A family member of mine knows he’s going to pass away soon.
He is very sick, and he’s leaving behind a loving wife and a child.
It’s just so heartbreaking and sad to think about.
But seeing them together this weekend during a “celebrate life” party made me think of a question I had never asked before.
What does a good life mean for me?
On the way back from the party, I thought about this question and quickly knew exactly what a good life is for me.
It’s something I’m already putting into action, which is the 3 R’s, which is a concept derived from the six steps for good health described by Florence Nightingale, who lived from 1820 to 1910 and was seen as the pioneer and founder of modern nursing practices, in her book Notes on Nursing (1859):
Rust, Reinheid & Regelmaat.
Yup, these are very Dutch words, so let me explain their meaning.
Rust literally means Resting.
A good life involves resting, having downtime, having time to recharge, and time to have limited thoughts, stresses and things to attend to. Resting is not only physical; it’s also mental rest.
It sounds paradoxical, but Resting should be prioritized.
Plus, if you’re ambitious, proper rest is required to recharge after short bursts or sprints of productivity to get what you want.
Reinheid means Cleanliness
It means taking good care of your hygiene and what you put into your body regarding fluids and food.
Your body is a machine, and food is the input for what output you can give. This logical concept of output matching input has been researched and regurgitated into oblivion, but it’s something always to be mindful of.
An ambitious individual needs focus and energy to keep going, trying repeatedly until it clicks. That requires the correct type of fuel. Fuel that grants long-lasting energy and does not spike your energy levels but promotes consistent instead,
I have tried to do it all on improper fuel, but this does not work for me. It’s just not sustainable. Wrong fuel inputs require you to go on adrenaline, cortisol and excitement instead of proper nutrition. This is fine during the good times, but during bad times, and trust me, those will come.
You can not survive on cortisol and adrenaline alone. Those can only take you so far.
Regelmaat means Consistency
Ambition without consistency means inevitable failure.
Consistency is probably the most significant indicator of whether you’ll succeed in your mission or wash out and be insignificant.
For me, these three R’s are still a work in progress.
I struggle with the consistency part and the cleanliness part a lot.
I’m not struggling to brush my teeth, but I struggle with getting the right fuel in my body. My mind keeps moving towards carb-heavy meals, second plates, and fatty stuff.
When it comes to consistency, this blog is a vital part of training consistency. Writing every day for a year now is a mission that requires consistency.
Let’s see how it goes, and see you on the other side.