On Fridays I like to share experiences I’ve had during the week with patients and in my personal life that I’ve found significant. I like to share them in hopes that you might find value in them and have something resonate with you in your life.
An important question to ask yourself. The technology we use is constantly upgraded. Our phones, televisions, software, etc. are always moving from one version to another. As this occurs, we expect the most updated version will be better in some way than its predecessor. This is how it should work for people as well. Therefore, a good question to ask is whether you are currently a better version of yourself than you were last month/year/decade/etc.?
The key is not to make this assessment simply based on age (you’ll be older, that’s a given). Factors to consider are your levels of activity, priorities, relationships with those important to you, level of happiness, contentment, and on and on. Ideally, you should look back and see progress in different areas. If you do not feel this is the case, what can you do differently to change that? The goal is not to be perfect but simply to be moving forward.
Something I believe in. When I was early in my career, my boss and chiropractic mentor told me about “outflows.” These are small acts of gratitude that you say or do for someone. For example, one of my son’s former coaches is a part of a church group that he attends. His words have aided and helped my son, so last week I took a little time and wrote this coach a nice message, about what a great mentor and role model he’s been for my son and the other young men. He was extremely appreciative of this gesture.
We live in a world that can be negative at times. Taking a little bit of time to point out to someone that they’ve helped you, you liked something they did, can be extremely powerful. Sometimes that one act of kindness can motivate them in ways you may never fully appreciate. Don’t be afraid to say or do something nice for someone else!
A type of workout I’ve been enjoying. This week I began experimenting with “tabatas” within my workouts. Tabata is a term for an interval workout where there is a period of extreme exertion followed by a rest period and then the cycle is repeated. Commonly the exertion is for 20 seconds, and the rest is 10 seconds with the length of the tabata totaling 4 minutes.
These can be done with cardiovascular exercise such as in a spin class, but I’ve been incorporating them into my weight workouts. For example, I’ll do a moderate weight on squats for 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds and then repeat that again until 4 minutes are up. You may be thinking that 4 minutes isn’t long but if you do this properly, it’ll be a true challenge. Best of all, for those of you who do not have much equipment to work out with, you can make amazing workouts using this style using nothing but bodyweight exercises.
A good reminder. Recently I made the decision to get involved in a new business endeavor involving nutrition and exercise. This is an area in which I am passionate and have decades of experience. However, as with any new venture, there is a lot to do. As someone that thrives on routine, I have found myself thinking about all that needs to get done, and struggling to make sure I find the time to do everything. Though this is challenging, it is an excellent reminder.
I believe you should always strive to have something in your life that challenges or scares you a little. These are the types of things that keep you focused and draw you a little further out of your comfort zone. Whether it’s a new business, side hustle, speaking engagement, signing up for a competition or something else, it’s great to have a challenging goal in front of you that you need to work hard to achieve!
Some quotes I love.
“If you don’t fight for what you want, don’t cry for what you lose.”
“You never hear stories about people who quit.” – Commander David Sears
“I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our asses kicked. We can choose courage, or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” – Brene Brown
“You’ll never be criticized by someone who is doing more than you. You’ll always be criticized by someone doing less. Remember that.” – Denzel Washington
“The only thing standing between you and your dream is the bullsh** story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.”
Want more?
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