On a two day barefoot hike across the Devil’s Path in the Catskills, I didn’t think I’d make it. This mantra kept me going… 

Freedom only has meaning when it’s used in relation to something… 

(and HAPPY 4th of July!!)

"If you ignore an idea too long, it will begin to look for a more willing collaborator.”

I thought about this during my recent 24 mile barefoot hike on the Devil’s Path in the Catskills…. 

Almost every time I’m out, I end up in a conversation with someone who earnestly wants to know some version of: 

“Why?” And “Don’t your feet hurt?”

After my recent 24 mile hike through the Devil’s Path in the Catskills, I thought this would be a good time to flesh out those answers a bit…

The radio that exists in our heads is a great metaphor for how to relate to our thoughts.

Practice then, becomes a way of life. It’s akin to a value — a chosen way of living in accord with what you determine is important to you…. 

Sometimes I feel like I am practicing but not doing the actual thing! I want to enjoy, and live life to the fullest but I get worried when I feel like all the practice only simulates life… That tension got me thinking about the two schools of thought in life: 

Every great story has a protagonist and an antagonist. The opposing forces — good vs. evil, hero vs. villain — are what create the tension of the drama. Without that tension, the story would be boring.

And here's the thing: in good theatre — the kind that portrays reality rather than cartoonish comedy — no character thinks of themselves as wrong or evil. Every character believes they are the protagonist of their own story.

I live with the tension of wanting to do better and falling back into the same “bad habits”. Sound familiar?

I get sucked into social media scrolling, reach for the greasy fries instead of the salad, skip workouts, put off important tasks until tomorrow — and more.

In the past, I thought the answer was MORE vigilance, MORE discipline, better planning, better structure.

But now I know better.

Have you ever been really into some activity, but over time, you got burnt out on it? 

Then time passes, and you start to feel its absence. But now you’re out of practice. and you discover there’s a barrier to starting again - because you’re just not at the level you used to be… so why bother? 

You know the phrase "over the hill"?

Are you at, or nearing, an age where that phrase is starting to feel personal?

I love to use myself as an example… I'm often a good example of what NOT to do. Haha. Seriously though: when setbacks or injuries happen, it's usually a teaching moment.

So, when I strained my knee skiing the other week, it reminded me of two principles: one has to do with psychosomatics and the other with pragmatic training.

I twisted my knee skiing a couple weeks ago.  I'm fine — really — but in the moment I had that familiar reaction: Fear, anxiety, ice it, rest it, don't move.

Turns out, that reaction is a bit of cultural programming that doesn’t serve us well.

 And the story of how we all came to believe it is fascinating

when the activity aligns with your essential self, chances are you’ll have no trouble finding motivation… 

after some discussion, I came to this realization, with his help, that I was trying to control the outcome…

“Joy junkies are not joyful.”

Wait… What?

It's tempting to wait until the new year before starting new projects, new intentions, new goals. But the problem, and you may have encountered this in years past, is so many of our intentions never play out, or never actually get started… 

You’re thirsty. And you’re have a glass of water in front of you. Except it’s salt water. You try it, but it’s too salty to drink. 

What are your options?

(this is a metaphor for our internal experience and life…)