I Don't Like Vacation
I Like WHO I AM on Vacation
David Goggins is one of the hardest (in Goggins’s voice) MOTHERFUCKERS on earth. He carries logs and boats and runs ultra marathons on completely broken feet.
He also never takes vacations.
People always talk about his incredible toughness and his running and lifting but he doesn’t get enough credit for his mindfulness.
He meditates every night for 2 whole hours. And when he talks about running, he barely mentions the physical torture he puts himself through. He talks about it as a journey into his mind.
He has mastered his body because he mastered what’s between his ear. And now he takes more vacations than anybody. They’re mini-vacations into himself. When he eats. When he drives. When he showers. He retreats completely into his mind. Just as Marcus has prescribed himself”
“People try to get away from it all – to the country, to the beach, to the mountains. You always wish that you could too. Which is idiotic: you can get away from it anytime you like.
By going within
Nowhere you can go is more peaceful–more free of interruptions than your own soul.”
If you learn to escape within yourself, you can immediately be at the perfect vacation destination. You will be entirely alone with nobody and nothing to bother you. But you need to practice getting to that place. You must confront what is holding you back to unlock this peace.
And I’d like to note this passage has some hidden gems in it that I missed my first read-through. It made me think, “why do I like vacation at all?” I thought of what it meant to me to be on vacation and I had a realization.
I don’t like being on vacation. I like WHO I AM on vacation. I like Noah who doesn’t worry, who’s goal each day is to enjoy the day, who does all the things he enjoys but never prioritizes.
The only reason I can’t take most of these “Vacation-Noah” traits into my normal life is because I don’t choose to prioritize them.
Is that okay? yes.
Is it right? Maybe.
Can I be better? Definitely.
Brains Gains
Go meditate for 10 minutes today. Sit in silence. Don’t open your eyes until your timer goes off. It will be hard. Figure out why it’s hard. That is where your true vacation is. Comment or reply telling me how it went.
PS. Hack to make sure you don’t quit, find a partner to do it with. The social pressure will keep you on track
Your Biggest Fan,
Noah “BigNerd” Sochaczevski
PPS. November 10th reading: Pages 45-55
The hardest part of meditation for me is being kind to myself when I think about something stressful while meditating. I need to remind myself constantly that I’m only human and it’s okay if my mind wanders sometimes.
When I meditate I feel I wander too much and that I’m just day dreaming untill the alarm sounds. I feel nothing productive is happening I’m not finding this inner peace or vacation.