I had an excellent day.
Every so often, I get the gift of a full day to myself with nothing required of me. Sometimes I do errands, watch sports on TV, maybe get some sun, whatever. But every so often I take a day to take a hard look at my life and come up with a new game plan.
When I do this, I usually just think and meditate for a while, and then start writing thoughts and feelings. I then look at what I've written, and figure out what parts of my life are working, which arent, and if there are ways to improve my actions and my emotions. There always are.
With my new high PSA threat, it was obvious to me that my list of priorities in life must be crystal clear. That is number one right now. But in similar fashion I went down all of the things I do or think about and many of them don't fit with the priority they have in my life.
A simple example is when I spend too much time watching bullshit TV, or even getting involved in threads on T-Nation where people are not being proactive or invested in positive things.
So I made a list of my priorities, and my "action plan" to address them. This is sort of Self Help 101 but it has always helped me when life's challenges get a bit overwhelming.
Working out is always high on my action plans, and my reward for doing the four hours of this process was twofold, going to the bookstore and buying a few good, inspiration books to read (one was Tony Dungee's Quiet Strength), and the other was working out.
I did a bodybuilder style workout because I just wanted to train every muscle and not think about numbers…one of the things I realized I do TOO MUCH of is get obsessed with numbers (financial numbers, lifting numbers, number of times of sex, etc, etc.)
I also remembered to always stay in the moment once your action plan is in place, like there's no point in wondering whether I chose the right specialty (sometimes I'm guilty of wishing I had gone into plastic surgery and made seven figures a year doing boob jobs!) I am what I am and I should be grateful, and focused on doing the best I can at it.
I did smile when I came across the thought...where does T-Nation fit in? Doing this thread is a clear net positive for me, as is checking out some of the other threads...but not too many.
Keeping a thread going for me keeps me honest…you can write a private journal but after many years of doing them I find they no longer inspire me the way this thread does…I don’t want to let people down and I want to share the joys of mutual accomplishments…both with iron and without.
Doc
Doc