Fight the Good Fight!

Originally published July 23rd, 2024

Humans like NORMAL. Homeostasis feels good. And for good reason. From our cells to societies, stability helps us keep living. But what if you want to live maximally? What if you want to unleash your kaleidoscopic potential?

If you feel this calling, homeostasis is your sworn enemy. He wears many cloaks: Warm early-morning comfort. A sudden burst of permission to skip a habit, “but just for today” (sure.) A pesky thought, a twinge of doubt, a flood of that “Why am I doing this again?” feeling upon waking up early.

A constant pull down, down, back toward normal. Back where it’s safe and comfortable and there’s nacho cheese dip in the fridge, and wouldn’t that crunch nicely with some hint-of-lime chips.

Our homeostatic Enemy is not vanquished easily – he’s wired into our very biology. A peacetime mindset will not win you victory. So buck up, and prepare to fight.

Rise each morning and seek rupture – actions that smash your coddled comfort. Choices that shred your weak-minded self like pectorals on set four of a bench press. Yes, it will hurt. You’re supposed to feel pain. Discomfort is your compass pointing North toward your radiant future. So take actions that rupture. And rewire your mind. Seek out startling new ideas that smack you like a trumpet’s blast. Your books should leave your ears ringing for days.

The best books are events in my life – earthquakes that shattered my former, fossilized self and left me transformed. And you must never surrender. When doubts creep in, attack even harder:

- Attack the lure of a phone with ruthless daily habit

- Attack the Internet’s indifference with bids of trust to be known

-Attack “Yeah that makes sense” with the most explosively beautiful prose ever written by man

Fight your own biology (a radical act). Rage, rage against the comfort of your sheets. Do not slide softly into homeostasis.