Archive for September, 2011
Your Race Against a Slower Heart Beat
Posted by: | CommentsAs you get older your heart beat slows minimizing your athletic potential.
Even though your ultimate potential is reduced from that of your youth, you can still excel in less than ultimate achievement. In fact, many aged athletes are in better condition than they were in their youth from more consistent dedication and discipline.
I had an interesting week end as the New Zealand storm gave many surfers new religion. A friend of mine who has been surfing for 22 years and loves big waves is here today as he said because God felt it wasn’t his time.
Caught by a wave in excess of 10 feet he was taken over the falls and blacked out before he woke and realized he had been “worked”. It is possible in blacking out that you might take in that fateful mouthful of water or maybe you won’t.
Even in his supreme athletic and muscular condition, he vowed that he needed to train better, eat better and hydrate better. He had gotten casual and reckless, in his own mind. My approach is that it is life and death everyday and I am always 100% when I go into the water in the mornings.
But in this last storm, I also realized that my strength and training were no match for the violence, energy, and power of mother nature. I have also let my training take second place to supposedly conserving my energy for more surf time.
But we are lucky. We have an immediate back drop to compare our fitness. In an LA Times article Amanda Mascarelli, discusses how older athletes are taking training
http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-aging-athlete-20110901,0,7412333.story?page=1
seriously to regain earlier form and youthfulness. There is nothing that sustains the physiology of our form like exercise and of course good eating.
We are on a time clock. The body definitely starts losing nerve, muscle, and oxygen producing capacity as we age. Aging begins at 35 years old. How long can you wait before you want to renew the fitness of youth? It is clear that your body is degenerating and preparing for death as you enjoy those great pasta meals followed by your favorite dessert.
Exercises as simple as walking maintains and builds your physique and keeps your body in balance. Exercise allows the cycle of tearing down of muscle and replacing it with new cells. The body is meant for continuous destruction and rebuilding of cells on an hourly basis.
If you don’t exercise, the body only tears down. It releases inflammation that never gets carried away by the renewal process. The harder you exercise, the more beneficial the renewal. The longer you wait to engage in strenuous exercise, the more difficult it is to begin anew.
As you get older and go over the peak and see the abyss, you might get invigorated. True fitness is the result of years of training, tearing down, and building anew. The longer you have trained, the easier it is to reach new peaks.
Going Forward When Fear is Palpable
Posted by: | CommentsThe New Zealand storm waves have been pounding the Southern California coastline.
I have ventured in and have had a few memorable poundings. I gave it a rest for two days when waves were coming in 7 foot plus sets. Then I observed that at low tide in the mornings, north of the Oceanside pier, the waves were reasonable and rideable.
It was pretty easy to get out by sidling next to the pier where the current and ferocity coming from the South were blocked by the pier. It is still a good test of nerves and those over thirty seem to contemplate their vulnerability more than the younger guys.
I had made one round of going out and getting pushed north by rip and current and had to get out and walk back to the pier to go another round. It was typical of the activity as surfers were making their rounds of surfing, getting out and paddling back.
What was interesting was how they would express their feelings as we encountered one another at the entrance to the surf next to the pier. One forties surfer said he hadn’t been in for awhile and was fearful. Another older surfer with a nice bald spot said he had just been taken down on a wave and it shakes his confidence.
Surfing can give you a real life exposure to fear that affects nothing but your esteem. Your finances, job, or career are not at stake. You get to test your mettle in the practice arena next to your real life. Yet it is a good insight into how we manage fear.
It is also reinforcement to our ability to handle fear. Putting injury or your life on the line is real enough. Other fears may seem more reasonable when we re enter our living environment.
It’s not a bad idea to try your fear quotient with something that won’t ruin your life. I would be more fearful of singing in front of an audience than tackling a 10 foot wave that could kill me. There are feelings I might not express to someone important because of my fear. How about you? How often do you test your mettle to handle things that scare you?
Success May Come When You Hike the Failure Rate
Posted by: | CommentsMy life has been fueled by the motto of never quit and never give up. Sometimes its good to cut the rope or evolve into the next thing.
I listened to an interview of Donald Trump speaking in front of an audience of students and at the end when asked what is one thing he might impart, he said “Never Give Up”. I apply this to learning new things. I have learned how to build simple web sites and how to develop some ability in snow boarding and surfing.
When I have seen others give up after a few bumps, I have persisted through the pain of hitting obstacles or hitting the ground. I also live by the motto that if you never quit you never fail. Goals have to have large targets like happiness or financial independence and that leaves room for missing objectives along the way but not necessarily failure.
I also believe what Tony Robbins says about achieving goals. “If you don’t reach your objective, change your strategy.” The LA Times has a great article about a 26 year old computer wizard, Diego Bardakin, that exemplifies all these mottos. He has worked hard, tried different strategies, started many companies and tastes success and failure along way.
“Every mistake you can make, I’ve made,” Berdakin said. “Every dumb company you can think of, I’ve tried to start. Every wrong hire you can make, I’ve done that, too. But it was all really amazing because if I failed, it was OK. I was just a kid and if something didn’t work out, I’d just try again with lessons from the mistakes I’ve made. Not being afraid to fail, that comes from my parents.”
His parents “stressed the importance of having a strong work ethic to him and his two brothers. But Berdakin said his folks also created an environment in which he felt comfortable taking risks and didn’t fear making mistakes.” LA Times Nathan Olivarez-Giles
In these difficult times it is not beneficial to fear failure, because it could be easy. It is better to focus on finding success through new strategies and knowing when you have given a strategy as much time as it deserves. One guru, Kathy Ollerton, used to say that every wall has a door.
Are We Sorry the U.S. (us) is Suing Banks?
Posted by: | CommentsBanks were at the root of the financial meltdown in 2008. Then we gave them billions to bail them out. Now we sue them for the trouble they caused. Wall Street complains we are going to hurt investors for years.
Doesn’t this seem a little convoluted?
“The Times report said investors fear that if banks are forced to pay out billions for mortgages that defaulted, the suit could sap earnings for years and contribute to further losses across the financial services industry.”
Our philosophy of justice for all has been merged with our philosophy of safety nets for everyone.
We have gotten used to the right to sue and demand recompense for injustices. We have surrendered a lot of personal responsibility for our decisions. The government has taken such a large role of both regulator and safety net provider that as an instrument of we the citizens, it has become an enabler and very big parent.
It regulates the banks, it bails them out for the good of all, then takes them to task. Is there still the free hand of laissez faire capitalism once discussed by Adam Smith? Hardly.
It is hard to deny that entities capable of hiring lobbyists or making campaign contribution get the benefit of legislation and regulation that can allow unfair advantage on consumers. Legislation and regulation can eliminate competition and allow unfair practices to proliferate.
Then when all goes wrong the government steps in and tries to clean up the mess. We see the battle in Congress over short term versus long term strategies. There is the battle of haves versus have nots. There is unequal participation in providing tax revenue on which the whole system rests.
When the victim gets cancer there may be the argument whether to treat homeopathically or through massive radiation. Our decisions as a nation will continue to become more complicated as interest on debt squeezes revenues at the same time as more people need entitlements.
Let’s face it, shouldn’t entitlements to the oil industry, big pharma, big food, big banks, and big corporations in the form of tax breaks, subsidies, favorable legislation and regulation also be on the table?
Shouldn’t we vote on a more equitable campaign contribution formula that takes dominant special interests out of the equation? When everyone has fair access to legislators, there is a better chance of less dealing from the bottom of the deck. Then maybe people will take more responsibility for their own decisions and the heavy hand of government will not be so dominant.
Can You State Who You Are in a Few Words?
Posted by: | CommentsOne thing everyone has in common is that we are a product of evolution meant to thrive and procreate. Life has been doing this for 3.5 billion years as we progressed from bacteria and algae.
Your life here will have little significance in geologic time or on the fate of mankind. That shouldn’t be depressing and maybe it’s liberating. If you don’t make the most of your time here, the only one that suffers is you. Many haven’t noticed that as earth itself progressed from molten rock to today’s environment, it has become a paradise.
Each of us has also become a great piece of work. We are perfectly synchronized to enjoy the paradise in which we live. We sometimes think of ourselves as our occupation or as our biological status like parent.
These are accurate, but do you have an idea of what your main priorities are that define you?
I used to think in one term and that was money. It’s not important how I got there, but the concept clearly defined my pursuits, my behavior, my attitudes, my results. It defined how I spent my time, what I thought about, my priorities, my goals, and seemingly my purpose.
In that period of time, I did have and enjoy family, sports, vacations, friends, and spending. The concept was a little ego centric and not in line with our true nature. Now I have changed my concept to growth and contribution. It is true that I have more independence now and can choose my priorities.
I want to grow into the person I think has the traits for which I aspire and I want to share my journey and observations. I have lost 45 pounds through healthy eating and exercise and have gratitude as a result of my current life choices. I think both are worthwhile sharing.
I see many who have the opportunity to choose positive life styles involve too many negative addictions and I wonder what they see as their purpose. Are they just victims? Is your priority love, adventure, personal growth, wealth, sports, music, cooking, writing, family, work?
That which is most in your mind will affect your behavior. It will affect your life’s results. If it is too self centered it will close off relationships. If it is of higher purpose, it will open up relationships. If you choose integrity it will attract people and opportunities. If you choose guile and cunning, it will make people suspicious of you.
Character is important. Gratitude or lack of it can determine whether you are happy or sad. Enthusiasm is infectious and born of a healthy attitude. Health is a result of controlling your mind and developing discipline. Courage is the result of both confidence and faith.
It’s never too late to define yourself as long as you haven’t hit the end of your 80,000 days on earth. (You can live the 80,000 if you are not eating too many French fries)
