Strong and Fearless is Better

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Strong and fearless is so much better than weak and ineffective, no question about that. I think my Mind-strength developed much earlier in life than my Body-strength. For some reason (translation: stern parents), I devoted myself to reading, writing, learning, homework, and pushing myself to get good grades. And going from school into to the workforce, I continued doing mental gymnastics, spurred by my competitive urge to get ahead and impress my superiors.

Then, 3 decades into my life, something clicked between me and FITNESS, and Body-strength became my primary interest. Witness: In the early 90‘s I had my first opportunity to ‘surf’ the internet, and what was the 1st search term I used? Of course, it was ‘fitness’. How cool — Who else remembers their 1st time?!

Feeling mentally and physically strong gives you courage and makes you feel on top of the world. When you can breeze through even the dreariest mental and physical chores, that is truly empowerment and a ticket to happiness. Here’s a recent example of a dreary chore: LOTS of discarded lumber from the de-construction/construction of my house. Didn’t want to waste it, so my contractor cut it into smaller lengths and I, along with a helper, moved and stacked it all into neat piles of firewood stashed under my porch — laughing and groaning the whole time. No sore muscles the next day! All those hours of exercising really paid off big-time. Being able to tackle and conquer whatever comes along is a great feeling.

There’s still a long way to go on developing my strengths, and this last phase of my life should have more focus on strength of my soul and spirit. Spirituality seems pretty amorphous. I’m guessing that I need to focus on:

  • Emphasizing human qualities such as love, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, responsibility.
  • Pondering deep questions — Where did the Universe come from? Why are we here? What happens when we die?
  • Developing values like affection, generosity, kindness, and selflessness.
  • Experiencing a connectedness with a larger reality/higher power.

Seems like a superb way to spend the next few decades! Developing a strong spirit will serve me well as I approach my final transition — reference last week’s posts about the end of the world . . . Oh no, the doomsday shroud lurks evermore.

[Img.Src: blue, fuchsia, green, purple graduates]

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