Guy Reams (00:01.23)
Today is day 225, the donut shop and gym.
So, every morning I am faced with a significant decision that basically encapsulates my daily struggle. The choice between the donut shop and the gym. This decision has become a literal and figurative symbol of my commitment using life over death. A few blocks from my home there's a gym. And ironically, right next door to that gym is a donut shop.
tempting me with its sugary lights. As I pull into the parking lot, this contrast is stark and unavoidable. Some days I notice people choosing both.
But this daily choice has led me to a profound realization that I developed in my early 20s. Every morning when you wake up and look into the mirror, truth is fluid, shaped by choices that you make.
This is a radical concept and your instinct might be to dismiss it. However, hear me out. I had the same reaction when I was younger. Before I delve deeper, let me lay the ground. When I was growing up, a book that was popular amongst us aspiring college hippies was Journey to Excellen by Karls Kessler. In this book, Casting the Interviews, a character named Don Juan, who teaches him about the ways of his tribe,
Guy Reams (01:34.67)
Most of the college kids were interested in his experimentation with peyote in this book. But amidst all those psychedelic experiences, the thing that really resonated deeply with me was Don Juan's teaching to Mr. Castaneda that personal past does not exist.
At first I thought this idea was absurd. Of course I have a personal past. It's very real. I am marked, uplifted, scarred, and sometimes even damaged by what happened in my past. However, Don Juan emphasizes that one's personal past cannot cloud the ability to see and understand the present. As I've grown older, I've come to realize the truth in this. That personal past is indeed something that happened, but it no longer exists in the present.
Events the past are gone forever not recreate relive or repeat them The only thing you truly have is what is staring back at you each morning when you look in the mirror Rejecting the personal past is not given up on heritage ancestry It's about recognize that the only real power that you possess is to live fully in the present This concept of having no personal past prepared me for a talk I listened to
by a retired medical doctor. He was speaking to try to motivate a group of young men like myself by sharing a testimony about the true aims of his life. Despite his age, he emanated this real spiritual strength that was very palpable. He had this powerful gaze that commanded his full attention, your full attention. During this talk, he made this audacious claim.
He says, when you wake up in the morning and you look in the mirror, nothing is true anymore. It's all gone. Every day you must prove to yourself anew that what you hold sacred remains true. Franklin, I did not understand this at all at the time. It hung in the air, confused me and those around me. We exchanged puzzled looks, shrugged, and dismissed this as a bit of wisdom from some old eccentric old man. However, as I get closer to being that old guy myself,
Guy Reams (03:52.59)
I realized that this man was imparting a pearl of profound wisdom. And I regret from not really having the ears to hear. If I had truly listened, I would have understood the importance of keeping the most vital aspects of my life front and center. I would have known to carry only the precious baggage, everything else merely weighs you down. I would have grasped the significance of reaffirming my core beliefs.
the course that I wish to navigate each and every day, I would have appreciated the power of personal resolve, not taken for granted the truths that I hold dear. So every day when you look in the mirror, you must acknowledge that you need to prove once again that what you believe at your core remains true, remains strong, remains important, and still deserves your undivided attention. So I will not walk into that donut. Instead, I will choose the gym.
reaffirming my decision every morning. I will choose life over death, truth over lies. I will live in the moment and refuse to let my personal past anchor me to long held biases. Thank you.