Life

The well-known “Guru” Tony Robbins says that most people “Major in Minor things.” In other words, we focus most of our energy on minutiae that have no effective impact on our lives. For example, the typical “gossip” that leads to nothing, the constant distraction of social media or excessive consumption of television, which has no other purpose than to keep our minds entertained, or distracted.

As we know, our time in this world is relatively short. Therefore, it makes sense to make the best of it if we want to have a positive impact not only on our lives, but also on the lives of others. So where should we focus our energy? Here are some ideas that help me embroider this topic on a personal level:

THE VEHICLE:

The body is undoubtedly an essential priority of a “well lived” life. And I am not referring to the body from a hedonistic – narcissistic point of view, but rather instrumental. The body is the vehicle that allows us to channel our energy to achieve those goals that we set ourselves. When we are sick or hurt, our attention is basically focused on recovering our body. It is a vital survival instinct that prevents us from fully focusing on our projects or relationships. We can think that health is like happiness or vice versa: many times we do not value it until we lose it. Therefore, it is worth investing in it, preventively, so that this vehicle can take us to a good destination. In this case, what we do and what we don’t do is worth so much: in essence, reducing negative inputs and increasing positive ones. The body is a perfect machine and does not need much: eat healthy, sleep and move daily, but not to the point of exhaustion. We must think of negative inputs as the excessive incorporation of food, generally related to emotional reasons, alcohol, drugs and other habits that are not aligned to maintain the natural balance of our body. On the other hand, we must increase positive inputs such as good sleep, moderate exercise – particularly after 40 or 50 – and reduced stress. The goal, for most of us, is not to win a professional sports championship, but to keep our bodies in good condition so that this vehicle transports us to where we want to go.

DESTINY:

If the body is the vehicle, it is our mind that determines where we are going. The mind is of substantial importance in establishing the most appropriate and productive direction for our lives. Clear mind = clear goals. If the mind is confused, tangled, or distressed, we tend to go down unproductive, dead-end paths or spin in to vicious circles that lead to nothing. A clear mind sets clear goals and helps identify the shortest and most effective ways to achieve them. As the Greek philosophers used to say: Know thyself. This maxim is difficult to achieve in day to day life filled with work, tasks or obligations. However, the global pandemic situation that we are experiencing gives us the opportunity – and the time – to pause and look inside. Whether through introspective techniques of meditation, relaxation, breathing control or psychotherapeutic techniques, it is essential to train our minds to be calmer and to change the “automatic” parameters of thought that sabotage us or the “toxic” monologues that condemn failure even before beginning. Our internal dialogue often conditions our external achievements.

THE FUEL:

We have already identified two central elements for living a full life: caring for the body and our health – our vehicle – and the control and training of our mind, since it is what sets our destiny and decides which path to take. The last component of this equation is fuel. Where does that vital energy come from that drives us day after day to pursue our goals? That force that leads us to persist in achieving a goal beyond obstacles? This, ladies and gentlemen, is nothing more than our wish. It is desire that invites us to dream of goals that often seem unattainable and that gives us the daily energy to carry out the actions necessary to achieve the objective. In this sense, being in contact with your own desire is invaluable. Many times we live our lives based on the wishes of our parents, friends or based on what our social circle expects of us. Due to this, our desire – or need – is to be worthy of the approval of another: we become doctors because it is what our parents expect of us. We play soccer because it is what our circle of friends values or we diet to look like the model that is in Vogue. While this may give us an initial push and invite us to action, perhaps we will run out of fuel or meaning midway when we understand that it is us – and not the others – who have to live our lives. A much more powerful fuel, but also more difficult to find, is to identify and discover our own desire. For this, continuing with the previous analogy, we will have to drill deeper, it will take more time, but, at the end of the day, it will provide a lasting fuel for the rest of our day.

Body, mind and desire are three key elements to optimize our life journey.