"The Four Hour Workweek." I think I've made a serious error.

"The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich"

A few years back, a guy name Tim Ferris wrote a book called "The Four Hour Workweek." It opened with a guy who (in his spare time) became a Martial Arts world champion, won a national Tango Dancing contest, and traveled the world for almost free - among other things. Now being somewhat of an efficiency freak and recovering Six Sigma Black Belt... I was all over this shit... even though I had no desire to actually learn to tango.  I've recommended it to several friends, and it still sits on Amazon.com with over 2000 five star reviews.

I read this book from cover to cover in a couple of hours and got the point instantly. Focus on what you are good at doing, and outsource the rest. If you have a task that you can hire someone to do for ten dollars an hour while you made fifty, hire that task out - and work less. Do only what you are really good at or well rewarded for, and pay or barter for people to do the rest. The promised result? Bountiful free time to travel the world and experience what you truly want.

Let me say this upfront. I took a lot of good information from this book. The tactical approach of it has a lot to offer. I think that its had a great impact on my life, and that of my family. I still recommend that anyone interested in living life to its fullest read it because it has some tremendous insights on things like experiences vs possessions, and how to figure out and chase after what you actually want.

I took a lot of this to heart as bible and ran with it full on. Perhaps too much. I started to outsource EVERYTHING. I got someone to mow my lawn, someone to clean my house, someone to wash my clothes. I have a sticker on my car from Delta Sonic where I just drive through the car wash and its automatically billed. Everywhere that I could pass on some work I did, and thus simplified my life to the point where I could focus on what mattered. My job, my consulting work, my workouts, and eventually my new family as they came onto the scene.

But it felt weird. It felt really astringent. I felt like I was missing something.

And it hit me today. Finally.

I came home to find my kids playing in the driveway and for whatever reason... I decided to wash my car. For Real. I filled up a bucket, squirted some Meguiers soap I had laying around, got a sponge and a scrub brush, and went to town. Within a few minutes my 8 year old daughter was there. "Daddy can I help?" Sure you can. Grab a sponge and wash the driver side of the car.

Within a minute I realized she had no idea what she was doing. She was missing spots, not really "washing" - just kind of smearing the damp sponge on random parts of the car. I went to help her and suddenly realized a couple of things.

1. how the hell would she know the basics of washing a car? She's never done it or seen me do it before.
2. Who gives a shit? Washing a car is awesome when you're a kid. Especially when a hose is involved.
3. What else doesn't she know?

I gave her some tips, but for the most part left her on her own. She had a blast. Shortly after, my 21 month old son Luke came over and got in on it. Eventually he got bored of my car and went over to wash his own car... a little playskool one. He was very meticulous. He was watching what I was doing.

Luke eventually got bored and was done fast because his car is only 30 inches, but Quinn and I busted out the exterior, then did the whole inside as well. I got all of my old Stoner branded chemicals out and we hit the dash, the windows (use newspaper instead of paper towels for the best result) and even vacuumed. The car looked great, Quinn looked proud and accomplished, and I had some self-satisfaction that I don't seem to find very often.

What word was that? Right. Self-Satisfaction. The happiness found in a job well done. Not a job done by someone else - MY work. MY result.

I realized that by outsourcing so much of my life, I've removed some of the simple things that bring little victories here and there... the small accomplishments that count. What am I accomplishing while I sit at Delta Sonic, efficiently having someone else wash and clean the inside of my car for me? I'm reading stupid posts on Reddit and updating Words With Friends games. I'm given free time to wander on the internet, of which I seem to have more than enough of while I sit at red lights.

And I realized that I'm making my kids  ignorant to basic life skills. I know how to wash a car by watching my dad. My father had beater cars for most of his life, but he gave a shit about them and took care of them. I haven't changed the oil in my own car in 20 years, but I know how to change the oil on a car. I have friends that still change their own oil and I thought they were wasting their time for doing it. Now I respect it. I see the purpose beyond saving a few bucks. The only thing I've really retained full on that I don't outsource much is cooking - because I enjoy doing it. And I have a lot of friends that paint their own houses and mow their own lawns but don't cook. So I feel a little better about this. .

I've gotten to the point where my first response to anything is to find someone else to do it, and then find a way to generate income to pay for it, because if (car wash)  costs X Dollars and in the time of (car wash) I can generate Dollars X+Y, then always outsource Car wash.

But what if my kids never learn to wash their own damned cars, because I was busy with efficiency tasking? What if your kids don't learn to cook a decent meal because you're tearing open boxes and microwaving freezer bags? Whats the point? What if they are really good at four things, but suck at the basic tasks of life in general?

Full Circle

Sometimes, you have to step back and say... "ENOUGH." Our brains can only process so much information before they overload and begin to work against us. At least that is what I believe. Information Overload is a tremendous distraction, and when it spirals out of hand, can have a detrimental impact on the end result.

The past 18 months have been tumultuous to say the least. One day I was a regular guy, at the gym five days a week, with a daughter in school and a great wife, a job I had under control, eating a pretty normal and regular diet of whole foods... and the next? I was the dad of a one month old that refused to sleep, at a job that was turning upside down while I was away from it, with a back injury that looked grim and an MRI that read like an obituary with multiple disk herniations - and then a subset of symptoms and issues that had me blood tested, nerve tested, every which way tested to try to find out what the hell was wrong with me.

I couldn't sleep in a bed. My hands started shutting down and I couldn't type. I was in constant pain. And I didn't know what was wrong. I trained through it and analyzed it every which way. And just when I started figuring it out, I separated my shoulder.

I had a year of fear. I was going through a physical for life and disability insurance policies at the time, and I was afraid to go to a doctor because if I did, and they found something... I wouldn't get insurance and my family would be screwed if I was sick. That haunted me all of last summer as my symptoms got worse and worse. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. 

Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

Blah Blah Blah Syndrome. 

I've learned that the word "Syndrome" means - "I don't know what the hell is wrong with you."

I bought a standing desk

I bought a $900 ergonomic chair

I have four different ergonomic keyboards and three mice. 

I eliminated cushioned shoes and went completely no drop. 

I have six different pairs of custom orthotics.

I have seven different pillows of various materials. 

I bought a full inversion table for my basement

I worked with some of the best healthcare providers in the business to try and figure out what was wrong with me. I saw:

Chiropractors (3)

Medical Doctors (3)

Physical Therapists (2)

Massage Therapy/Soft Tissues Specialists (7) - Yes. Seven

Acupuncture

Rolfing/Body Memory Release

... and so on

Most gave up on treating me. Most also became my friends after this. Most tried to steer me in the right direction that I think I'm finally discovering for myself. The best told me to get out of my own way. No one wanted my money in exchange for a fix. 

At various times, I changed and altered my diet to:

-Eliminate Legumes

-Eliminate Nightshades (Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplant, etc)

-Eliminate Gluten

-Eliminate Dairy

-Eliminate All processed foods

-Intermittently fast

-Have a daily kale smoothie

... and so on. 

I've read 37 books that are somehow related to all of this. Yes. 37. I've taken on studies of:

-7 Steps to a Pain Free Life

-Unlearn your Pain

-the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook (I learned a tremendous amount of anatomy here)

-Spontaneous Healing

-Body Mind and Sport

-The Anatomy of Breathing

-The Mind Body Connection

-Original Strength

-The Way of QiGong

I also have over 130 blog and internet articles I've bookmarked regarding all of this.

I took every supplement under the sun, including:

Fish Oil

Probiotics

Green Tea Extract

Chlorella

Vitamin D

CoQ-10

Cats Claw

Magnesium 

Selenium

... and 20 other pills
In fact, if I read an article and someone said something they took helped them, it was in my shopping cart from bodybuilding.com and overnighted to my door. 

And it goes on and on and on. I refused to lay down. I refused to give up. And I refused to quit. I worked out hard after every injury, I fought my way to six AM classes, I ate my farm fresh eggs cooked in ghee like a good boy and if I drank alcohol, it was red wine or tequila. I got my milk from cows that ate only freshly mowed Irish grass and got massages in their luxury barns. I sat with a back cushion when I drove, and I foam rolled at night. I have four different foam rollers. I put my coconut oil in my coffee and I read all of the articles I was supposed to read and I blasted away at it every single day...

and I'm tired. I'm exhausted. 

Everything up there on that list? Everything? Is GOOD. It is good. And it is healthful. And it has a purpose. And it contributes to something positive. 

But there comes a time when you have so much in play, that you forget what, exactly, you're trying to accomplish. It all comes crashing down on you and you spin out of control. Two farm fresh eggs become four eggs, slammed down in three minutes before you run your daughter to the bus stop. Trigger Point work and muscle therapy stops being something you grow with and heal through, and becomes a crutch that gets you through the day. Workouts you once loved devolve into throwing some calories in the bank so that later, when you get home from a 14 hour day that you barely noticed, you can slam down a couple paleo margaritas and pass out in bed to hopefully crash a couple good hours of sleep in before you get up and do it all over again tomorrow. 

And then one day you realize you're not healthy. That your workouts aren't giving you what they are supposed to, because you're not there entirely. That your kids aren't getting the dad they want... your wife isn't getting all of her husband... your friends get pieces of you while you update your phone at the lunch table or scroll through work emails... your coaches get 64% of you because you can't bring everything in and leave it on the mat. 

And the books, and specialists, and seminars, and supplements, and workouts? They are distractions. The thought that if you pile enough of it together... if you really just crush yourself with knowledge and nutrition and training and food... that through osmosis, you will break through and suddenly explode into this alpha-human. 

We've been struggling with getting our house in order. Sometimes my wife Summer and I go back and forth regarding our home. Sometimes I feel like it makes more sense to move to a new house instead of do the work we have to do here. Eventually, I agree that we should stay here, only to decide a month later when the next project comes up, that we should move and get a bigger house. As with anything, I do research, and come up with logical answers. Somehow, I ended up on a book regarding clutter. It was a book that discussed the impact of having too much shit in your house, and why you don't need a bigger house. You just need less shit. It said things like "Keep only what is useful or beautiful to you, and get rid of the rest." The book became a discussion on Mindfulness... and it hit me like a pile of bricks. 

My mind and my world has been cluttered. But unlike a house, I can't just go buy a bigger one. My constant pursuit to fix or repair things that are broken has constantly been my undoing. Any sort of healing process - physically or otherwise - is immediately thwarted by my pushing desire to fix it myself. See the above attempts at self-repair - none of which have really gotten me anywhere. Every single healthcare provider worth their salt has told me to get out of my own way - yet I combat that with more research, more books, more stretches, more diagnoses, more case studies. 

And I realized I wasn't mindful about anything. I have eaten meals by some of the finest chefs in town, and I didn't even taste my food. Too much going on.. and I wasn't around for any of it. I had some medical procedures coming up last month that would require me to not workout for a few weeks, So I decided to experiment. I would punch out of everything, and just allow myself to be a normal human being for a bit. No workouts. No crazy eating plans. No supplements. No constant quest for self improvement. Just me.

It was a perfect chance to try and be mindful. I'd eat whatever I want... but I would taste my food. Chew it. Pay attention to it. Not check my email or dick around with my computer while I ate. If I wanted a glass of wine at night - I'd have it. But I would enjoy it. Savor it.

Do I believe in a JERF (Just Eat Real Food) lifestyle? Absolutely. Do I think Paleo is among the best ways to accomplish this? Indeed. Do I see the value of Fish oils and Vitamin D and probiotics? Absolutely. But none of this has done me any good, nor will it, until I can learn to take my nutrition and life mindfully and purposefully. I've adopted this as best as I can over the past few weeks, and while eating whatever I wanted to eat - haven't' put on a pound. Mindfulness is that important. 

I couldn't work out over the past few weeks... but I had some time to do some reading,  and find out what I wanted to do. I looked at what I missed. I miss riding my bike. I miss my kettlebell work. I miss being outside. 

Prior to all of this I got my bike out and its ready to ride in my garage.  As far as Kettlebells go? The multitude of injuries has led me astray from this path, and it has been my passion since I rediscovered strength training a few years ago. Conferring with some good folks, my newfound quest for simplicity has its home in the Strongfirst family. My current program (on pause) of Moving Target Kettlebell complexes focuses on three movements. My next one (Simple and Sinister) focuses on two. I have seven books about kettlebells - huge ones with hundreds of exercises each... but I have yet to master these five basic movements. I will do this. 

Its all coming full circle to the basics for me. I've taken in so much knowledge, and all of it is useful, but it is all overwhelming to me. My place now is trying to grow through what I have. To break it down to the very basics and take it from there. 

I'm very happy about where my mind is right now. I'm glad for this break. I'm glad for this learning. Its not sustainable with any sort of health conscience... But it was nice to eat a sandwich with bread and have a beer or three. I truly believe I'll come back stronger than ever. Because I believe strength is what I'm supposed to do. 

I'm trying to write more, so I'll likely be blogging about a lot of the stuff I posted above that I said was GOOD. Maybe through my evaluation of it (Fish Oil and Mind Body work) I will be able to slowly but surely add it to my mix. 

One other thing. In the past year I was able to completely retrain myself out of debilitating back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, and a pile of other shit. I'll be talking about that as well. 

Thanks for reading. I'm not sure where this goes... but its going somewhere. 

tom