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A reflection on mental fitness, uncertainty, and what happens when things don’t go according to plan. Preparation can take us only so far; eventually we’re confronted with something we couldn’t predict. The practice is learning to stay present, work with what we’ve been given, and keep moving forward rather than getting caught in frustration, blame, or resistance. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

This reflection begins with being misled by an AI-generated supplement ad and expands into a broader critique of modern society’s habit of manufacturing deficiencies and selling solutions. It explores themes of authenticity, tribal identity, and personal responsibility, arguing that many of our perceived problems stem from disengagement from a visceral, embodied life. Rather than outsourcing health and identity to systems, the piece calls for ruthless self-honesty, conscious lifestyle choices, and reclaiming individual sovereignty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

The pursuit of excellence means showing up again and again in commitment, in consistency, in nailing the fundamentals, in being there even when you don’t feel like it, in getting really close, in caring deeply, in drifting and falling off the path and then coming back on the path, and reconnecting and caring deeply and showing up throughout it all. And that starts to look a lot like love. Love is the outcome of a process. And that process is defined above. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Where are you suppressing growth? What life habits/patterns are your chief limiters? How badly do you want to live? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

You are seeking something which is here — right here — inside yourself. You are not seeking something which is alien to you, but rather your own inmost nature, your essence. Paul Brunton, Discover Yourself Thoughts for the Week: * Visualize and imagine what you desire to experience. * Success: You feel good not because the world is right, but your world is right because you feel good. * We must erase first. Then, we write with clear wisdom. (Picture yourself erasing a mental blackboard). * Self-Awareness: We must see our feelings as they actually are, not as we assume they are. * Identification: We lose our thoughts in these things in an attempt to feel secure: * Person / Place / Career / Hobby / Personal Viewpoints * We want to cling to something that seems permanent. * Identification with excitement is always followed by an unhappy reaction. * It is strange how human beings seldom inspect the ideas which produce the kind of life they have. * The products of our processes. * You are not your collected self-descriptions… when a memorized image of yourself does not interfere with right now, right now is peace and liberty. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

I’ve found this to be one of, if not the, key elements of longevity. Life is full of transitions. Beginning, progressing, achieving, becoming, and then ending. This episode dives into what that may look like, as well as how it can be planned for and navigated. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Listen to this while moving, creating energy, or while focused and alert. Absorption depends on optimal environmental conditions. As a runner, if I’m not doing my long runs or lacking motivation, I need to sign up for races or find a training group that fills that need. If I’m not doing my hill work or speed training, I need to hire a coach, sign up for shorter races, or find a group that is doing the type of training I am avoiding. You are closer to success than it often seems. Spend time in reflection and journal what comes to mind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Becoming the best version of you is what the world desires. It is what your family desires, it is what the group/work/social environments desire, even though they may not consciously know it. Thus, it is your (my) responsibility to define who that person is, what they are capable of, and start living life that way… NOW. Change is always now. There is no ideal time to be the best. Attitude is your friend. Inaction is your foe. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

The attitude of the beginner is one of freshness, wonder, hope, and possibility. Dreams die when our spirit hardens. Remain interested in all things and see how your experience changes. Create time and space for the experience to flourish. Set personal boundaries. Harness the power of the destination, or deadline, to achieve results. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Musings on the source of our successes in life. What feelings did you attach to them? Have you experimented with changing your mindset or viewpoint on something that is not going well? Do you cling to the negative or do you seek to overcome it? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Your purpose, your aim, and your consciousness define the path you take. We all need to re-center and re-frame, no matter how far or devoted we are to the path. Books help. Coaches help. Quotes help. Journaling is paramount. What we quantify, we can improve. Journal. Write. Think. Let it flow. Address what needs to be addressed and then move on. Onward and upward. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

People do not value what is easily come by. Therefore the simple solution is not the one employed. “Setting yourself a voluntary aim and compelling yourself to achieve it, creates magnetism and the ability to do. Magnetism is acquired only through conscious labor and intentional suffering, through doing small things voluntarily.” G.I. Gurdjieff Cutting down a tree, splitting, and stacking firewood is a natural (and necessary for survival in many climates) process for heating. Walking is a way to traverse vast distances in any terrain. Hunting is a way to feed and clothe yourself. The process of harvesting and processing is simple, yet not easy. Losing weight and achieving your optimal size is a natural process of reversing the practices which made you overweight. It is not addition but subtraction. It is harder to add than it is to take away. Simple isn’t easy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

When I talk about lifestyle, fitness and holistic training, I speak from an angle of inclusivity. It is very rare for any one activity to check all the boxes necessary to build a complete, or as close to complete, human being as possible. Therefore multiple modalities should be included in your approach to lifestyle fitness training. Thus balance is the goal. It is not necessary to become an expert in each area only to become competent in each area/modality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Know what you want. Sincerely want. Keep this at the forefront of your mind. The most important thing you can master is overcoming the (limitations of) mind. You are that which you most sincerely want to be. Therefore, you must consciously choose your ideal, and know where you want to arrive. As a coach and trainer the most influential role I play is one that is unseen and unknown. It is also the reason I keep my client load very manageable. The mental energy that is transferred during our sessions, as well as in all forms of communication, including thought transmission, is by far the biggest accelerator of a clients goal/dream attainment. Thoughts are things. Energy is continually transferred. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Enjoy a preview of my latest creative project. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe