The meaning of life is contained in every single expression of life. It is present in the infinity of forms and phenomena that exist in all of creation.
-Michael Jackson. The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity. -Leo Tolstoy The meaning of life is life. -Alan Alda What is the meaning of life? Everyone seems to have a different view point on what it means to be alive. Perhaps it is true that their is no meaning to life because in the end we die and the world goes on regardless of what we do as an individual. On the other hand, there is the legendary story of Achilles that you live to put your name in the history books and to be remembered forever. I think it is the robust nature of our intelligence combined with the emotional creatures we are that "forces" us to ascribe meaning to things and to life its self. What is the common thread to the meaning of life? To begin, I woke up this morning after having a terrible nights sleep and life simply seemed dull. We all have those days where frankly we wish life could disappear and we could be comatose until times got good and then wake up. This is one reason why I believe modern humans live for instant satisfaction rather than long term goals. In other words we only want to be around for the good events of life. This is all backward. The beauty and elegance of life comes from the highs and lows of life. It's this fact that we are so fragile and walking on a thin line between complete bliss and absolute misery that burns the fire of life inside of us. However, when the lows come and we want too give up, I propose that there are underlying threads to life that will make life meaningful and allow one to create meaning in life. These threads are wonder/ curiosity and achievement/fulfillment. The answers are hidden in the fact that as humans we are culprits to the ever present moment, which is great when times are good but sucks when we have to do things we don't want to. The ideas are simple; curiosity embedded within your soul will drive you to seek knowledge and new answers even when you want to give up. The urge to find things out becomes greater than the urge to find comfort. The second is achievement, one needs to want something so bad for themselves that regardless of how hard it is, getting the goal done for that day will make them feel satisfied and fulfilled. To conclude, it is these traits that allow humans to push themselves and create a meaning in life. The labels we place on every action is self created and having these characteristics will allow you to create a meaningful life. You can turn the void of being in a merciless world into something precious where you have individual meaning and purpose. Happiness is the by product of creating a valuable meaning of life for yourself... The art of expressing yourself is one humans have long dwindled on. Is it a meaningless waste of time or does it bring something valuable into the lives of the people that practice it? Most of us wish we could be artistic or musical but often feel we can't. Our urges behind this are that we want to be able to express ourselves in a creative way (or to impress people:)). We want to make life less mundane and and connect to a spiritual world.
I have a different belief and it comes from the word aestheticize: which means to represent something as beautiful. We can learn to make everything in life beautiful to us and this is a form of expression. For example, think about the simple act of breathing and how beautiful it can be when looked at in the proper light. Look at your body as an instrument for projecting your spiritual self into this magnificent world. In terms of training, regardless of what discipline it is, look at your body movements as a form of expression. When you run think about the art you are performing not about how fast you hope to run in the big race six months from now. It's this magical moment that makes training such a rewarding discipline. Using yourself as a means of expression will connect you to the present movement. Pain becomes a form of expressing your fears, desires, and wishes and becomes something that is magnificently beautiful. You run on the edge of collapsing and giving up, but just like a great painting there is a hidden meaning behind the provocative work. What is this hidden meaning behind pushing yourself so hard? Humans express themselves because it allows them a portal into their inner soul, and a way to create beauty out of the horrors of the world. Athletes are fortunate enough that the canvas is our body... This is one of my favorite videos and showcases some of the principles that I live by. This video shows why I commit my life to triathlon. The words I'm gonna show you how great I am constantly echo through my mind whenever I run into something difficult or need motivation. My journey of triathlon is one of learning to accept myself for who I am and to teach me that regardless of anything I can accomplish huge feats.
I realize that my greatest fear in life is to live an inadequate life. For me inadequacy means being suppressed of the wild adventurous spirit I have inside of me. This drives me to push myself and to become the absolute best in the world of triathlon. Figuring out who I am took a long time but now I know where to go with my life. Below I am going to talk about what makes a person successful. To clarify, success is being who you want to be and accomplishing what you want to accomplish. Figuring out what success is for you requires soul searching before you can apply the elements below. Belief: In order to succeed the first thing a person must have is a belief that they can do it. You must have full faith that you can overcome any of the obstacles presented. In addition, you must have faith that you want to succeed. Often are motivation is false and we look to succeed for trivial qualities such as looking good to others, or being able to show off. Ask yourself what is my motivation for wanting to do well in this activity? In Ironman the motivation has to come within, the body is going to want to quit on you at points in the race and it is your belief in yourself that keeps driving you. belief also brings love and gratitude into the sport which are critical for success. By finding your inner and true motivation as well as believing in what you do, one discovers that they feel blessed to do what they do every day. You become infatuated with your sport and it is not work or a chore, it is life and love. Preparation: The second quintessential element is preparation. Ask yourself how am I going to prepare. What am I going to do every waking moment of my day. I always say that success is in the details. In order to become better than others it is all about doing the little things in life. Everyone in Ironman is swimming, biking, and running. The way to get ahead is with little details such as how much do you sleep, what's your diet like, do you strength train. Don't overlook any component of what it requires to be successful in your field and execute it day after day. This is impossible unless if you believe in what you are doing and truly love it. Dont ever forget that the work will be backbreaking at times. However, the backbreaking work should feel good. it should only fuel your fire more. Support: The final thing one needs to succeed is support from peers around them. Humans are social creatures and we all have highs and lows. it is the people around you who give you support even when you are broken. You need people that believe in you and support what you are doing. They will give you another kind of motivation, a motivation to work hard so that you can be with them at the end of the day. After all the meaning of life is to be shared and everything is better when you have someone to share your highs and lows with. This element will balance your life out and allow you to be human. I'm gonna show you how great I am... Go out there and accomplish what you want. Put your name in the immortal books of time. I began my first scheduled training of the year with my awesome Coach Siri Lindley today. I started running in the dark and did a great fartlek run. I feel so charged up for the upcoming season as well as rested from my off season break. My goals are clearer than ever and my motivation is off the charts. Running feels new again. All this is due to taking an important but often overlooked off season break.
The importance of the off season is huge. It will allow your body to physically recover from the 10 months or so of hard training you put on it. Those long runs wear you down more than you might think. Perhaps, even more importantly are the mental effects it has on a person. The off season is your time to become human again. I know I did. Go out with friends and family drink beer or whatever else you like to do. Stay up late and sleep in. Eat a pint of ice cream if you choose. Its letting go and letting the body get its cravings it wants for a little while that will allow you to push forward in the next season. It takes courage to take time off, but I promise you that it will be better in the long run. The trick is to still make healthy lifestyle choices. My off season break was incredible, I went up to the mountains and downhill skied everyday for two weeks, along with staying up late and eating lots of food. I put almost 5 lbs on. I still did core work and occasionally cross country skied. My first days warming up into training, I felt out of shape but was invigorated with training again. I made healthy choices that were going to help me in the long run. I encourage you to make sure you take an off season of at least 10 days next year. Happy new year to everyone, and lets go out their and swim, bike , and run as though its the best thing in the world, because it is... What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun? Or does it explode?
-Langston Hughes Triathlon has taught me how to follow my dreams. It has changed how I view life and has made me believe that anything is possible. Six months ago, I believed that I was going to go to college, study a regular college degree preparing me for the office, and finally end up working 9-5 like everyone else. However, I had a successful Ironman race that made me believe I could do what I wanted in life. Life is now seen from a different perspective. Following your dreams is contagious and as soon as one dream is accomplished (finishing an Ironman) your other suppressed dreams come into mind (becoming a Pro triathlete). I realized that following my dreams is the most rewarding thing that I can do for myself. It is fun, Teaches me about my self, and builds character. I do everything I can to follow my dreams and this for me means that I am 99% likely to transfer back to the University of Colorado Boulder next year. In addition hiring an expensive but fantastic coach, Siri Lindley, was a no brainer for me. I have also created a website, reached out to sponsors, and told my friends and family I want to go pro! I am committed to following my dreams and doing whatever it takes so long as it is morally right to reach my dreams. The truth is that all of us have dreams that should be followed. A dream can be infinitely small, yet it is a part of your soul begging you to feed it. The most courageous thing one can do is follow their dreams. We live our lives feeling that we are inadequate and fearing failure. Take the step towards being who and what you want to be, regardless of how small it is. For me, a small dream is to help people out who are in need. I often have to build up the courage to go out of my daily routine to do little things such as opening doors for people, giving people directions or giving my mom a hug. What happens to a dream when it is deferred? I believe it moves us back to a state where we no longer want to accept our dreams as real and possible. It allows the rational mind to take over and tell us that we don't actually want our dreams. I encourage you to take the first step and do something you have dreamed of doing for a long time. Start small or big (haha) and notice how you feel after getting the courage to do it. Following your dreams is less about success than it is about committing to what you believe in. Do the things you have always wanted to do. Who's stopping you? Life pulls and it has its necessities but the world rages on, irregardless of what you do. The best way to change it is following your dreams... |
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