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 health and identity to systems, the piece calls for ruthless self-honesty, conscious lifestyle choices, and reclaiming individual sovereignty. 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 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 the outcome of a process. And that process is defined above. 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

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 YourselfThoughts 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 erase first. Then, we write with clear wisdom. (Picture yourself erasing a mental blackboard).* Self-Awareness: We must see our feelings as they actually are, not as we assume they are.* Identification: We lose our thoughts in these things in an attempt to feel secure:* Person / Place / Career / Hobby / Personal Viewpoints* We want to cling to something that seems permanent. * Identification with excitement is always followed by an unhappy reaction.* It is strange how human beings seldom inspect the ideas which produce the kind of life they have.* The products of our processes.* You are not your collected self-descriptions… when a memorized image of yourself does not interfere with right now, right now is peace and liberty. 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

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.substack.com/subscribe

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 the type of training I am avoiding. You are closer to success than it often seems. Spend time in reflection and journal what comes to 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

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 friend. Inaction is your foe. 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 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 other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

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'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

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. GurdjieffCutting down a tree, splitting, and stacking firewood is a natural (and necessary for survival in many climates) process for heating.Walking is a way to traverse vast distances in any terrain. Hunting is a way to feed and clothe yourself. The process of harvesting and processing is simple, yet not easy. Losing weight and achieving your optimal size is a natural process of reversing the practices which made you overweight. It is not addition but subtraction. It is harder to add than it is to take away. Simple isn’t easy. 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

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 expert in each area only to become competent in each area/modality. 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

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 reason I keep my client load very manageable. The mental energy that is transferred during our sessions, as well as in all forms of communication, including thought transmission, is by far the biggest accelerator of a clients goal/dream attainment. Thoughts are things. Energy is continually transferred. 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

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 if it seems to stray a bit from the central work you must do. Momentum is critical. Remember Newton’s First and Second Laws of Motion? Objects at rest tend to stay at rest and those in motion tend to stay in motion. The same, at least metaphorically, applies to most of us. Once we get stuck, many of us tend to stay stuck and find it hard to get going again, especially on a long-range plan. Most of us, once we get moving, tend to keep moving until some large “object” stops us. We need to keep moving. We need to keep up an inner sense of momentum and actual movement. That can only happen if you have steps to take on a regular basis, whether it’s daily or weekly. 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

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 outcome. Sleep to recover and rejuvenate.JakeLawrence.Net505.715.9316 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

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 abovetheplain.substack.com/subscribe

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 experience something new. 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 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 already that which you want to be, and your refusal to believe this is the only reason you do not see it… we find only that which we are.”
— Neville Goddard 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