Building Your Body and Building Your Mind

Somehow, changing the phrase “bodybuilding” to “building your body” sounds right, reasonable and welcoming for all of us. Don’t you feel we find ourselves in a mini existential crisis, feeling locked in or stuck, thinking you have to do something meaningful or at least doing something different? It is liminality, the psychological angst you feel when you are caught between two chapters of life.

That is exactly when building your body and mind can serve as a single-minded, no-loss proposition.

There is a restlessness that comes when you’re pulling the next chapter of your life into order, not wanting to waste any dead space. Get the ball rolling by investing your energy tokens wisely; your free moments can become stepping stones toward your best body and the sharpest mind.

Building the body can mean walking, aerobic exercise available to you, and weight training. There is calmness in not listening to music while lifting weights. You don’t miss the rep count, while you gain the advantage of a blank or reflective mind. You can do calisthenics throughout the day, 10 minutes at a time (why not?). Simply putting on your shoes and heading out for an unhurried hour(s) of walking, especially on the weekends with or without family, taking what some call a nature bath, can be quietly generative. There is freedom in that.

I may fail and reset, but at least within reason, trying to manage- A life hack- I suggest you to make a literal note (It may help some, if not all) and plan what to eat each day.

Building the mind consists of reading, spending time with ‘good thinker- friends,’ and carving out reflection time to unleash creativity. Why not fill your mind with great things by choosing high-quality books? My life-hack? I just bought myself a 7-inch Kindle that I carry with me everywhere to fill my time beyond gazing or long hours of work. I listen to master classes while on the treadmill. The point here is you can thoughtfully make time. Who is stopping you?

Another thought on mind. Expand perspective-taking. Imagine a round pie. Three-quarters of it might represent how often we expect others to agree with us, or to see things exactly as we do. The remaining quarter is the part of us that isn’t quite as open-minded as we think we are! This is where metacognition (my current favorite word) becomes valuable, the ability to observe your own thoughts and feelings from the top of the tree, so to speak. When you stretch your thinking and sit with genuine reflection, it sharpens problem-solving and opens the door to fresh, novel ideas.

The Unhurried Rush to Grow! Let’s do it. I am with you.