This quote is more relevant than ever especially for Americans who are unhappy with Donald Trump officially being sworn in as President today.

I don’t really have an opinion on the whole matter. Why? Because all of the data that is available is from news sources that is really tough to tell their true intentions. Are they being fair in what they are reporting? Are they even accurate or truthful in what they are reporting? With so many people having an agenda, it’s impossible to know what’s right and what’s wrong. All that can be known to be sure is what he does in office and the results of his actions. So many people are speculating and are upset. But all we’re shown or told is whatever the specific news outlet is telling us. And because they have a story to tell, they will only include the information that helps them tell that story.

That being said, I think people should more on what they can control. For example:

• How they treat their body
• How they treat others
• What they do for work
• What they do for hobbies
• What they read, watch or listen to
• Where they go
• What they wear

Aside from that, an individual doesn’t have the power to influence any decisions that are made in the White House or really on any level of government. Unless that individual is in government or is going to create a movement. Which isn’t 99.9% of individuals. I know one of those people who is the 0.1%. His name is Gian-Carlo Carra. I’ve seen first hand what it takes and have been a part of his mission for seven years. There’s a reason why more people aren’t like him. It takes a certain skillset, a thick skin, an absolute devotion to the cause, a lot of patience and a lot of faith.

So if you are complaining on Facebook or Twitter and what is happening in the USA is in any way impacting the quality of your life, I challenge you to take a look at your abilities, your goals and your efforts. Do you have the ability to change something? If not, stop complaining, stop letting what’s happening negatively impact your life and instead focus on the things that can make your life better.

All the effort you’re spending on being upset, being negative and trying to figure out everything that’s going on, you could spend being a more engaged, more positive, more healthy individual which will ultimately make your country better. One thing I know for sure – what you’re doing right now isn’t making your country any better.

I recently stumbled upon The Barkley Marathons on Netflix. I absolutely love documentaries and the more quirky, weird and underground the better. I especially love documentaries about a group of passionate people because I find that no matter what their passion is, they’re weird in a way like I am and we understand each other.

The Barkley Marathons is a series of loops in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. The Barkley is a 5 loop race and in the history of the race, less than 20 people have completed the full 5 loops. If you’re able to complete 3 loops, that’s called the “Fun Run”. Each loop is roughly 20 miles long although it’s rumoured that it’s actually closer to 26.2 (a marathon distance). The catch is that you have 60 hours to complete the 5 loops.

What I loved about the race is that it reminds me a lot of the Virginia State Frisbee Tournament, which is held every April at Pratt Parkin Fredericksburg, Virginia. It has history, tradition, weird rules that don’t always make sense, and it’s done old school.

The Barkley only allows 40 runners and the entry fee is $1.60 along with a random item determined by the race co-founder, Lazurus Lake. One year it’s a plaid shirt (which is his preferred choice of shirt).

The documentary covers the 2012 Barkley in great detail in which 3 men actually finished the race – the most of any year! I highly recommend watching this movie. Let me know what you think!

I first started writing this post when Pokemon Go was released in the summer. I saw the immediate impact it had on some friends and how incredibly distracting it was.

As the weeks went by and more and more people got onto the app, the number of articles increased. It became clear that there were a lot of people who believed that Pokemon Go was helping them be more active. However, it takes about 6 months to establish a habit (read The Power of Habit) and so any data after only a few weeks to a few months doesn’t mean much.

There were even some articles claiming specifics such as “Pokemon Go helped me lose XX amount of weight”. However, regardless of the outcome of the app or the impact it had on the users, I knew that it would fade very quickly over time, just like any other video game or app does.

And now, 6 months later, it has.

The problem with spending hours and hours daily on a new video game or app is that eventually it will lose its appeal and people will be looking for the next new thing. As Philip Zimbardo talks about, we have an arousal addiction which is different than say, a drug addiction. A drug addiction is more of the same whereas an arousal addiction is more of something different.

This is having a huge impact on boys especially in health, relationships and education to name a few.

It’s important that we focus on the long term skills, passions and hobbies that will have a positive impact on our lives. If people are claiming that Pokemon Go is helping people lose weight, what happens when that person no longer plays the game 3, 4, 5 months after it’s released? We need to encourage people to get into a sport, into the gym, to take fitness classes or get into a workout routine like P90X at home. Something that will be around for more than a few months.

Encourage kids to play a sport instead of a video game.

Get into singing rather than getting into a new tv series.

Etc….

If we give in to our arousal addictions, we will continue to create a society of mediocrity, a society where we’re ok with people not excelling in a field that adds to the value of the world.

What would have happened if the Wright Brothers got distracted and never invented an airplane? That would have been a tragedy. We can do better. But video game companies, mobile app companies, the porn industry don’t care about us. They just care about the bottom line. Making more money. But at what cost to us?