they are is far better than feeling numb.
Finding Faith
The process of healing really began when I uncovered my own personal faith. Maybe it’s because I majored in philosophy at university; I tend to ponder over the same questions, such as: Why am I here?, What’s my life all about?, What can I do to make the world a better place?, and finally, Is this all there is?
I realized that the things I wanted to gain in life didn’t match my daily habits. I was saying one thing and doing something completely different, and to make matters worse, I was bitter at the world for not giving me more. No matter how much success I gained, I never felt satisfied. It was like having an appetite you can never satiate, something that’s both debilitating and demotivating.
I knew that I wanted to focus on my personal relationships, as well as my relation-ship with myself. Additionally, I took control of my own mental inputs, or the informa-tion I received through books, tv, social media and other mediums. I could choose the types of messages I wanted in my mind. I began deliberately filling my head with posi-tive messages, books, popular ted Talks and the teachings of influential world leaders, such as Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi, to name just a few.
“I’m here to help people live happy, healthier, more active lifestyles while developing richer, deeper and more meaningful personal relationships with themselves and with their friends, families and communities.”
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Dai Manuel’s Whole Life Fitness Manifesto
And you know what happened? I became more aware and appreciative of the people that made up my communities, both online and offline. I soon saw that I needed to share what I had learned, and to give back to those I wanted to help, and most importantly, those who wanted help.
And that was it! At that time, with the positive influence of my wife, I made a con-scious decision to put others first. Soon after, my external voice began to sound more like the one in my head. Many amazing things started happening in my life and the lives of those around me.
My faith is not set in a religion per se, but it is founded on a sense that there’s something in each of us that wants to give. If we acknowledge that we are lucky to live in a country where we have freedom, and where we can lead a life of our own design, and offer a hand to our fellow human beings, we can make this world an even more amazing place.
My why is my purpose, and it provides a filter through which I can weigh my daily choices, actions and responses. My faith lights me up from within, and gives me inten-tion for how I want to live my life. Whether I’m writing a blog entry, posting an update to social media, calling a client, coaching a Sunday Funday class, serving a customer, or helping my family, I do it with 120 per cent enthusiasm and pure, genuine excite-ment. And I believe that the exercise of self-discovery of your own personal purpose can bring you your why, along with infinite joy and satisfaction.
Finding Your Why
Finding your own why is the most important factor to achieving long-term whole life fitness, and it’s important to remember that that’s going to look different for every-one. Everybody needs to explore their own particular reasons for becoming fit, and make the decision to follow through. It all boils down to feeling (as well as fuelling) the desire to make a change, and then doing it.
So, what do you need to ask yourself? There’s a reason why you started looking for answers, whether in this book or elsewhere. Respect that impulse. Perhaps it’s cen-tred on your physical health and vitality, and that’s great! At the same time, examine
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.” —Mark Twain
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discover your personal why
whether there’s another issue in your life that you want to make better, be it a situation in your family, your finances or your faith.
What Motivates Us For Life?
Think about why fitness matters to you. Your primary motivation might be appear-ance, or it may seem that way at first. Do you want to return to the weight you were ten years ago? Do you want to “look good” in a bikini? People have a remarkable number of whys when they start a fitness program.
These goals relate to superficial, top-layer desire, but once you start to peel that back and dig in, you’ll find that there’s a lot more going on. I’m not saying we should reject the desire to look good; just that when we look beneath that layer of motivation, we will always find something deeper.
When I survey the people I have coached, I find that what drives most is the desire to create a more fulfilling life. If they’re considerably overweight, and their clothes don’t fit, they don’t feel confident in themselves. When they feel winded by going up a flight of stairs, they’re not having fun. Mentally, they’re exhausted all of the time, and they want it to stop. For others, such as those who have suffered heart attacks or who have life-threatening illnesses, such as diabetes, the why might be a basic desire to live.
For some of us, that deeper motivation stems from a desire to support a healthy relationship with our romantic partner. Christie and I are strong believers in the say-ing: Couples who sweat together stay together.
In my work, I’ve met a lot of accomplished business executives in their 40s, many who were once football or hockey players, but who are now 23 kg (50 lbs) overweight. Their daily choices over the past decade have taken them a long way from their original lifestyle, usually to a detriment of their fitness. Luckily for them, they often remember how good it felt to be strong and to move freely, without discomfort or pain, so they have both an existing appreciation and a compelling argu-ment for what fitness can provide. Naturally, they want to tap back into that sensation of personal health. For these clients, the sheer pleasure of being active is the why.
Maybe your goal is to achieve better cardiovascular fitness so you can have an active retirement. The reality for many of us is that we can’t travel as much as we’d like while we’re in our
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Couples who sweat together stay together.
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Dai Manuel’s Whole Life Fitness Manifesto
prime and midlife years. We work full-time, we have families to provide for, and older parents who need our time and energy. If you want to be able to see the world when you retire, you’ll need to be fit and healthy when you reach that age. Whether your idea of a great travel experience is rising early to watch lions roam freely while on safari in Africa, or stripping down to your swimsuit to wallow in warm Caribbean waters, you’ll get more out of it if your body is in an optimal state of health.
Aiming to achieve optimal health is an undoubtedly solid reason to exercise. Now, I know that people have different ideas of what optimal health means. For me,
