Above the Plain

This reflection begins with being misled by an AI-generated supplement ad and expands into a broader critique of modern society’s habit of manufacturing deficiencies and selling solutions. It explores themes of authenticity, tribal identity, and personal responsibility, arguing that many of our perceived problems stem from disengagement from a visceral, embodied life. Rather than outsourcing healt...

The pursuit of excellence means showing up again and again in commitment, in consistency, in nailing the fundamentals, in being there even when you don’t feel like it, in getting really close, in caring deeply, in drifting and falling off the path and then coming back on the path, and reconnecting and caring deeply and showing up throughout it all. And that starts to look a lot like love. Love is...

Where are you suppressing growth? What life habits/patterns are your chief limiters? How badly do you want to live? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

You are seeking something which is here — right here — inside yourself. You are not seeking something which is alien to you, but rather your own inmost nature, your essence. Paul Brunton, Discover Yourself Thoughts for the Week: * Visualize and imagine what you desire to experience. * Success: You feel good not because the world is right, but your world is right because you feel good. * We must er...

I’ve found this to be one of, if not the, key elements of longevity. Life is full of transitions. Beginning, progressing, achieving, becoming, and then ending. This episode dives into what that may look like, as well as how it can be planned for and navigated. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substac...

Listen to this while moving, creating energy, or while focused and alert. Absorption depends on optimal environmental conditions. As a runner, if I’m not doing my long runs or lacking motivation, I need to sign up for races or find a training group that fills that need. If I’m not doing my hill work or speed training, I need to hire a coach, sign up for shorter races, or find a group that is doing...

Becoming the best version of you is what the world desires. It is what your family desires, it is what the group/work/social environments desire, even though they may not consciously know it. Thus, it is your (my) responsibility to define who that person is, what they are capable of, and start living life that way… NOW. Change is always now. There is no ideal time to be the best. Attitude is your...

The attitude of the beginner is one of freshness, wonder, hope, and possibility. Dreams die when our spirit hardens. Remain interested in all things and see how your experience changes. Create time and space for the experience to flourish. Set personal boundaries. Harness the power of the destination, or deadline, to achieve results. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with oth...

Musings on the source of our successes in life. What feelings did you attach to them? Have you experimented with changing your mindset or viewpoint on something that is not going well? Do you cling to the negative or do you seek to overcome it? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Your purpose, your aim, and your consciousness define the path you take. We all need to re-center and re-frame, no matter how far or devoted we are to the path. Books help. Coaches help. Quotes help. Journaling is paramount. What we quantify, we can improve. Journal. Write. Think. Let it flow. Address what needs to be addressed and then move on. Onward and upward. This is a public episode. If you'...

People do not value what is easily come by. Therefore the simple solution is not the one employed. “Setting yourself a voluntary aim and compelling yourself to achieve it, creates magnetism and the ability to do. Magnetism is acquired only through conscious labor and intentional suffering, through doing small things voluntarily.” G.I. Gurdjieff Cutting down a tree, splitting, and stacking firewood...

When I talk about lifestyle, fitness and holistic training, I speak from an angle of inclusivity. It is very rare for any one activity to check all the boxes necessary to build a complete, or as close to complete, human being as possible. Therefore multiple modalities should be included in your approach to lifestyle fitness training. Thus balance is the goal. It is not necessary to become an exper...

Know what you want. Sincerely want. Keep this at the forefront of your mind. The most important thing you can master is overcoming the (limitations of) mind. You are that which you most sincerely want to be. Therefore, you must consciously choose your ideal, and know where you want to arrive. As a coach and trainer the most influential role I play is one that is unseen and unknown. It is also the...

Enjoy a preview of my latest creative project. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

The acceptance of the end automatically, wills the means of realization. You must state and believe, and affirm the wish fulfilled. Here you are living as your future self, imprinting your subconscious mind. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Guided, intuitive training sessions are the ultimate elevator. Move well, feel good, have a great day. The results, however, are dependent on what the trainee does on their own. Can they overcome the mind? Can they find solutions to make the thing happen? Can they self-prioritize? Leonard Lang: Doing something today is vital. I want to emphasize the importance of finding something to do now, even...

Longevity is a product. Lifestyle is the driver. Therefore one must design and live a lifestyle that delivers them into the future as the person they’ve always been. Prioritization is essential. Mileage management is essential. Choosing the optimal, minimal is also essential. Treat your work as performance. Prioritize daily movement with a focus on building strength. Eat to enhance your desired ou...

Coaching. The one aspect that society deems unnecessary for adults. But why? Why are we so eager to allow the ego to stop our growth? Truth is we are all meant for more. For the collective to heal, the individual must first heal. It starts with one. One always leads to more. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovet...

When you stop fighting, you start flowing. This episode dives fairly deep into the cause for action. We often are quick to assign a label to how we feel or except a label diagnosis for a behavior that has become repetitive in our lives. In this episode, I attempt to help rationalize feelings. What rises in your life or what becomes normal or consistent maybe just an opportunity for you to experien...

The feeling is the secret. 
 “To impress the subconscious with the desirable state, you must assume the feeling that would be yours had you already realized your wish. In defining your objective, you must be concerned only with the objective itself.” 
 “It is easier to ascribe your feeling to events in the world than to admit that the conditions of the world reflect your feeling.” 
 “You are alrea...

The art of doing is the secret elixir of life. Time is an illusion. Choice is a cancer. Self-realization opens up your avenue of expression. Enjoy. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Individuation. Self actualization. Self realization. Individuation is the way. The process of going within to solve the major questions in your life. Your unique lifestyle is already within you. You must awaken it and release it upon the world. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

To explain that which is simple can sometimes be almost impossible, yet if we can understand, even one simple thing in depth, we’ll have greatly expanded our capacity for comprehending the nature of the universe and of life itself. The pessimistic position of cynical skepticism, stems from fear, while the more optimistic manner of accepting information arises from self-confidence. Either style wor...

Whether exercising to be a better ____, or training for an objective/event/outcome. It is a daily process of being the best version of yourself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

Persist in your efforts. Resist giving in to distraction, discouragement, or disorder. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe