of War by Sun Tzu, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Dr. Stephen Covey, and something in the realm of Bronte, Shelley, Stoker, etc.
TIP: once you have read these classics put it on a rotation to re-read them. Trust me, you will discover something new the next time you read it. Work on and have the habits to continue to succeed at being a lifelong learner comes from being disciplined. Being disciplined will open more doors to your success.
