Today two things happened that got my brain thinking in a slightly different way about something that I’d like to share with you. The first was when I was putting the finishing touches on a helpful comprehensive nutrition guide for one of my coaching groups, and the second was this article about stress that a friend sent. I highly recommend you read it when you have a moment.

In the nutrition guide I referred several times to the idea of “signals” to the body. So for example one of the effects of weight training is to signal muscle protein synthesis, to build muscle.

Then the article came across my desk and it got me thinking of an analogy that might be helpful:

Imagine that you have to answer a phone every time it rings. When it rings the message on the other end of the line tells you what to do next. Let’s imagine for a second that actually taking the call requires no energy and isn’t an interruption. Only what the message tells you to do has to be addressed.

What would those signals tell you to do?

Would you constantly be interrupted by emergencies big and small that you had to address? Before one was resolved you’d be interrupted to deal with another?

Would any of those calls tell you to take an hour of downtime, with no further calls coming in?

Would the calls tell you to do things like lift weights or do gentle stretching, or would they tell you to sit in front of the TV for hours?

One way to think of stress is as these phone calls. Long time readers will know that stress is something I write about and focus on often, and it’s not as simple as “stress is bad.” On face of it stress is just like these phone calls. The call isn’t inherently a problem, it’s the accumulation of those messages and what they tell you.

So another way to think of how you approach things is what calls do I have coming in? What messages or signals do those calls carry?

I hope this is a useful way for you to think about things.

Everybody knows Robin Hood, right? The centuries old mythology of the folk hero (who was probably a woman) who steals back from the greedy rich and gives it back to the poor.

Should be a pretty popular hero in the age of astronomical and unprecedented wealth inequality, but anyway that’s none of my business.

I’m here to tell you to be Robin Hood.

Which is to say, not so much that you shoot arrows into your wealthier neighbors, but sometimes you need to take a little from those who have enough to fulfill your own needs.

What I mean is, you have time for a workout, but you might need to leave work a few minutes early to beat traffic. Your company will be fine.

You can eat good, healthy food, even if your adopted stepchildren hate anything green or that doesn’t come in colorful packaging. They might just have to not like their meal sometimes.

You can take a few minutes at the end of the night to meditate, read, or otherwise decompress. Your partner will find the shirt they’re looking for to wear to an important meeting the next day, or they’ll deal.

You can pursue that interst or hobby you’ve been putting off because it’s not the right time. Whatever you’re going to steal time from will be just fine.

Who or what is being greedy with your most valuable asset, your time and attention?

Steal it back. Mythology is on your side.

Ever since I was a little kid I’ve had a passion for airplanes. Not just like normal kids who like planes either, like I really, really liked airplanes. When I was about 8 I went for a ride in an experimental home-built airplane and the owner let me fly it from the back seat. When I was about 13 I had all the study books for the FAA private pilot license. The past couple summers I toured with the Lucas Oil Skydivers which got me behind the scenes at some of the best air shows in the country, basically a kids dream come true. (Below is my view of the Blue Angels rolling out for their show, from standing right next to their announcer. The best part of this that you normally don’t see is that each pilot has their own little routine they do as they pass the crowd. It’s weird seeing tiny little humans in skin suits flying these thirty-thousand pound rocket sleds.) Going back to Italy almost every summer meant I flew on tons of jumbo jets, including the venerable 747 when it still flying a lot more trans-Atlantic routes.

So when I heard that Delta was running a fare sale on some of the last flights of the 747 before retirement, I knew I had to go. The only “problem” was the flight was to Manila. In the Philippines. Not Utah or Arkansas.
Hmmm, how can I make this work? To Facebook!

I hesitated all of about 5 minutes to book the flight. I’ve traveled all over the world and never been to Asia. While this is barely going to count, as I’ll only be there for a few days due to the narrow window for the flight, it’s an opportunity I had to jump on instead of regretting it and wish I had.

So I’m coming to Manila and I’m bringing my extremely popular biofeedback seminar. My friend and co-owner of San Jose Barbell (and a host gym for the same seminar in the past) Aljay is a Filipino and jumped at the chance to come with, so we’ll be meeting up in Manila.

The fact that I can bring something I have to teach (and have taught around the world) is just a bonus. Really this story is about pursuing things that fill you with a child-like glee, and figuring out a way to make them happen.

So, see you in Manila or what?

P.S. Also it’s worth mentioning something a little closer to N. America, Jen and I will be in Toronto in October. We’d love to see you.