Welcome to My SOAR Project! I am sure you are asking: what the heck is the SOAR Project?
Well, friends, that is exactly what I want to dive into in this article. So…here we go. Deep breath,
In this life, no one gives us an operating manual or a tutorial. We all begin somewhere. We start right where we are. For many of us, we don’t question or wonder or think outside the box. We follow the patterns, dogma, systems and beliefs that our parents or grandparents created and developed over time. We never questioned why or how come; it just simply was. Follow, be a good little boy or girl and behave. Don’t question. Don’t wonder. Don’t rock the boat. Most importantly:
Go to school. Get a job. Get married. Have kids. Get a house ans stuff. Follow the pattern. Don’t dream.
Most of us followed the well trodden paths and picked up the same worn and ancient tools handed down from earlier generations. Religion, politics, work ethic, spending, saving, eating, drinking and living…it has all been done before.
If it worked for them, it should work for us, right?
One great example of this was my dad not taking a sick day for 20 years. He wore that silly statistic like a shiny badge for all that time, and he proudly told my brother and I that he was proud of that “accomplishment.”
Really? That is an “accomplishment?”
You are literally infecting people as you go from office to office, industry to industry, for 15-20 years. That’s…good? Howe about your mental health? Didn’t you ever….just…not…want to go in and have a “mental health day?” I mean, sometimes you need a good mental health day to put your middle finget up, tell the clients or work to shove it and do something FOR YOU.
No, it is not good for a number of reasons. We need to take that sick time to reset, recharge, get healthy when we are sick and just get away from the corporate of agency pap and crap. Seriously. We are paid too little and leaned on too hard to sacrifice like that.
Why not sacrifice for something more important…like your mental or physcial health?
Come on, Boomer….you should have done that. After all, when we pass, they don’t care about sick days or vacation days or if you are there or not. All they care about is the number on the Profit and Loss Statement and if your numbers are within the acceptable levels for them to bring home a bonus at New Year’s Day.
How do I know?
Because I watched it all unfold with my dad after he passed unexpectedly from a heart attack. they had a moment, and then they moved someone else into his territory and filled that position to serve clients and bring in new business. The same will happen to ALL of us someday, so it is up to US to make the best use of the time we have left on this planet. That is really our GREAT COMMISSION (borrowing ironically from Christian faith).
The Probem….
Which brings us back to the point of the My SOAR Project blog, vlog and/or podcast or whatever this is. I am not here to lecture people on what they should or should not do. That is not my job. My job is to live as long as I can and try to inspire you to move, learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday.
You can’t do any of that successfully if your mindset and perspective sucks. How do I know? I am a poster boy of that way of thinking, and my 340 pound frame reminds me that I really did a lot of dumb shit and haven’t helped my case.
Here I am. Here I sit. I am typing and starting from less than zero to begin a new cycle.
One of the massive side effects of this consume and throw away culture is that we are unhealthy mentally, spiritually and physically.
Western Culture is sick. Many people are overweight (obese or morbidly obese) and it affects how we look, act and feel about ourselves and others. To solve this issue, companies and entrepreneurs step in with processed food, drugs, alcohol and endless entertainment (spots games, computer games, social media, etc). We have truly returned to the days of bread and circuses in the Roman Empire!
It’s bad now, and there are very intelligent and driven people designing, creating, manufacturing and marketing new foods, flavors, products and distractions to capture our imagination and the green paper or plastic stuff in our wallets. I don’t know about you, but that stuff has gotten even more expensive in this modern age. Yikes!
ha One Potential Solition: My SOAR Project
All that said, My SOAR Project can be summed up like this:
Stop Overconsuming And Rise – SOAR
In modern Western Civilization (particularly in the United States), our whole society is built on consumption. We have moved from a resource rich, manufacturing/industrial economy to a service economy to a consumption economy. Our society (culture, spirituality, relationships, spending, food, entertainment, etc.) is built on consumption and never ending growth. We have an insatiable appetite for of everything: more food, more drink, more stuff, more toys, more sex, more alcohol, more drugs, more money, more debt, more of everything.
We have this insatiable appetite, but we are more unhealthy now than we have ever been: our mental health, our physical well-being, and our spirituality.
My SOAR Project is a way for me to change my consumption and mind, body and soul. You are riding next to me on the Journey Inside as I focus on the following topics:
Health
Getting healthy and more fit by eating whole foods and cutting way back on processed foods and getting consistent intentional movement. This is also where we will explore cold therapy (cold plunges), standing in snow, sauna culture, yoga, weightlifting and other adventures.
The question is: can I make working out interesting and not just a bro science parody?
Minimalism
Removing the clutter from our lives. That stuff or clothes that have been hanging around for “someday”? Yeah, you don’t need that stuff. Social media clutter is also a target too, so I need to pare down my social media platforms and focus on what is actually making an impact.
Financial Freedom
It is all connected: what we consume is what we spend our hard earned money on. Debt is a dream and relationship killer. So many marriages end due to debt and money issues. If we can get control of this area of our lives, we can truly have success in other areas as well.
What are the Next Steps for My SOAR Project?
It’s time to get focused and get down to the relationships and things that actually make an impact and that we enjoy.
Let’s do this:
- Working stiff, sore and weak muscles regularly. This will help reduce pain and increae flexibility and strength which will improve overall health will also translate into longer, more fulfilling life.
- Eating whole, nurishing food that helps our bodies, not adds layers of fat on our bellies and butts.
- Developing an abudance mindset. The world is full of abundance, and we can share what we have and find great joy in seeing someone else use that stuff and from lightening our load. After all, reducing the amount of stuff we have is like cutting that cord holding us down and pecking dust. Don’t worry: you can always buy that thing again if you REALLY need it!
- Reducing debt and experiencing financial freedom breathes new life into our lives and relationships. Be intentional with your money and let it work for you instead of wondering where it went before all the bills are paid and savings account has something in it.
As for the mechanics of this (content-wise), I am going to be using My SOAR Project YouTube Channel and the Small Scale Life Wellness Club to broadcast to people. Again, this is an online accountability partner, so this hopefully will help me stay focused and on target. That is another reason why I split it off of Small Scale Life…again, I am pivoting and focusing, as is Small Scale Life.
Now this is a pretty high level introduction. I feel like it is time for a cold plunge! Yes, my Cold Plunges, Grounding and Nature Sound videos will be on this channel, as will any Whole30, Renew You and other projects like that. It will help straighten out the audience and the algorithms in the long run.
I will have another post that is actually a blueprint for how I am going to approach My SOAR Project starting in late 2024 and really taking flight in 2025.
For me, the time to do this right now.
REMEMBER:
Be bold. Make the decision.
Take the first step forward. Break your chains, spread your wings and SOAR!