The simplicity of humble living is looked down upon in our consumer materialism culture, but in reality it is where health and performance thrives.

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The hustle and bustle of modern living leaves the average person going from one task to another without being capable of stopping and becoming aware of oneself. The rat race of constant validation upon social media leaves young kids focused on all the wrong things. We've become so focused on the next thing, the next attraction, the next Netflix show, etc.

Who has the most likes? Who has the coolest shoes? Who has the most followers? and so on...

When instead young kids in the prime of their development should be outside in Nature exploring both the environment and what their body is capable of.

We get so focused and driven by useless objects and virtual objectives because these things were designed to use your hormones against you. They were designed to use our own natural reward system against us.

Our modern unnatural lifestyles leave us constrained to thinking about the external. We're left relying on external validation as opposed to internal validation. We're stuck looking for that next video game, social media post, porn video, pair of boots, or even sugary chocolate bar.

Humble beginnings gift simplicity in so many areas of life as well as enabling us to focus inwards on ourselves. While some could construe this as spiritual or new age, it's a vital piece of the Natural, that they take for granted, but other's aren't even aware exists.

This isn't meant to infer that all Naturals were living in the forest with no outside distractions, but certain aspects were center place in their development. Just merely having fewer things in life allow us to focus in and get more out of life.

Compare the endless scrolling of Instagram or Tiktok with the simplicity of the court. Compare the endless circus wheel of modern living with it's countless forms of entertainment vs that of years past before the internet. Not to say the Internet doesn't have its benefits, but it requires a steady hand on a tight leash. Control your flow of information before it controls you.

The Whole

Dr. Jaap van der Wal

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Realize that you are more than a collection of cells. You are more than a jumble of parts. You are not a robot manufactured in a factory. You are you. There is a greater strength in the whole than merely the sum of the parts.

Taking this different point of view moves us away from thinking of the body in parts. It allows us to let go of thinking you need a different workout regimen for cardio, strength, power, mobility, flexibility, etc. It allows us to give up the notion we should have a separate exercise for each part of the body.

Simplicity in Life

Applying this theme of simplicity, we see how it ripples across all areas of life and has downstream effects for health and performance. Instead of countless supplements and processed foods, we have natural local made animal products, fruit pulled off the tree, and traditionally prepared cuisine. Instead of fast food from the drive through, we have homecooked meals made with recipes passed down for generations, tried and true. Instead of snacking constantly on plastic wrapped laboratory astronaut food, we have 1-2 wholesome meals eaten within proper light cycles.

In life, we're outside in Nature instead of constantly doing busywork on the computer. We're soaking in the rays at the beach instead of binge-watching Netflix. We're outside reading a book instead of scrolling on Tiktok. The most obvious is that we're on the court playing small-sided games exploring the limits of your creativity and athleticism instead of shoveling down some processed carbohydrate sugar bar in the car on our way to the football trainer to do some ball mastery and passing patterns.

Dangers of the Good Life

It's normal to look in envy of those in higher elevation of supposed wealth. While there is of course much benefit to having enough money to buy time, utilities, and ultimately freedom, it's often not all it's made out to be. Especially when making yourself a slave to your corporate job with high cost of living, and/or frivolous spending.

From comfort comes complacency. That real threat of failure and no where else to go really drives hunger and ambition. There are so many components of modern living that actually leave you less healthy and functional than those who come from developing countries.

Artificial urban jungles, nnEMFs, excessive light pollution, processed foods, limited access to real farmers, contaminated water supplies, and the list goes on. The good life is not all it's cracked up to be. It takes intentional living and real confidence to set up a life that facilitates optimal growth and performance. Never lose your edge.

Dopamine Overload

One of the biggest components of simple living is the proper stimulation of dopamine. Modern technology, porn, artificial blue light, vivid colors on social media, and stimulants like cereals, coffee,  and chocolate all go to creating an insane spiking of our dopamine levels leaving our receptors overly stimulated often permanently. This creates an addiction that corrupts our internal reward system designed to incentivize the right things in life like real nutrition, Nature, sunlight, deep social bonds, and interaction with the opposite sex (in-person) to name a few. You end up walking around like a Zombie unable to feel the bliss of real life, looking for your next artificial dopamine hit. Recognize others around you on this path or even yourself and better yourself.

Those that experience anxiety consistently have work to do in this arena.

This is another reason why we must protect our eyes and skin from artificial light. We must lower the nnEMFs. We must get into Nature. We must eat real food. We must play the Game. We must have real connection in life with loyal friends and uplifting partners. We most get out of the Gym.

The Natural had these things by default and played a part in their holistic development in the most critical stages, often in early childhood. They often lose their way once fame and status has been achieved, but we can do better by consciously being aware of these variables and acting accordingly.

Learning Points

• Get outside more and put that phone on airplane mode. Bring a book, do some meditation, or simply walk.

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• Focus on you. The one. Cut out the noise. Get grounded on your goals. Cut out toxic habits and individuals that bring you commotion and not uplifting joy.

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• Level up your mindfulness by learning to be in the moment. Get out of your head and into your limbs. Streamline what you allow into your life. Unfollow people that don't provide value and seek to bring you down with them. Keep your circle small but strong.

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• Be the captain of your ship. Don't let others control your path. Control your environment and bring those that you can learn from either as the student or the teacher. Look past the blur and into the abyss. Explore the unknown and not what's being pushed upon you.