Blessed are the Meek

…for they shall inherit the earth. – Matthew 5:5

On Jocko Podcast 98 with Jordan Peterson, they begin discussing how a man should carry himself in the world. I think Dr. Peterson said it exceptionally well.

A good man is not a harmless man. A good man is a very, very, very dangerous man, but he has that under voluntary control.

Jordan B. Peterson

Matthew 5:5 is confusing for many. “Meek” is often interpreted as “gentle,” but that seems to be a rough translation. Some scholars think the original Greek word, πραεῖς, better translates to “power under control.” In other words, being able to yield a sword but keeping it sheathed.

I like the second translation. We shouldn’t be timid and submissive in life, but be strong enough to stand by our convictions. “Power under control” portrays a dangerous but disciplined man, ready to protect his family at a moment’s notice. Strong enough to fight but courageous enough to not yield his power unless absolutely necessary.

A responsible man is strong, values-oriented, and knows how to fight. He is dangerous, but he is disciplined. The earth is his to be inherited because he makes himself worthy of attaining it. He works for peace but is ready for war.

Are you ready for war?

I’m a hypocrite

I was on a run today and I gave up. I stopped running because it hurt too bad. This happened a few times recently. My ego has been getting in the way and I think I’m a better runner than I am. I’ve become a hypocrite.

I gave myself a talking to on the shameful walk home. This isn’t the only way I’ve been slacking lately. From my diet to my exercise regimen to not waking up on time, I’ve been lacking discipline across the board. This isn’t who I want to be.

Currently, my dream is to be a physician and help people be healthy. Instead of strictly pharmaceuticals, I want to teach people how to use the Free Medicines available all around us. I want the cornerstones of my practice to be breathwork, cold showers, earthing, sunlight, drinking water, and loving yourself. But recently it’s been hard to implement these things.

If I can’t commit to it, what makes me think my future patients will? I can’t even convince myself to wake up and do breathwork right away, so how could I convince them? What makes me think I’m the kind of person who’s able to give other people advice?

There’s a solution to all this: become the man I want to be. Become the hero of my story, not a hypocrite. This starts with discipline. I must become the person others will listen to through my lived experience, not theories. Only then can I actually help.

Only then can I fulfill my mission.

How to Start Something

  1. Remember all the things you’ve tried before (like blogging every day).
  2. Take stock of which pursuits were successful in the moment and which were successful after some time.
  3. Next, note the failures and your shortcomings. See if they have, in fact, made you a more well rounded individual, more robust in your knowledge.
  4. Now forget all that. These past outcome, whether positive or negative, have no say on your destiny.
  5. Time to get creative. Think of something new you can try, something that will challenge you and push you to become better than you are currently. This thing can be less ambitious than previous initiatives or just as ambitious (such as blogging every day, only this time not worrying if any single day has been missed). Past attempts ought to hold no significance over any future endeavors, though it would be foolish to not embrace your newfound, innate wisdom.
  6. Make a list of what you ought to do to fulfill this task. Perhaps a checklist, maybe an intention. Either way, there should be some means to identify your success.
  7. Make a commitment to yourself, a pact to do your best to uphold your end of the bargain into the foreseeable future. If desirable, create an end date for this new practice. Leave it open-ended if you’re more easy going.
  8. Do your best.
  9. Forgive yourself when you slip up.
  10. Continue until you’re done. You’ll know when the time has come.
  11. Repeat this process, paying special attention to number 4.
  12. Embrace your childhood wonder, that ambition present deep within your being. Hold it close and become it’s ally. Together, you will accomplish many great feats.

Don’t forget about Time Management

I just recorded the 4th episode of It’s All Mahalo with my girlfriend, Camille. It’ll be published around Friday. If you want to listen to the first 3 episodes, you can find it wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio.

This week, Camille and I had a conversation about our passions, our futures, and being okay with giving up some control. We culminated the discussion by talking about how we can implement these concepts practically into our daily lives. The answer, as Camille pointed out, has to be Time Management.

The biggest takeaway from this conversation as to focus on timely habits rather than achieving goals within a timeframe. An example: if you want to start reading before bed, make it a priority to read for 20 minutes before bed as opposed to reading 40 pages before bed. This allows you to have some freedom within your schedule and focusses on the process of reading rather than the end goal of completing a book. With emphasis on the habit of reading, we become free to read rather than bound to our commitment of reading a certain amount.

This method can be extrapolated to many things aside from reading. The next time I want to implement something into my daily life, I’m going to focus on the habit over achievement, on the process instead of the goal. After all, life is the process of living, not the goal of having lived.