Pick Three

"Work. Sleep. Fitness. Family. Friends. Pick Three."  

I found the title of Randi Zuckerberg's new book (yes, THAT Zuckerberg) intriguing.  It certainly simplifies things.  It tells you right upfront that you simply won't have time to be everything to everyone.  It forces you to choose; to prioritize.

Maybe the truth is that we prioritize anyway, without it even being a conscious choice.  We somehow determine what is important to us and we go with it, perhaps without even thinking it through or weighing the opportunity costs of one versus another.

It also warns us of the risk of being a workaholic - you are likely to lose (at least) one of the other things you wanted (family? sleep? fitness? friends?)  Personally, I love to work but I surely don't want to be remembered as a workaholic - definitely not by my family or friends.

I hope this book digs deeper into understanding how to find balance in our lives.  I think many of us are desperately searching for some way to get everything we want (or think we want) out of life.  We are taught by MSM to want it all - and we do.  I spent years on far too little sleep, and I think it surely didn't make me happier or healthier, for example.

What would a similar book about martial arts be about?

striking/kicking. grappling/throwing/locking. health/longevity. culture/tradition/spirituality. combat effectiveness/practicality. pick three?  Where do weapons fit in??

I don't know about you, but I want them all.  Over the course of my life I've been focused on some aspects more than others.  Some, like culture/tradition have been with me since the beginning.  I learned my first words of Japanese on the mats in 1981.  Others are far more recent.  My insights into health/longevity are mostly derived from studies in Hilot (Filipino homeopathy) and Chinese medicine with Guro Fred Evrard.  While my early teachers taught me meditation (specifically Zazen), I have deepened my spiritual focus as I am getting older, and Guro Fred Evrard's influence on my Buddhist and Occult training has been significant.  What would your list look like??

Anyway, Randi Zuckerberg's book made the list.  I'll post again once I've read it.  If you read it first, send me a note and tell me what you think.

See you at class.