Curiosity

Please don’t fall victim to complacency; while tempting, it’s the fastest and most efficient way to grow old and die. Let curiosity guide investigation of under-explored topics, and let love be the medium through which you share your discoveries with the world.

Do you remember being a child and wondering about your future, about the world around you, and about ‘how’ to best learn? If you’re anything like me, this curiosity died when you were forced to learn about specific topics — in a certain way — by the school system. Over time, you lost your enthusiasm, your burning desire to grow, and your curiosity for all things worldly.

Time to be re-born.

No longer exist the limitations of the school system in your life. You get to learn about anything you want, any ‘time you want, and however you want. There is no right answer, speed, or level of retention. Allow your brain and body to curiously discover the world around you, and use self-reflection to find out what comes next.

I was in a conversation this morning about the human body. My patient asked me why we don’t learn certain things about ourselves in school, such as:

Equilibrium/homeostasis

If we lose weight or build muscle, all we have to do is keep our results and routines for a period of six weeks, and our bodies will establish a new equilibrium. The same thing is true for emotional blocks, changing anger to joy, sadness to happiness, or stress to energy; hold onto any change you make for just six weeks and it will be hard-wired into your nervous system. Your body will create a new equilibrium for any physical, emotional, spiritual, or psychological change you make, so long as you give it the chance. However, one word of caution: this works both ways; if you’ve been overweight or sedentary and working at your desk for six weeks, your body will also try to keep you where you are, and might become the example of rebound weight gain or forward posture and joint pain, respectively. Make a change, reach a goal, hold onto it for six weeks, and it’s yours.

Subconscious programming

A belief system is a powerful thing. Last night, I participated in a webinar on relationships and intimacy. You might not realize it, but the stories you tell yourself about a person in your life might be the main reason you’re no longer intimate or seeking more from your relationship. Perhaps you might catch yourself in a conversation about how your husband / wife / son / daughter / friend “always” or “never” does something. Well, this is a story, based upon past experience, and your interpretation of a set of events. None of it is true or untrue, as it pertains to this moment in time. The only ‘real’ thing is the present moment; the rest is a story you’ve told yourself, and it’s subconsciously programming you to distance yourself from love, admiration, and intimacy. If you’d like to reprogram a belief system you have, all you have to do is:

– Identify the belief. (example: My wife doesn’t respect me.)

Change the belief.

(example: My wife is preoccupied trying to take care of the family and didn’t notice something important to me, but this was actually out of love.)

Integrate the new belief into your life

(example: Next time I feel the urge to feel disrespected, remember this lesson, and buy her flowers to say Thank You for loving our family and dedicating her focus to all of our well-being.)

Cultural understanding

In some parts of the world, family comes first (i.e. “tribe” over “government”). While this may be difficult to relate to as Americans who are super patriotic and see a country’s wellbeing can lead to safety and stability for their family, their future families, and on, it’s a common theme throughout many parts of the world. For example, in the Middle East, dictatorships rule, and with a dictatorship comes the perception you need to look out for yourself; no one else will if you don’t, and your safety and stability are mostly determined by your family’s efforts to overcome hardship and rise above inadequacies in the justice system. Rather than force American — or any superpower’s — ideals on another part of the world, why don’t we acknowledge what this really is? It’s a power play; if we “help” the rest of the world adopt our ideals, we will continue to lead. But, is this actually good for the world, or just for us? Power, when left unchecked, is a source of evil. When put into the proper context, it’s a way to spread positive change, love, and leadership.

Let’s take a deeper look. Let’s really dig in and figure out what’s important. Let’s learn about ourselves, how we learn, and what comes next. Let’s discover the hidden links to universal energy that have always piqued our curiosities, such as feeling for one another, connectedness, and assured mutual survival.

Let’s figure out how different countries and cultures can work well together, empowering detail and process-oriented cultures — like Germans — to work with disruptive innovators — like Americans — who quickly lose focus and move onto the next big idea. Let’s share what’s working with health, food, exercise, stress management, and ancient vs modern medicine. I suspect you already realize there’s value in Eastern medicine, and I believe it’s a valid argument to say science plays an important role in human potential through Western medicine.

Ancient wisdom — passed on from one generation of Gypsies to the next — is valid and important. Modern science — tested, tweaked, and optimized through scientific process — is a great way to document what we’re learning and progress as a species.

Evolutionary biologists and ecologists have studied this planet and how we are both similar to — and different from — other Earth species. Marine scientists understand the role we play in maintaining ocean health and marine ecosystems, which are perhaps as vital to life as oxygen.

So, how do we organize this process? It’s simple: mutual curiosity, centered upon love, and nothing else.

When we choose to love one another, see past human differences, and look from “God’s eyes down”, we will interact differently. Today is that day for you, if you let it be.

Love is like air: abundant, present, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can make the air hard to breathe if you create enough smoke, but it’s still there, and as soon as the smoke clears, you’ll be able to take a deep breath again.

Find the beauty in yourself, realize you’re connected to every plant, animal, and species on Earth, and embrace it. You and I, we are not so different; I’ll argue we are part of the same family, as children of Mother Earth.

Let “tribe” come first, but on a higher level than most people consider. Today is a new day, and with a new day comes peace, love, enthusiasm, and motivation.

Charge on, family. I’m sending you the biggest hug I can.

I’m so grateful for you,