...is doing things that make you FEEL alive.

I am getting to my writing a little later today because I spent time FEELING ALIVE during a 6AM workout this morning with some of the best people I know.

Over the course of my life I have often times asked myself why do I struggle to feel alive?

Why don't I seem to care about what everyone else "cares" about?

I didn't/don't just want the "standard" life.

The white picket fence is not the end game for me.

And for so long I felt out of place around people who talked about the degree, job, marriage, kids, cars, picket fence... as if that is all life is.

Out of place around people who were excited for 5pm "happy hour" ... why do we have to wait until 5pm to be happy?

Out of place around people who had to pick and choose times to do things they enjoyed to make them feel better... rather than just building a life that they enjoy all around.

Out of place around people who focused on numbing out in the current moment because of the depression from thinking of their past, or their anxiety from thinking about their future.

I struggled to feel alive because the standard of living around me was not truly what life is about.

So what did I turn to?

Alcohol, drugs, doing adrenaline inducing things to feel something.

What was I left with?

The same old feeling.

Why?

Because nothing external can earn you the feeling of BEING ALIVE.

It must come from internal gratitude that life in itself is a miracle.

The fact that today I could wake up, move a lot of weight, sweat, breathe deep through my lungs....and high five other people doing the same thing....is a miracle.

When you come to the conclusion that there is no "end game," and that we are all walking around this life as individual miracles, the feeling of being ALIVE will occur naturally.

To get to this conclusion though, you must focus on doing as many things that make you feel alive as possible.

So this week, what does that look like?!?

GO DO MORE THINGS THAT MAKE YOU FEEL ALIVE!

And appreciate the miracle that you are for being alive.

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. today I am grateful for smashing a morning workout with 3 other men who inspire the heck out of me. Definitely starting this week off feeling ALIVE!