We learn a lot in school. For instance, I could tell you that John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln or that the Earth is the third planet from the sun, I could even tell you that pi is 3.14 and change. But in all those years of learning we hardly ever really learn anything about how to actually go about the business of living our lives. What does it mean to be a human being? How do we become a good person? How do we best care for ourselves and others? How do we deal with bouts of depression or anxiety? How do we find the motivation to achieve our goals? How do we become happy? These are just a few of the hundreds of important questions about life that we never really learn. Instead we just sort of stumble around in the darkness and hope we find our way. I think that’s a shame. I think it’s important to try to be the best human you can be, not only for yourself but for your fellow humans as well. This belief has lead me to become fascinated by the following question, assuming you’re willing to put in the effort, is it actually possible to become a better human? By that I mean happier, more content, more well adjusted, more successful and so on. And if it’s possible, how do you go about doing it?
I’ve begun to take this question head on by researching a variety of areas related to personal development and then applying what I’ve learned in my own life, and so far the results have been encouraging. I haven’t found “one simple trick” or “magic pill” for changing your life. In truth it appears that slow and steady work on yourself is what makes the difference, but the good news is that it does make a difference. We can actually change our lives for the better! That to me is extremely exciting and good news.
So if it’s true that we can change our lives for the better, why don’t we? Why aren’t we all screaming the good news from the rooftops? As best I can tell, the answer to that question has a lot to do with fear. By and large, we’ve all grown complacent. We’ve grown comfortable with being uncomfortable. Even though many of us are unsatisfied with various aspects of our lives, we tell ourselves that things aren’t too bad and therefore it’s best to keep the status quo versus making changes that might prove difficult, changes that are as of yet unknown to us and therefore frightening, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t right? And so we go on in the same way we always have, until one day we wake up and realize that most of our life has passed us by.
I don’t know about you but that strikes me as more than a little sad and completely unnecessary. Shouldn’t we at least attempt to make positive changes in our lives? And what if making those changes weren’t as difficult and frightening as we think? That’s where this blog comes in. It’s my attempt to offer you simple technique’s and ways of thinking about things to help better your life, to make you happier and healthier in mind and body. I’ll be doing this by sharing stories and struggles from my own life, how I’m learning to overcome them and how you can too. Think of it as a wonderful experiment in making ourselves better humans.
I want to be perfectly clear, I am not a doctor or therapist. I have no fancy credentials to wow you with. My school was the school of hard knocks. I’ve lived with depression, anxiety, and all its relatives like laziness, lack of discipline, low self confidence and even addiction. Through lots of hard work I’m managing to come out the other side. I’m still working on it and believe it will be a life long journey, but it’s one I’m committed to. So if like me; you’re dedicated to positive change, willing to put in the work and ready to fight for yourself, then you’ve come to the right place. I’m constantly researching everything from health and fitness, to eastern and western medicine, to philosophy and psychology in an effort to not just defeat depression and anxiety, but to see how far we can go in a new, positive direction. I’ll be updating this blog frequently with the best information I find and with my own opinions of things. My goal is to grow a community where we can help each other become our best selves and so I’d love your input as I begin to grow this blog. I look forward to the adventure of a lifetime.
