Why So Many Blogs?
Why do we publish so many blogs here? The founder loves to write. In fact, I am writing this right now in a third party format.
The first reason I write is because I need a place to put all of this material. The second reason is practical: writing improves search engine optimization. Fresh pages with the right keywords help us rank higher, so it is a marketing move.
But there is a deeper reason. When I got sober in 1985, my first sponsor taught me the discipline of writing. The fourth step in recovery is to make a searching and fearless moral inventory. That is essentially an invitation to write. Writing has been with me ever since.
This is not the most important writing I will ever do, but it keeps me practicing. It grounds me in organizing ideas and refining my thinking. My favorite topics are anxiety and addiction, but I use them as templates to explore everything from nutrition to fitness.
My Path as a Writer
As a teenager, I had no fitness routine and no involvement in school sports. I dropped out of high school, skipped college, and had no encouragement at home to pursue education. My father was a successful entrepreneur, but he did not push academics. If I could rewrite that chapter of my life, I would put myself into structured fitness programs and let college wait thirty years.
I never did go back to school, but I thank God for YouTube and Google. I became a relentless researcher. I learned to read studies, follow evidence, and evaluate whether a paper was solid just from the abstract and methodology.
What makes me interesting as a writer is that I critique myself on the page. What makes me a branding guy is that I know I am always selling something, even if it is just an idea. I would rather be upfront about it. All writing is a kind of branding. I am not only branding products, I am also branding my perspective and my hard earned wisdom.
What I Write About
So what am I an expert on? Not much, except survival. I am nearly 57, and I am still here. Still sober, still learning, still questioning. If you are younger, maybe you can take something from me. If you are older, you might know more. Either way, I offer a unique angle.
Lately, my focus has been the nervous system. We live between two modes: the anxious fight or flight state and the relaxed recovery state. Most of us spend too much time in anxiety, yet it is not realistic to always be relaxed either. Life demands both. My research, combined with meditation practice, has shown me how personality shifts when anxiety is activated, and how much of our suffering is tied to this imbalance.
I do not dismiss science. In fact, I study it. But I also admit where science leaves off and philosophy begins. Much of what I write comes from personal practice: meditation, reflection, and observing subtle mental states.
On Meditation and Boredom
Meditation begins with the observation of breath and thought. At first it feels like nothing happens. Many give up too soon because they do not recognize the first barrier: boredom.
Boredom is not trivial. It is an evolutionary design. It triggers discomfort so we keep moving, exploring, and creating. But it also floods the body with chemicals that can fuel either anxiety or creativity.
That is why in early meditation we do not force ourselves past boredom. We start short, then gradually extend the practice. We learn to sit with boredom, breathe through it, and watch what arises. This is where self discovery begins.
(Above Image: Someone that looks similar to me at a computer typing.)