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"
No comments:
Post a Comment