Resilience.

Is the ideal, the good, the final cause worth striving towards? Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that “a man who can stay true to himself no matter what is truly free.” Emersons statement seems timeless and is also very fitting for modern times (2019). The Western world is experiencing large scale changes to our family lives, technology, religion, nutrition, work and on and on. Things are moving and changing so rapidly that it is difficult to discern whether the changes being made are the right ones.

Many lose sight of what it means to stay true to oneself because many of us do not take the time to discover our true selves. Discovering who you truly are takes time, quiet time away from the noise, the people you love, and the comforts of every day life. Being untethered these days is near impossible with the constant pings of email, messaging, and social media. It is fashionable to start a farm or spend extended amounts of time in nature (what some use to call camping).

To examine ones life and goals has been discussed since the days of Socrates and Aristotle. Socrates wrote that “an unexamined life is not worth living.” Aristotle spoke of the telos - the end goal one has in mind, the path to obtain the good, the best version of themselves possible. When one ponders on ones own life, the past, the possibilty of the future it allows one to step outside of the present moment to establish what is worth holding onto and what is valuable to work towards.

This is the time to establish goals and rid oneself of the failures of the past. It starts with a change in mindset, then a change in schedule, then a change in habits. If these things do not occur the telos will never be reached.

On this journey are three key steps:

1) Changing of the mindset - many overlook this as being simple. Changing the way, you think may be the most difficult step to take as it is can be a complete paradigm shift to what you have previously done. If you want to go from deadlifting 100 pounds to 400 pounds your whole psyche needs to change and you have to adopt the systems of an elite lifter. This mindset may take months if not years to fully cultivate. It encompasses days where you won’t feel like training because you are tired, stressed, or busy. In the mind of the elite lifter these things are largely irrelevant because their system states they need to lift that day to continue towards the goal.

2) A change in schedule is easy in theory, yet often times it is pragmatically impossible for people. You have to decide what you are now willing to give up to achieve your stated objective. Is it giving up computer time, time with friends, or the sweets you have been craving? You have to decide what will be replaced by the exercise, healthy cooking, and for many, much needed rest time.

3) Habit formation takes time to stick. Once you achieve habit formation, things start to flow and the habit becomes second nature. You wake up and know what and how you will train, what you will eat and avoid, and what you will be doing to take the next step towards your goal.

It is essential to note that all of these things can be achieved by anyone through precisely outlining an objective and the willingness to subtract things out of your life to focus on what is truly important for health, wealth, and wisdom.