The complexity of words and their meaning is essential when it comes to understanding our existence. The world has changed; we are living in a sort of pseudo-civilized world with many gadgets and technologies that turn our lives into a more comfortable life.
I am against being too comfortable, because an easy life will cause the body to decay faster. Sitting more will cause muscular atrophy. Driving more instead of walking will weaken your legs. Watching TV instead of reading will diminish your imagination. Eating predominantly soft foods will make our digestion system, in particular the chewing process, lazy.
All the mentioned examples are justified because we desire an easier life, but what is the reality?
A World of Survival
There is no secret; we are predominantly ruled by the reptilian brain in most of our decisions. We want to call ourselves rational beings, but let’s be real: we are just the same as any other mammals.
We thrive to survive. Maybe we don’t hunt anymore because we have supermarkets, but we still hunt other things: more goods, more money, higher social status. Although we think we belong to an evolved civilization, the core has not changed much compared to a thousand years ago. Technology advancements do not match our character or behavior evolution.
No matter how evolved we think we are, our life decisions are still directed by our reptilian brain. Which means, no matter how logical or intelligent we are, eventually we make our decision based on a fast evaluation of every situation. Each choice is based on a survival mechanism, which we can’t always logically comprehend.
This mechanism leads to the following reality, which, if we understand, we can live a life full of joy in perfect health. I promise you that if you understand this concept, you can change your life. You just have to practice.
SHOULD vs MUST
The best way to learn is through storytelling, so I continue by telling you one.
Once, not long ago, I studied the work of Napoleon Hill: Think and Grow Rich, a famous best-selling book. In one of the chapters, Napoleon Hill describes the actions of a navy commander who let his troops disembark in dinghies and let them go to the shore on a life-and-death battle. To make sure that they would win, he burnt the boats to give his sailors only one option: victory. This is a rather extreme example, nevertheless true as history shows. The commander transformed the SHOULD (the will to conquer a territory) into the MUST (fight or die—a survival decision). As a result, they won the battle.
We all relate to preparing for an exam. Until the exam is inevitable, studying is a should. When the time gets shorter, the should becomes a must. Hence, establishing deadlines and writing to-do (or must-do) lists can help those who use survival to get things done.
SHOULD is logical, and MUST is survival. MUST will always be more important than SHOULD. That’s why the space/time between “SHOULD” and “MUST” can be labeled as procrastination.
Joy and Health—are they a MUST?
When I work on helping someone go through a life crisis, the first stage of the transformation program is to get them to write their bucket list. I am often surprised to meet people who do not dream anymore, do not practice a hobby, or even more scary, do not put their health as a top priority. What else is more important than our health and wellbeing?
How do we turn a SHOULD into a MUST?
As you got used to the tone of my articles, Ki Train is not about theory. It is about practicality. Should and must are concepts directly linked to our belief system. When we believe an action is a must, we activate our survival mechanism, and we make it happen.
So, write a concise must-do bucket list and give yourself deadlines for experiencing it. Make sure perfect health is one of your main points on this list.