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…