Circle of Trust

Most of us have some shit going on in our lives, and I’m no different. However, what is different for me is how I’m dealing with it nowadays. Whenever I had to deal with something challenging, or stressful in life, I would usually resort to having a drink or few, smoke cigarettes (half a pack a day), or take a hit or two of ganja for the instant relief. Standard things that many of us resort to unfortunately.

I was never an alcoholic or anything but I come from a European background, where vodka is life lol, in my case tequila is life! The good is… well… it felt good, at least that’s what it seemed like. The problem was that, there was no quality of health with any of those releases. Man…. I really hated how much negative came from hangovers, and how useless those days were.. Not to mention the side effects of eating complete shit on those days as well.

Anyways.

So here I was sitting, driving with my M in Colorado mountains a couple days ago, discussing the sad reality of how my fathers health is deteriorating from his stage 4 sinus cancer. All I kept thinking about was; when will it be Monday so I can go Q my workout with the pax. I get back home yesterday, and sadly had to quickly take him to the emergency room.. While there, in brief moments I was thinking how should I challenge myself, and the pax tomorrow, and tried to come up with a plan.

This is something new for me. Before F3, I would come home and guaranteed have a couple cocktails, and some shit snacks when I arrived at midnight. Instead, I started writing exercises on a board, and typing up my plan to a fellow pax, Algorithm.

Why? Because I made a commitment to lead.

Because it clears my mind, strengthens my body, and helps me deal with multiple stresses in my life currently, in the best possible way I could have imagined. I’ve always thought life has some interesting ways of timing things like, me getting out of my business and my dad getting cancer, (more time for him)  or me breaking my ribs was the only way I can finally quit smoking… for the 69th time. Now the perfect timing for my life and F3 to meet.

My simple message is to make sure whatever challenge you are dealing with, however big the stress, do your best to find a release that offers you a positive feedback loop that helps you, and others around you. Short bursts of satisfaction from things that harm our health, are just that, and offer a temporary comforter that leads to negative feedback loops. For the record, I’m not saying to completely avoid those things if they bring you some joy, I still have drinks and celebrate. The difference is I’m much more disciplined and conscious in my choices of when I should, and shouldn’t indulge, as well as more aware of how much better I feel in the long run with less of that.

Now excuse me while I go take some celebratory shots for my Bday 😀