If you want a bigger life, hang out with bigger-life people. The last few weeks, I have had the privilege of spending time with this week’s AGEIST cover profile Picabo Street, two-time world champion, gold- and silver-medal Olympian, and now single mom of three. Picabo doesn’t seem to do anything half way; it is just her way of being. The effect of being around a champion, and taking in some of that champion energy, is that I find I am holding myself to a higher standard for even the most mundane tasks — doing the dishes with newfound purpose, going to the gym with greater determination, focusing on using my time wisely, being truly present with others. It is somewhat similar to what I have read from the buddhists: apply your values to everything you do, no matter how mundane. Up the values and up the behavior.
Information is food for our brains. In spite of our occasionally belligerent denials, we are affected by the people around us, the information we take in, and, of course, our environment. We need to keep feeding our brains new information, stimulate new connections, and promote our curiosity — otherwise we shrivel. We can choose to doom scroll social media or read a good book. And because how we learn is to a large extent done by imitating others, who we surround ourselves with will probably be the most important circumstance of all. We will tend to dress how they dress, aspire to a similar level, be as emotionally present as they are, and keep a similar level of commitment. We naturally harmonize.
I tend to gravitate towards people who, in my view, are living large; meaning, they are taking it all in and are hungry for more of all that life can give them. I learn from the people out there who push the envelope emotionally, mentally, and physically. I find these exceptional ones are the ones most learn from. These people don’t always have the easiest time of things; there tends to be struggle involved if one wants to really reach for the limits of one’s capacity. These are people of courage, something that I always feel I can level up in myself. To be clear, courage is about much more than jumping in a bucket of ice; it is about having the strength to be with people fully and, especially, to be with ourselves fully. That is how one gets a truly big life. Being a champion takes many forms, some recognized with medals, many not, all of which are worth noting and celebrating when we see them. This Fourth of July, let’s celebrate the champions in our lives, and let them know that they make who we are better by being who they are.
Onward and upward,
David
