All in Change

Why I Take Cold Showers

My story goes something like this:

I was a Personal Trainer with a defunct body. I was aesthetically fit; endowed with “abs” from a regimen of eating mediocrely, lifting weights (with bad form), running, and the benefit of youth. But at age 24, the observance of chronic lower-back and shoulder pain necessitated my first application of The Life Method:

Question: Do I have absolutely no idea what it means to be healthy?

Test: Takes a Pilates class

Observation: Gets shown up by 50 year-old women

Feedback: Not happy about the observation—pretends event never happened

Result: Keeps injuring lower-back

Are You Having Enough Fun?

This is how character develops as well. Growing up is tough; just ask a pubescent boy. He will probably tell you that learning to navigate girls is a lot like making a right-on-red. This early feedback—when we are learning to drive—is the information we will subsequently use as we traverse through life. If all goes well, the boy will transition into a young man and just as with making a right-on-red, hopefully he has enough practice to no longer shit his pants while conversing with the opposite sex—I’m still a work in progress. The things we perceive when we are developing will determine whether we grow up to be someone who instinctively says “Bless you” when a stranger sneezes, or someone who actively abstains like that weird lady on the subway. Hopefully, these examples show that our brains’ feedback and autopilot system is a double edged sword: allowing us to add complexity to our daily drive but making the disruption of our habits and character nearly impossible.