Conscious Living…

This is not a new idea by any means. It's one that has been around for thousands of years, and I have bookshelves filled with both Eastern and Western philosophers providing guidance on mindfulness. Regardless, it's one of those things that falls into the category of "easier said than done".

In the book I'm reading, "Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently", the author makes the case that we're biologically programmed to see things in ways we've always seen them in order to save energy. Yeah, that's right – when all is said and done, we're still just biological machines that require fuel to survive, and efficiency is king. Being conscious, really conscious – especially of the simple, repetitive stuff that we do every day – is way more taxing. Anyone who has ever driven somewhere and didn't remember the trip, or found themselves wondering whether they locked the front door knows what I mean.

So, that means that repeating earlier patterns and following a well-worn path is not only easier, it's something we're biologically programmed to do. Well, that explains the first 45 years of my life. But as they say in business, "what got you from there to here ain't the same thing that you need to get you from here to there".

I've come up against this idea a few times in the past couple of months from a diet and exercise perspective, and now I'm tackling it in all the other areas of my life. I have no idea how much longer I have before I "shuffle off this mortal coil", but I'll be damned if I'm going to spend the rest of it asleep at the wheel and continuing to play the same movie over and over again.

I don't know what this destination looks like other than to say that it would be of my own making, and shaped by decisions made by who I am today and not a result of unresolved issues from my childhood. While I firmly believe that this is the right – and only – path forward for me, it is also extremely daunting, full of hurdles and I'm sure that I'll stumble and fall along the way.

Regardless, I've already taken a bunch of steps down this road, and there's no turning back now. The only thing left to do is to get on my hiking boots, pack up my ol' kit bag and prepare for the journey.

It’s easy to be a monk at the top of a mountain…

I have no idea where I heard this, but it's always stuck with me.

When I started my health and fitness program – and this blog for that matter, life was all good. Sure, there were your typical stressors, but no major disruptions in the force. Unfortunately, life never stays still and it was inevitable that "shit would happen".

When I named this blog, I was merely trying to find a clever and catchy title. But now, I've started asking myself what, "mid life, no crisis" really means. Clearly, it would be completely unreasonable for me to expect no major challenges, sadness or upset for the next decade. So, what is a realistic goal?

I think that the answer lies in the Buddhists' Four Noble Truths. Specifically, it's pretty much guaranteed that there will be suffering in my life, but what really matters is how I respond to it. So, here's the $64K question: is it possible to go through something painful, experience the pain, learn from it and then move past it without spending an eternity wallowing in self-doubt, denial and self-flagellation? Good question, but I really don't know the answer. If I look at my past behavior, then the prognosis for future performance ain't so good.

So…what to do?

The logical answer is to stop doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results… unfortunately, executing on that plan is a little tougher.

Suffice it to say, I took some good baby steps in that direction this past week. Even though things were tough, I didn't go back to my bad eating habits and I even exercised a few times during the week. I tried hard to focus on staying in the present and not over-thinking the situation… I didn't do so well there, but as I said, baby steps.

Most importantly, I realized that I actually do want to strive for a "no crisis" way of life. Or, as they say in the "Lion King", "Hakuna Matata"