This newsletter is going to be a bit off-topic and we will be back to your normally scheduled fitness methods to increase performance body comp sprinkled with poor slashing attempts at humor tomorrow.

If you want to read on, please do. If not, no worries.

– Mike

Over the past couple of months I’ve had more feeling of being lost and adrift in the chaos of the world than at any other point in my life. While the 7 years it took to get my Ph.D. were the hardest years of my life bar none, I had the luxury of knowing exactly what it was I was doing. The goal was clear and objectionable.

Lately, it feels like the goal is a combination of a charade mixed with a mirage. I think I know where I am going and why, but once I get “there,” I am not sure.

Most days I don’t even know where “there” is any more or if I should even try to get there.

I’ve ventured into the murky waters of flakebook a few times. If that was the measuring stick of life, I would be stuck standing at the bottom of the ocean.

According to social media, nobody can “win” at anything; me included.

Post anything that is even remotely political or religious (which I don’t) and you will see an onslaught from all sides.

Paradoxically, don’t post anything on those topics and you get accused of being complacent and agreeing with the popular rhetoric and are, thus, part of the problem.

It is a long path off a short plank where the end result is going down.

I realize social media is not real life, and as much as I go out of my way to avoid almost all media in general, I still feel what is going on. Both my wife and I along with my family are safe despite mass chaos going on all around us here in Minnesota.

Yes, Minnesota.

Not Detroit or downtown LA.

I’ve lived here my entire life and love it. I never thought this would happen here. I am sure you are thinking the same thing about where you live too.

It makes me wonder what the world is coming to and what should I be doing?

It feels like doing “fitness stuff” is not enough. I am not helping create world peace or working to cure cancer. Is that what I should be doing?

I’ve lost the hours I’ve spent pondering those thoughts, more the past 3 months than the entire 2 decades I’ve been in the fitness space.

Maybe it’s the lockdown or the recent riots.

Maybe it is the lack of dopamine in my brain from not getting my ya-yas out kiteboarding- either racing across the top of the water at 30 mph or launching myself 15-20 feet up in the air and touching back down with minimal impact (on a good day).

Maybe it is all of it in totality.

Maybe this is my midlife crisis at 45 years old?

What I have concluded for now is that I am going to double down on my unique ability to translate research into a useable form to educate you to be better.

You can then impact your family, friends, and clients to be better.

If all of us work to be just a bit better; the world gets better.

I know that sounds very pie-in-the-sky woo-woo tree-hugging otter scrubbing squirrel $hit nutty, but I believe it to be true.

You will never know who you impact who then impacts someone else via this ripple effect.

I am blessed as I get to see this in action.I get emails and post from people reading all around the world and who have purchased my products. From here in the US to Sweden to Russia to Australia to many locations.

I confess to keeping those wonderful emails and read them when I feel stuck. It gets me going again to step up and help make the world a tiny bit better with my unique ability.

You can, and I am sure you are doing the same thing with your unique ability.

To me, that is what the worlds needs . . .

Everyone using his or her gifts to betterment of all.

It does not matter one $hit where you are from, what color your skin is or isn’t, what did in the past or did not do.

What matters is what you do next.

You are either part of the problem or the solution.

If you feel compelled to volunteer and help, do it.

If you donate money to a cause that you believe in, do it more.

Do what feels right to you.

That is what is needed.

Action.

Less debate about and virtue signaling or pointing out who is virtue signaling or who has not said anything so they must not be doing anything.

In life, I have noticed across the board that those who say the least often do the most.

The strongest people in the world I’ve met also tended to be the most humble and were rarely spouting off about how strong they were.

They had nothing to prove, but we find proof via their actions.

Do what you can do.

Leverage your unique abilities.

Help others.

Together, we can all make this planet better.

Thank you for listening and being here.

I appreciate you more than you will ever realize.

You make my life possible and I take that very seriously.

I will continue to do what I can to help you in return.

Dr Mike
flexdiet.com
miketnelson.com

PS- There are many many great places to donate both time and money. You can impact the world by doing either.

___________________________

Mike T Nelson CISSN, CSCS, MSME, PhD
Associate Professor, Carrick Institute
Owner, Extreme Human Performance, LLC
Editorial Board Member, STRONG Fitness Mag

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