Years ago, for a previous job, I interviewed a guy who was a motivational speaker. He talked to me for an hour about his personal motto: Take the stairs. His gist was that self-discipline was the key to one's success in life. By taking the escalator, you're not working at anything, you're not growing. By choosing the stairs instead, you're moving, you're working and you're essentially a better person than the other guy who's flying by you on a way more convenient staircase.
As a pessimist, I wasn't super motivated or impressed by this guy's spiel. But recently I've been thinking about the motto that guy brought up to me some eight years ago.
This also might be because thanks to a new move, I'm quite literally taking the stairs all the time — I have a three-story townhouse.
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But a milestone birthday — I turned 30 earlier this month — also has me thinking more metaphorically about staircases.
As cool as I am, I've been thinking about health and wellness, where I've been, and where I'm going.
Admittedly, I'm not a health nut. I'm no gym buff, I don't count calories, I don't follow any carb-free, fat-free, gluten-free or meat-free diets and I can assure you I never will.
But, especially in the last year, I've noticed myself becoming more conscious about bettering myself and my health. I always take the stairs when I can. I watch the snacks and meals I eat; I much prefer to cook at home than to eat out. I take walks; I park farther away than I need to; I wear a Fitbit and look at my steps. I get more sleep. I adhere to my medications. I take vitamins. I try not to stress out (my biggest challenge of all).
I'm religious about things like blood work, doctor follow-ups, six-month dental cleanings and flu shots — all things I generally avoided a decade ago.
I'm no poster child for healthy behavior, but I'm taking personal responsibility to make myself a little bit better, and sometimes that's all you can do.
It's a far cry from my dark college years — the fluctuating weight, constant junk food, midnight meals and all-nighters.
Writing about this world, you realize there are so many things you can't control. We can't always help deadly diseases or soaring prescription drug prices or sweeping regulations, but there are a number of things we can do for ourselves to make it a little better.
I'm not saying my cynicism will die in my 30s, but I do think there's something to be said about putting one foot in front of the other, quite literally. (Ah, maybe I'm a bit of an optimist after all. Motivational speakers can do that for you — years later.)
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