The Year of Sagely Living - The Evolution
When we decided to move away from our original Year of Sagely Living idea, I knew I would run the risk of dropping the project entirely. While I had the intention to focus on my physical body, I didn’t really know what form that would take. I’ve struggled to keep closely to my focused program of physical improvement, mostly because I actually exercise better in the cooler months due to my intolerance of heat. I’ve honestly done pretty well - I’ve lost over 15 pounds and increased my overall strength.
I’ve been following a program of Qigong, lots of walking around beautiful neighborhoods, bike riding and strength training on my (cheap) home gym. The last element is the weakest, and the one I will be focusing most on improving in the coming months. I have a goal of reaching an ideal body weight and basic strength by the time my two best friends get married in early September. The process has taught me quite a bit about my body - fundamental among them being that my body really does well when pushed a bit. Given the conversation we had about exercise here on Deepest Health, I wasn’t sure what to think. But, experientially, I’d have to say that the level of physical activity I am doing most certainly seems to have an overall Qi and Yang boosting effect without damaging Yin or Blood, at least as far as any external or internal signifiers can tell me. So, interesting…
The Year of Sagely Living was always about more to both Mr. Stickley and myself. For me, it comes back to the essence of the following quote from the Confucian classic - the Greater Learning:
Only after the principle in things is fully apprehended does knowledge become complete; knowledge being complete, thoughts may become true; thoughts being true, the mind may become set in the right; the mind being so set, the person becomes cultivated; the person being cultivated, household harmony is established; household harmony established, the state becomes well governed; the state being well governed, the empire becomes tranquil.
I have always been a person who cares about my community, about the fate of the people of the world. When I was younger, I was politically agitated - I protested, I threw myself into various causes. It never seemed to get myself or anyone else into a better place. I still apply my public force in appropriate places, but now I’ve turned that agitation inwards. I would say the last 3-4 years have been about seeking. I’ve been searching for the appropriate set of practices and the appropriate mindset with which to turn myself into a person who can overcome anything, a person who can do great good in service of humanity, a person who does not say harsh things to others out of anger, a person who spends his life making the world a better place. A tall order, perhaps, but what other good in life can there possibly be? (That’s rhetorical, ok?)
I find that what generally happens is that I find the things that resonate with me strongly, I dive into them (as I used to dive into political causes) and then I withdraw. Usually, I have some kind of external excuse to do so (finals week, dental surgery, financial trouble) but those excuses are always JUST excuses. The fact is that, being an agitator, I have trouble resting and abiding in anything. Why am I telling you this? Because I suspect some of you have felt this way and might benefit from learning a little bit about my process.
Over the last year, the frequency of emergence of those “resonant” things has become higher and higher. What do I mean? You know when you’re feeling the pulse and immediately when you lay your hands on the person, you immediately get a sense of the problem? Then you let it go and delve deeper. But, for me, that initial instinct is almost always the strongest part of the case — there’s more there, but from an 80/20 rule perspective, my first thought was the best one. It’s the same for me with finding principles and practices that are going to lead me toward my life goals. When I first meet them, in whatever form, I have an immediate shocking sense that this is Truth. Then I ignore it, and it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. I ignore it, it comes back around. If/when I finally fully recognize it, I realize that my initial impulse about it was correct. It’s maddening.
So - here’s the essence of this post. I’ve found the practices that will lead me toward my destiny. I hate to say that I’m done looking - because that’s always a statement of great silliness - but I can say I’m done seeking. Things may find me, and I may embrace them, but I’m done being agitated. So, my Year of Sagely Living has been a success - really - because in this focused, public seeking - I have found the end of seeking. Now, I can settle into what I think was the essential point of the YSL in the first place.
The work, now, is to implement the practices and principles I have settled on. This is really where Abdallah and I come together. He has always had the sense that the practices and principles that grow out of Islam are productive of the highest type of Chinese physician. For him, I think, there is also the sense that the rewilding movement and some other things he is interested in add to that set of practices and principles. For me, the practices and principles may be different - but the idea is the same. I don’t feel the need to talk about those principles here - but will do so at my personal blog soon. You can go sign up for updates there, if you’re interested.
The point for Deepest Health readers is a simple one: in our quest to know this medicine (whether as students, practitioners or even patients) we must know most deeply ourselves. We must come to reckon with the things that move us, sing to us, cajole us into action. We must rectify ourselves in the name of these principles and practices and dedicate ourselves to them wholeheartedly. Only then will “the principle in things be fully apprehended” and thus starting the chain reaction up to the healing of the Earth community itself. This may seem a thing far removed from Chinese medicine, but I would argue that nothing could be farther from the truth. Doing this work is the essence of the Great Physician - there can be nothing more important. Other than passing board exams, that is. ;)
Eric
PS: There’s a second part to this - along the lines of finding a “best practice” that is very relevant for students. Please find that article published tomorrow.
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Tags: 80/20, community, focus, health, Learning, QiGong, student, students, unity, Year of Sagely LivingRelated posts
7 Reasons why cool people don’t blog
One of the greatest benefits of blogging is the many relationships you build with other bloggers and blog readers. I believe this is the especially case in a small niche like Chinese medicine. There simply aren’t many active blogs (or even, really, non-blog websites) out there. This creates a pretty small pond in which for fishes of any size to swim. It’s a positive thing in some ways - it’s easy to get to know the folks in the field and the relationships built are pretty intimate. But, having more folks as part of the conversation makes for a more robust conversation! Further, when there are a lot of folks working in a given niche a kind of ecosystem evolves that allows for lots of fruitful cross-pollination, traffic building and ultimately more potential profit for everyone.
I’ve done a lot of thinking about why there aren’t more active bloggers in the world of Chinese medicine. In my research, I’ve discovered that there are a number of niches in the general category of “conscious living” that are bizarrely unfilled or under filled. While there are plenty of people searching for information about more “alternative” topics (like veganism, meditation and Eastern spirituality, simplicity, naturopathic medicine, homeopathy, eco-consciousness, local food, etc…) there aren’t that many people having robust and interesting conversations about these topics. In talking with my friends and reading through some forum and email exchanges, I think I have at least one (mildly tongue in cheek) reason why this phenomenon is occurring.
Simply - consciously living folks who are knowledgeable about these topics are too cool for blogging. :) What can I possibly mean by that? I’m obviously joking a bit, but I do encounter a quite perplexing attitude when I talk about blogging to people in the Chinese medicine and naturopathic community. They look at me as if I’m a creature from another planet, a traitor to my kind or some hybrid of both. After some long thinking, I think I’ve discovered some reasons that these wise, conscious and unbelievably cool people haven’t yet discovered the power of blogging.
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1. They don’t want to spend so much time with computers : I think this is the most crucial item on the list. There is a perception that, in order to be a blogger, you have to be married to your computer. Seeing me blogging probably doesn’t help that perception much. But many people have managed to create active, exciting and profitable blogs on around two hours of active work per day. Further, even creating a blog and posting your thoughts just a couple of times a week can do a lot to counter the weak and outright bad information out there about all the topics I’ve listed above. My point is simple - you don’t have to have your computer glued to your hands in order to be a successful blogger!
I think behind this is the latent idea in the natural medicine community that computer technology is inherently bad. I meet and greet this misperception nearly every day. I understand where it comes from. Many people who use computers frequently don’t lead very healthful lifestyles - long hours of sitting, staring, eating whatever is at hand, terrible posture, etc… it can be a detriment to balance, to be sure. It doesn’t have to be that way. I’d argue that it isn’t that way in the majority of cases. In my time blogging, my lifestyle has become MORE healthful - not less. I don’t believe that I am being invisibly eviscerated by rays of death emanating from my machine. I simply haven’t seen or felt any evidence that this is the case. I think it’s high time that we as natural medicine practitioners and supporters of all kinds of alternative lifestyles take another look at our perceptions of computers and computer technology. Let’s find a way to make it a boon, not a bane.
2. They don’t have time because they’re doing cooler things : A lot of us are very busy. I’m very busy. Oh man, you don’t even know. So very busy. A quick glance at my active project lists shows over sixty currently active projects pulling at my attention. I’m not exaggerating. I have an eleven year old daughter (going on sixteen), I’m in my intern year, I’m student body president at NCNM, active in a number of other organizations, working on projects for both of my main mentors, I’m starting a business and trying to keep up in a number of fields by self-educating. That’s just for starters and doesn’t include my personal projects. What keeps me alive? Self cultivation and the power of the relationships I cultivate both online and offline.
Regardless - this “reason” is related to the first — that blogging has to take a lot of time. It doesn’t. To be truthful, at first it does take some time to get set up and to get used to the work flow. After that, things get easier and only have to get time consuming if you decide to change or expand something. At the most basic level, it can easily be 5 hours or less of your working week. Easily!
3. They’re not self absorbed : As I discussed in a recent article, many people have the perception that you have to be very into yourself in order to project your thoughts to the universe online. I don’t think this is the case. When you’re blogging about a topic that you care about, even if you blog in very personal terms, your focus is the topic - not yourself. Even if you do a little self-promotion (like in promoting your private practice, or a lecture series or a product you just released) the focus is really on informing people about something that might be of interest to them. Further, if we keep in mind that the desire should be to get great information about natural medicine (or whatever topic) out there for people to find - you can have a very giving mindset and be somewhat ego-less in the whole process.
4. They communicate in other, cooler, ways : Some people don’t understand the blogging format and feel that their thoughts are better projected in other, more traditional, ways. Perhaps they have a mailed newsletter or publish articles in industry journals. Perhaps they are fortunate enough to have book deals or a regular newspaper or magazine column. All of these types of people can benefit from blogging. By leveraging this simple and powerful communication medium, they can help magnify the positive educational effects of their print media offerings. My friend and colleague, Abdallah B Stickley, provides a good example of this method with his blogging about his Chinese Medicine Times article.
5. They know it doesn’t make any difference what people say on the Internet: I have been on the Internet since the Internet was born. That’s just a simple truth that, I think, explains why I believe so much in the power of this medium of communication. From the very beginning, I saw how it was changing how people talked to one another (in good and bad ways) and when blogging first began, I rejoiced at how it might allow ordinary people to discuss their experience of life and how they live it. There is something very powerful in sharing one’s take on the world with others and something even more powerful about stumbling upon the works of someone from a very different background with whom you have some resonance. This is made more possible, in my opinion, by the Internet and blogging in particular. I have been changed by the things I read on blogs, and I know people have been changed by what I’ve written here. If that doesn’t matter, I don’t know what does.
6. They’re not techno-savvy because of number one and two above : I think the first two things I mentioned on this list keep people from becoming acquainted with the technology involved in blogging. At my school, NCNM, I would say about 50% of the student population gets confused by simply checking their email. Though it puts me at risk of offending them, I want to say that I feel like this is a kind of feigned helplessness. Because many have this ideological stance against technology (as I’ve said, I think its an erroneous stance) and because they believe themselves to be too busy - they do not learn the requisite skills needed to blog.
What are those requisite skills? Well, checking email is a good start. The ability to navigate a basic word processor is necessary - since most blogging software has similarities to basic word processors. You have to have some familiarity with how the Internet works and how to find information using search engines. From there, you can learn the rest as you go. As I mentioned in my article yesterday, there are training programs available for people who would like to learn to blog - and I can highly recommend Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind program. Please read those above linked articles if you want to learn more about the program.
7. Secretly, they don’t think they have much to say : I think the majority of people, at least in the United States, have been trained to think of themselves and their thoughts as fundamentally meaningless. The vast majority of public education in this country kills creativity, makes people question their ability to think and generally tries to produce a buzzing hive of listless worker bees. To put it mildly. Because of this, most people grow up thinking that OTHER people have important things to say and that noone could possibly want to hear what they are thinking or what they believe. It may be that you don’t have much to offer in the way of blogging content - but I doubt it.
Have you faced a major illness, whether in yourself or in someone else? Have you started a business? Do you specialize in something within your field? Have you travelled to a foreign country? Learned another language? Do you have a garden? Do you have any hobbies? Do you have strong political beliefs? Are you an avid researcher of one topic or another? Do you have a family with a strong tradition in something? Do you have allergies or particular food preferences that other people don’t have? Do you excel at finding interesting photographs or stories? The list of questions could go on - if you can answer yes to any of these and similar questions - you can be a blogger. In fact, you SHOULD be. Your adoring public awaits. :)
Note: I should mention that a subset of this last point is the group of people who may have something to say, but don’t think they can write. Yaro actually goes into some detail about the “but I can’t write” objection - but let me assure you - you don’t need to write the next Great American Novel. If you can get your point across, you can blog.
Thanks for reading,
Eric
PS: If you’re interested in blogging and even making some money at it, feel free to download the Blog Profits blueprint written by Yaro Starak, my blog mentor. Also, please check out the articles that I linked to above if you haven’t already. Finally, I’m always happy to talk with folks some more about my experience with Blog Mastermind - just email me at d e e p e s t h e a l t h @ g m a i l . c o m, with no spaces between the letters. Also, as always, feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
Tags: Blogging, Business, community, content, creativity, education, fun, internet, Technology, websitesRelated posts
A fun and effective way for you to start earning money blogging
As I discussed in my earlier post, I believe that healthcare providers should start blogging in bigger numbers. But, really, I think everyone should start providing high quality, easily accessible content via blogs, regardless of profession. It does take time, it’s true, and no small amount of bravery (putting yourself out there can be scary) but the promise of earning an income may help you to overcome your fears.
But can you really make money blogging? Yes. A little over a year ago, I began a blogging course called Blog Mastermind with blogger and Internet marketer, Yaro Starak. I was drawn into his way of thinking first by reading about his incredible Blog Profits Blueprint which he offered for free on his blog, Entrepreneurs-journey.com. I read the blueprint in about 45 minutes - once I picked it up, I couldn’t put it down. Here was what I had been waiting for, a way to make money simply by sharing what I’m learning, thus helping my family and eventually (hopefully) taking the pressure off of patient visits when I’m in clinical practice! Fantastic!
I started this blog, Deepest Health, immediately. Unfortunately, my way through the course got a little choppy and I actually ended up having to quit before the end. However, the information I gleaned from those couple of months was more than enough to catapult me from making nothing to making several hundred dollars. I have to admit that, because of the intensity of my schooling (and the rest of my responsibilities) I wasn’t able to do things exactly as Yaro instructed. However, going back over my notes and really implementing what he taught me now has already brought great benefits - resurgences in traffic and a threefold increase in daily income! He’s really got something special.
He’s opening his training program again, newly updated, incorporating the lessons he learned during his last implementation. I can recommend this to anyone who is interested in making an income blogging. I’m happy to talk to you about my experiences in the course - through email or comments.
As is Yaro’s way, he’s offering some great free content as he launches his new membership site. He does this first and foremost because he likes sharing what he learns - but of course he hopes that you will be impressed enough with the free content to consider becoming a paid member. I should also disclose that if you buy into Yaro’s membership program through my link, I will get a commission. I appreciate that extra income and pledge to use it to improve my blog here and also put together my new blog, naturalmedicinesuccess.com, coming soon. On to the free resources…
First, definitely check out the Blog Profits Blueprint - this is an incredible FREE guide that will help you understand the basic way that blogging works and how it generates income. Download the Blog Profits Blueprint.
Second, head over to Yaro’s site and watch his excellent, informative videos that cover his unique take on how to take making money online with blogs to the next level. I was amazed at the quality of this content - I’m already using it to help take Deepest Health to an even wider audience.
Third, sign up using the links on any of those pages I sent you to or by following this link directly to Yaro’s sales page. I promise that you will not be disappointed in your experience. Yaro will take you through the earliest stages (setting up the blog) and step-by-step help you to get up to full functionality, making money and having a great time. I have learned that there are some things that don’t work as well in the natural medicine niche of blogging, and that’s why I’m considering developing a course of my own. But you can easily get up and running and making a profit while getting your face, your name and your unique perspective out there using Yaro’s methods. He offers excellent customer service and connects you with a community of folks who are walking the path alongside you. I found that the member connections were one of the best parts of the program - I think you will, too.
Anyway - thanks for letting me go slightly off topic, here. I really believe that the more natural medicine (and associated) bloggers we have out there, the better health we will have as a community of human beings. I hope you share this opinion and are ready to share your voice with the world. If you do sign up and get a blog going, please contact me as soon as you do and I will put your blog address up on my soon-to-be-created natural medicine blog subpage. I’ll be your first high-quality link, helping you build traffic from search engines and starting your meteoric rise to the highest strata of blogging. :)
Thanks again,
Eric
Tags: Blogging, Business, business strategy, chinese-medicine, community, internet, links, natural-medicine, service, videoRelated posts
Sichuan earthquake relief effort
Hey everyone,
Just a brief update on the earthquake in China. We have learned that the Master of our Qigong lineage is safe as are the families of our doctors - we are most grateful for this. However, as you have seen in the news, thousands have lost their lives and many, many more are injured, in need of food and shelter and are doubtless extremely emotionally distraught.
Further, two Daoist monasteries that NCNM has affiliation with - 1000-2000 year old Mt. Qingcheng and Yuntai Guan have been, sadly, destroyed. These are places of unimaginable beauty and spiritual cultivation and their loss is a great blow. Our visiting professor, Dr. Liu Lihong, has agreed to take any and all donations directly to the abbots of those monasteries. If you feel inspired to donate to this cause, please use the donation button below and I personally guarantee that I will get the money where it needs to go. Otherwise, you can use the Mercy Corps link that I provided in my previous post.
Any amount of money would be very helpful in helping to restore people and places to some state of normalcy. Your compassion is appreciated greatly.
Eric
Tags: china, community, compasion, daoism, donation, serviceRelated posts
New features of Deepest Health: Exploring Classical Chinese Medicine
I can’t overlook an opportunity to put my entire blog title in a post title, sorry. :) I just wanted to quickly point out that I’ve made a few changes to the site.
1. In order to increase community interaction, I’ve added recent comment and trackback sections to the far right sidebar. Believe it or not, people are finding this site for the first time every day and they often comment to quite old posts! By monitoring this sidebar widget, you can keep up with the latest conversation on well aged articles.
2. In order to try to pay for my last year in Classical Chinese Medicine at NCNM, I’ve added a few monetization features. I’ve always run a few ads, which I hope haven’t been too intrusive. I’ve added an Advertise page (still tweaking it) where interested companies/websites can purchase ad space and sponsored reviews. I hope that you, my intrepid readers, will give your blessing for these changes. I intend to make them seamlessly integrated and no detraction to your reading experience. Any paid reviews will be indicated as such, except when compensation is simply a review copy of the book/product being reviewed. Ads will be minimal, highly relevant, and well placed. Please email me any concerns.
3. I have recently updated my Year of Sagely Living page. The story has been less than fascinating, I’m afraid, but hopefully the experience has some worth to folks. I expect some months will be more prolific than others - as with everything. I’m looking forward to February’s business/strategy focus, as lots of that energy has been coming into my field of awareness as of late.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
Eric
Tags: Blogging, business strategy, community, money, websites
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