Why Health is Imperative to Passionate Living

Anah (Hoopalicious)

When you are feeling lumpy or in the gutter, do you feel like going after your dreams?

Do you feel up to jumping around and banging on drums, or do you feel like going to bed and watching Game of Thrones while downing a bag of Cheetos? It’s hard to muster up the energy or enthusiasm to break open your head full of powerful intentions when you can barely bother flossing your teeth.

This is the best reason to aim for health. Without the full vigor you could be feeling, how do you even know what you are capable of?

I had no idea I could do some of the things I have accomplished. I still did things when I was relatively okay, mentally (in a former, healthier mode, I managed to save up money for a 5 month trip to Australia and New Zealand in a few months), and once in a while I would get a verve to create some amazing things – but those were shortlived, and my energy drained. My cloudy gloom started to flow back and mar my visions, making them seem useless, pointless, and one more person amongst billions – so why bother!

Wrong. When you feel real, TRUE health, you feel the sparks of life. It’s impossible to imagine unless you’ve felt it. When I first felt it, it was like being high on E or something – and I have chased that initial vigor ever since.

But jeez, what a horrible thing – to be chasing health! To know that it is a NATURAL feeling and not just a fake thing brought on by chemicals – this is SO powerful.

The euphoric buzz is a well-known phenomena in the raw food world, as is the constant chasing of it – but here’s the thing – it comes and goes. However, there is a constant state of well-being anyway. Even when you aren’t floating around and thinking everyone is beautiful and we really live in paradise, you still see mostly goodness, and you really feel it in yourself. You believe that you can succeed in whatever it is you do.

When you believe, is when you try, and when you keep trying, and get through The Dip, that is when you really shine.

Boredom is For Old People

Screw age. I’ll always be young.

I don’t care about chronology. I am perpetually sixteen.

When you believe you are youthful, you are.
When you feel like a kid, you are. Your brain allows it.

You are what you think.

If you love the world, you stay innocent. If you give yourself to
life, you are living.

Boredom is for old people. You’re not old. You’ve just forgotten.

~~

I seriously don’t think people “get old” – I think they just get tired, nutritionally deficit, and brainwashed.

Like Omigod, I Could Just DIE

I don’t want to have time to waste.

I don’t wanna be at the end of my life going “DAMN, I wish I’d done that, cuz I sure had time.”

You know what would be even worse than getting to be old and accomplishing nothing? Dying in the next few days, or in a week, or a month. Then you’d really lament your situation, if you had time to think about it.

It’s tragic when people die young, especially when they are exceptionally talented – it’s even worse when they die because of suicide, or drugs, or whatever. It’s such a waste.

I think about death often. Not because I’m morbid, but because I really want to live, man! I want to be an old pink-haired banshee on a motorcycle thinking: “Shit I had a good fucken life. I lived the hell out of every second!”

“I’ve had 72 absolutely flaming years. It (the illness) doesn’t bother me at all, because, you know love, when you’ve lived like I have, you’ve done it all. I put all my effort into living; any dope can drop dead.” – Vali Myers.

People don’t like to think much about dying because it’s scary. But WHY is it scary? It scares people because they don’t want to give up their pleasures, or they still have things they want to do. Do them NOW, so you don’t ever have to be in that situation! Even if you die young, you will have at least spent your time putting a good, creative energy out there. You will have been fulfilling your spirit instead of just distracting your brain , which the majority of people tend to do with TV, gossip mags, etc.

This ties in with people being “bored” – you don’t get to be bored, man. There is 10 gajillion (a real number, okay?) things out there to be interested in. If you can’t find something fascinating out there, you need to get out more. You need to isolate yourself until you are able to amuse yourself.

Guess what! You’re gonna die, and you never know when. Yer gonna be pissed at yourself if you have been playing video games all day and then you are pulverized by a mack truck tomorrow. You could have written the most glorious poem of your life, you could have sent love letters to your family, you could have rescued an injured bird, you could have drawn something inspirational, you could have danced your heart out all night with friends, you could have scaled a small mountain, you could have had your first surf lesson, you could have ravaged your lover until they collapsed from exhaustion, you could have learned something that helped you feel more at peace with yourself and others, you could have skateboarded until your knees were on fire.

I could go on and on. Don’t waste your precious moments. Whatever you love most, spend your time doing that – any spare moment, dedicate it to your passions.

Lifting Facades and Being Selfish

I think selfishness is great.

Not in terms of saying “eff you” to everyone you care for, but in the majority of things in life, doing what YOU want above all else is paramount to living a life of purpose and adventure.

Screw the majority. Yes, keep close friends and loved ones high on your list, but even then, when it comes to YOUR most important ideals, no one should be able to stop you.

There is the old adage of not being able to help others before you help yourself (or love others before you love yourself) – and it is very true. Yet most people are under the delusion that others can make them whole, or help them heal.

I’ll give you an example.

When you’re sick, you go to the doctor. What sort of health is your doctor in? Are they robust, bursting with energy, vitality, fitness? Do they ask you about your diet and lifestyle? Do they ask about nutrition at all? Do they KNOW anything about it at all? Can they help you without writing prescriptions or shilling drugs?

Really be wary of who you take advice from. If they are not getting results you would personally want, then run, quickly. Find someone who knows what they are talking about, or be very still and listen to your intuition.

This also goes for listening to advice from others about situations they themselves have trouble with.

When you take care of yourself first, that is when you can start to dispense wisdom to others. Otherwise keep your mouth shut! Send them in the direction of people who do know what they are talking about.

Generally over the last few years, I have told people to read certain books instead of giving them advice – I was (and still am) learning. I have only recently felt like I’ve reached a point where I feel I have a good enough base knowledge, enough self-respect, self-love, and real knowledge to share.

When you love and do things for yourself, you feel so good that your energy precedes you. Wherever you go, you glow, and people notice this before they notice you. They will then want to be near you, want to know your secrets, and trust you, because you have what they want.

You won’t get into this state without being selfish. You must do everything it takes to be the whole person you are, under all the toxic bullshit we’re exposed to daily through food, air, water, and negative people and images.

You might have to shun certain people who you care for.
You might have to change careers, or move.
You might have to leave your relationship.
You might have to tattoo a reminder on your wrist.
You might have to delete all social media.
You might have to demolish your microwave.
You might have to throw your TV out a window.

It doesn’t matter what you give up – it matters what you GAIN.

Be selfish and true to yourself – you will have so much more to give once you are being who you really are.

Facades are for scared people.

~~

 

Photographer of above image: unknown.

Experience VS. Things

Me underwater in Cathedral Cove (Narnia), New Zealand, 2005.

An experience is always a better choice than buying an item.

Eschewing food and other absolute necessities, having an experience is always the better choice when choosing how to spend your money. Most people don’t even “choose” – they just mindlessly fork over the dough.

Something my dad said a long time ago has always stuck with me – when you consider how much work you have to do to make that amount, when buying something, think about it in terms of HOURS SPENT rather than the moola itself.

Would you work a half hour (or an hour?!) in exchange for a latte?
Would you work a whole week in exchange for a pair of fancy shoes?
Would you work a whole day for one meal at a swank restaurant?

That sort of thing – because that is what you are doing.

So many people work often and do little, because their money is spent on unnecessary things. Then they whine that they need a vacation but can’t afford it, or that they wish they had more time off, or more time to spend with their kids, on and on and on.

I’ve stopped buying things I don’t need, including books – which for me is amazing. I get credits at work (a book store) so that is the only time I buy them anymore. I read what I own, and I go to the library. I used to desire a huge book-lined home, wall-to-wall beauty – but without the money I spent on those books, I would have no free time to read them all. Dig?

I also make sure that the food I buy actually fills me up. On a raw diet, this is important, because many raw foods are so low calorie that you need a TON to be satiating – hence eating high-calorie fruit as a staple (bananas, dates, mangos, etc). I limit the amount of other things that are for flavour more than satiation – lemons, nori – things like this add up to a lot and really do nothing to fill the tummy. You should do the same, whether you eat raw or not!

I also pick up any change I see on the ground, even if it’s a penny. You cannot have any sum without pennies – these are the building blocks, If you ignore the free money around you, you tell the universe you don’t need it. I’ve seen beggars scoff at one cent coins – ironic.

Use your extra money to DO things. What are you going to remember at the end of your life? The stuff you bought, or the stuff you did?

Here’s some examples of what you can do with certain sums of money:

$10 – A couple of days of coffee VS. basket of fruit for a picnic in the park with friends.

$20 – a fresh-pressed t-shirt VS. a whirling slamdance nightclub evening.

$50 – lacquered nails VS. a thrumming live concert.

$100 – a dvd set VS. a zipline ride through the mountains.

$500 – a fancy handbag VS. a weekend away with your lover.

$1000 – the latest phone VS. a new guitar for your lifelong dream of being a musician.

$2000 – a designer gown VS. a sunbaked week in Hawaii.

Watching Pipeline, Oahu, 2010. I spent a week here for just over $1000.

$5000 – a diamond necklace VS. a raw food retreat in Costa Rica to heal you from within.

$10,000 -  plastic surgery VS. months of traveling in South East Asia.

$100,000 – a zippy sportscar VS. trips to every continent.

$250,000 – a partially-paid-for condo VS. a caravan to explore the country.

$500,000 – medical bills (due to your terrible eating habits, not unfortunate accidents) VS. enough to live on, work-free, for years.

$1,000,000 – a beautiful home…VS. basically whatever you want. If you have this much money you wouldn’t even be reading this article.

Most of us do not have much disposable income (what a horrible phrase – disposable income? If we work for that money, then we are saying our TIME is worthless – so we are saying that our LIFE is worth trading for insignificant crap).

Obviously a little indulgence is okay now and then, but when it throws you into debt, and you think shopping is “therapy” – that is when you need to really step back and scrutinize the reality of what you’re doing.

Personally I would rather do more, work less, and appreciate reality, not artifice; adventures, not stuff; dreams, not consumerism.

If you have debt, get out of it as soon as possible! There are many ways to do this, make it your #1 priority (okay, second – health is #1).

 Me snorkeling off West Coast Australia, with whale sharks, 2005.

$350.

Worth every cent.

~~

(This post seems very geared towards females – oops – guys, I dunno what you waste your money on!)

Go Away

Me in 2003.

I have set a new rule for myself: If it’s nice out, GO OUTSIDE.

I am not allowed to be on the computer (unless I am writing). No internet perusing. Out I go.

I don’t want to be dying in my old age (since I know disease ain’t gonna get me), or in some dire situation and wishing, “Shit, I wish I’d done blah-blah-blah instead of reading blogs or watching youtube!”

Granted, I learn a lot from both of those things. However, it’s easy to get distracted, too. And I do, way too often.

Now that spring is really shining, I go out. I read outside if I want to read. I structure my time and figure out how I can really enjoy the few warm months that this part of the world has to offer.

The internet and all the other dumb crap will still be there when it’s dark, when it’s pissing rain – you aren’t missing anything. Trust me. Go do stuff. Outside. Your body wants sunlight, it was natural light, and it wants fresh air.

Your brain wants stimulation from nature, not television. Television and most of the internet (unfortunately) wants you to be a zombie. That makes you easier to control. “Buy our stuff! Emulate these humanoids! Eat this garbage! Carbs are bad for you! Buy our drugs!”

All this junk is pumped into everyone hundreds of times a day. Escape it, give your body a break, give your mind a vacation. Turn this bloody computer off RIGHT NOW. You don’t even need to read this blog – I’d rather you didn’t – I want you to go outside.

This is a sign! Go away.

Become a Chasm

When you’re ready for it, you get it.

Every time I have been ready for a change in my life, the perfect thing presents itself.

This happened with raw food, it happened with my relationship, and it has happened countless other times.

The right book always shows up – and it’s usually already in my house.

It has also happened with break-ups – every time I’ve been heartbroken, I’ve discovered my next favourite band. This happens without fail.

I know information that can change peoples’ lives. But I know they won’t implement it unless they are truly open. If I make a suggestion, they will fight everything I say. They are not ready to change. This happens so often it baffles me. I think, “Man, if they only knew, or just tried this….“

I found a raw food book, and signed it out, around 10 years ago. I didn’t read it then. I don’t think I would have been ready – it had to be at a pinnacle moment. And when that moment arrived, the information flooded in. I did finally read that book and wished I had a decade before. Life knew what I needed (and so did I, subconsciously!), but I didn’t clue in.

During another heartbreak I discovered Byron Katie – though did not read her until the following year. I needed other lessons within that time, and when I read her book, all the previous agony made sense – much more than it would have originally.

And now, a Seth Godin book, one paragraph – mind blown.

So if you are really looking for an answer to your issues, be OPEN. Be so open that you are a chasm, so that whatever is trying to find you can fall right in and light you up.

Perceived Value

Most people would do anything to survive.

If you were stranded, or kidnapped, or abandoned – would you give up? If you were hurt or sick or dying – would you just say “Oh well!” or would you do what it takes to survive?

People are amazing once their fighting instincts take over. This is interesting to me because a lot of people think they “can’t” do things – simple, basic stuff! But put them in the right conditions and you betcha they will  surprise themselves with what they can do.

But what is the difference between NOW and being in a scary situation? Nothing, except perceived value and lack of time. Perceived value of the self (or of life) is the most important aspect – so many people feel unworthy or like they do not matter – until their life is threatened. Then they know how much they want to live, they know what they have wasted, and they think about all the things they wanted to do, may not be able to ever do, and woe is them – they squandered their lives.

Most of this is not caused by someone preventing their freedom, or being stranded on an island with coconuts. It is mostly caused by addictions, bad lifestyle choices, and extreme negative thinking.

I am reading a book right now written by someone who went from an nonathletic office worker to someone (at age 36) who has rowed across every ocean. How did this happen? She just decided she wanted to, and then did.

People generally have easy, comfortable lives. We don’t “need” to survive, so we laze about and do whatever is pleasurable until the day comes where the BAD thing happens – a degenerative disease, a lawsuit, a spouse leaving – whatever it is. Many people also think life is hard because they don’t like their jobs, or their life, and blame society. No matter what you do, it’s a choice. You choose every moment of every day. No one else is MAKING you do anything. Even with a gun to your head, you decide whether you cooperate or fight.

My point is this: you can do anything you want. You can row across an ocean, you can make a living however you want, you can be whoever you aspire to be. It is all perceived value. Why wait until something happens to you? I was lucky something happened to me quite early in my life – something that was enough to snap me into a different mindset.

You don’t need to be at rock bottom to make a change. And you don’t need to rely on anyone else. You have the power in you to do whatever you want. The reason I bring health into the equation is because when your body is running smoothly and your brain is functioning properly and you have enough glycogen in your system, you will feel happier and have the energy to do even the craziest dreams you can conjur up.

My problem is I have so many flippin’ dreams I have a hard time choosing one. AHHH. (I know I don’t have to choose just one, though!)

~~~

Photo of Roz Savage by Birdseye View Photography.

EMBRACE CRAPPY

This is me in 2000, my first time surfing. Zero athletic skills, and 10 years of desire to do it – I wish I’d started 10 years prior! Still didn’t stop me.

I see people who want things, that have goals, and they never start. There is an excuse – “I don’t have this thing, I don’t have this skill” etc.

You need nothing to start. Or rarely. Obviously if you want to be a snowboarder, you’re going to need some gear – but you can rent it, borrow it, or beg for it.  When I was a teenager, I panhandled to make money to buy a snowboard (I only did this twice). You don’t need anything fancy, you need the most basic thing ever to begin.

But what about other things, more simplistic goals like, “I want to get in shape” ?

Can’t afford a gym membership, don’t have workout clothes or shoes, or whatever it is – nonsense. Go to a thrift store or go for a jog in your jeans and bare feet. Get a book from the library about using your own body as a gym. Go see a friend and wrestle. It makes no difference. Don’t have time? I do toe lifts as I work, I lift myself up on the counters and hold myself up for as long as I can if I am stuck at the counter. At home I do push-ups, I ride my bike to the store, I dance to music with my hulahoop. If I feel a burst of energy, I take advantage of it.

There is no strict way to do something. But there are millions of ways to tell yourself you CAN’T. Either way, you are right. If you say you can’t, you won’t even start. What a way to defeat yourself. LAME.

For me, my fear was “There are already too many people blogging, especially inspirational/self-help style things, so why would anyone listen to YOU?” Plus I have no skills at making fancy blog pages. I did have a website for eons, but that was years ago, and the space was given to me by someone, plus it was very basic html, not code – to do all the technical blog stuff is off-putting, but I finally said screw it and just started to write, anyway. If people like it, I’m stoked, and that makes me want to write more. But more importantly, I want to like it, I want to enjoy it, and I feel accomplished. I can learn tech stuff as I go, or pay someone else to do it eventually.

Isn’t the reason “I want to” more important than the many reasons NOT to persue something?

If you truly want to do something, you will. Forget the set-backs – those happen with anything. People don’t get good at things immediately. Everyone fails. Failure is good – then you know what doesn’t work.

I mess up all the time, even with things like my diet. I don’t let that stop me from persuing what I want -  ULTIMATE HEALTH! (imagine that being said with an echo through a loudspeaker) – if I have a screw-up, I just start over the next day. Those times are rare, but I accept that they may occur. This is paramount – accept that you might have bad days, or big hurdles, or even tiny mishaps – so what? You are still moving FORWARD. Just because you walk down the street to your destination, and need to turn around to pick up something you dropped, doesn’t mean you don;t turn back around and keep walking.

If you wanna do something, write down all the ways you CAN! Ignore the naysay in your noggin – that is just a lifetime of brainwashing by others. Everyone else is just like you – people who have accomplished amazing things, or even minor things – they start somewhere. The fantastic were always at some time the mediocre, or even the crappy.

Embrace crappy. Be the crappiest you can be so you can move up from there.

~~~~

This post by Keri Smith came up today which is amazingly similar to what I just wrote, so I am sharing it with y’all – great advice.

The Time-Sucks – Keeping Us Down

It just sort of hit me a minute ago.

I’m watching some dumb show, and WHAM! Epiphany.

You read it and hear it all the time – that media and everything out there is a distraction – to keep you down. To lead you off in another direction, instead of going toward the things you could do, or contribute, or accomplish.

How many nights do I spend reading blogs, looking through pictures, getting “inspiration,” or watching some random show? I say I don’t watch TV – well, I sure watch documentaries, movies, youtube – and the occasional show.

But how often do I spend my time on working towards my goals? Very little, especially in contrast to all the other things. It really hit me just now because I noticed the time, and what did I do with the few hours of my evening? Sweet fuck-all.

So, from now on, I am going to spend my extra time doing those things – working on this blog, working on my novel, working on my other book – all the things that have been dancing in my head for months or even years – where is the output?

It’s there, but the little white flag of “Hey, check THIS out!” has caught my brain’s attention, and before I know it, it’s time to go to bed and get up for work, where I spend all day warming myself up  and yearning to do awesome things in my free time, or on the weekend. Not to mention my goal is to work for myself and do work that can be done from anywhere.

Well that ain’t gonna happen while watching youtube or looking at pinterest. It just ain’t. All those minutes add up, like pennies to millions. I am not missing anything, and neither are you. Ever notice that when you watch youtube, for instance, there is a huge amount of other things on the side of the screen you might be interested in? And suddenly hours have gone by? What happened? You may have learned something (depends on what you watch) but really all you have REALLY done is sit in your chair for a long time staring at a screen. Those extras are there to DISTRACT you – at least if you are doing this, LEARN something!

So yeah, stop reading my blog and go do some shit you wanna DO. Take one step, then take another tomorrow. Just a reminder!