Life Archives - Zachary Ninteman

How Do I Fix Myself?

Zachary — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 23:33:05 +0000

In a world where quick fixes and instant gratification are often sought after solutions to deep-seated issues, the question of “How do I fix myself?” emerges as a poignant reflection of the internal struggle many of us face. This question isn’t merely about seeking temporary remedies but a profound journey towards self-improvement and living a fulfilling life.

The quest for self-improvement is not a path laden with easy shortcuts or magical cures. It demands commitment, hard work, and a willingness to engage in a continuous process of self-discovery and growth. The essence of personal development lies in embracing the journey of evolving oneself, encompassing every aspect of your being—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

The Foundation of Self-Improvement

To embark on this transformative journey, it’s crucial to return to the foundational principles of personal development. These principles serve as the bedrock upon which you can build a better version of yourself. They are timeless, universal, and applicable to various facets of life, be it personal, professional, or relational.

Eat Right

Nutrition plays a pivotal role in shaping our physical and mental well-being. A balanced diet rich in nutrients fuels the body, enhances cognitive function, and stabilizes emotions. Making conscious food choices is the first step toward self-care and respect for your body.

Exercise Regularly

Physical activity is not just about maintaining a healthy weight; it’s a powerful stimulant for mental health, releasing endorphins that boost mood and energy levels. Regular exercise fosters resilience, discipline, and a sense of accomplishment.

Embrace Nature

The healing power of nature is profound. Fresh air and sunlight not only rejuvenate the body but also bring clarity and peace to the mind. Spending time outdoors is a simple yet effective way to reduce stress, enhance mood, and reconnect with oneself.

Cultivate Hobbies

Engaging in hobbies and interests sparks joy, creativity, and a sense of purpose. Whether it’s art, music, gardening, or any other pursuit, hobbies provide an outlet for self-expression and personal growth.

Read Widely

Books are gateways to knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration. They expand our perspectives, challenge our thoughts, and enrich our understanding of the world and ourselves. A commitment to lifelong learning through reading is a commitment to personal evolution.

Develop New Skills

Learning new skills pushes us out of our comfort zones, builds confidence, and opens doors to new opportunities. The process of mastering new abilities demonstrates the incredible potential for growth and adaptability inherent in all of us.

Challenge Yourself

Growth occurs at the edge of our comfort zones. Setting and striving for challenging goals fosters resilience, perseverance, and a sense of achievement. Challenges help us discover our strengths and overcome limitations.

Plan and Execute

Success in any area of life requires thoughtful planning and relentless execution. Setting clear goals, devising actionable plans, and following through with dedication reflect a disciplined approach to personal development.

Learn from Mistakes

Mistakes are inevitable on the path to self-improvement. Rather than viewing them as failures, embrace them as valuable learning opportunities. Reflecting on and learning from mistakes is crucial for growth and progress.

Strive for Progress

The goal of personal development is not perfection but progress. Celebrate small victories, acknowledge growth, and continuously strive to be a better version of yourself each day.

Work Hard and Sweat

Effort and perseverance are indispensable. The journey toward self-improvement demands hard work, dedication, and the resilience to push through challenges.

The Role of Personal Responsibility

At the heart of the question “How do I fix myself?” lies the principle of personal responsibility. The journey toward self-improvement is deeply personal and cannot be outsourced. It is about taking ownership of your life, your choices, and your actions. Recognizing that you have the power and the responsibility to shape your destiny is the first step towards meaningful change.

Too often, individuals seek external validation or solutions, hoping for someone else to provide the answers or take the blame for their circumstances. However, true transformation begins with the acknowledgment that you are the architect of your life. Embracing personal responsibility means committing to the hard work of self-improvement, making conscious choices, and taking actionable steps towards your goals.

Moving Beyond the Basics

While the foundational principles of personal development are crucial, moving beyond the basics involves a deeper exploration of oneself. It requires introspection, self-awareness, and an openness to change. Understanding your values, beliefs, and emotional patterns is essential for breaking free from self-imposed limitations and fostering genuine growth.

As you embark on this journey, remember that self-improvement is not a destination but a continuous process. It is about evolving, adapting, and striving for a life that is aligned with your true self. Embrace the journey with patience, compassion, and a relentless spirit of self-discovery.

Conclusion

The question “How do I fix myself?” is a call to action—a prompt to engage in the lifelong journey of personal development. By returning to the foundational principles and embracing the path of self-improvement with dedication and personal responsibility, you can transform your life. Remember, the power to change lies within you. It’s about making a conscious decision to invest in yourself, to grow, and to live your best life possible.

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A Time For Everything

Zachary — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 23:23:57 +0000

It is far to easy in our world to get caught up in life and lose perspective. There is a time for everything, and it is important to take a step back and realize that through and through.

A time for everything is a theme throughout different religions and spiritual practices.

In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu talks about the time for everything:

As in the nature of things,
there is a time for being ahead
and a time for being behind;
a time for ease
and a time for strain;
a time to be hard
and a time to be soft;
a time to grow in strength
and a time to decay.

In the Bible, Ecclesiastes 3 says there is a time for everything:

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

There is a time for everything.

So many times – we try to do what we can to restrict the bad times and enhance the good. We think that in the bad is bad, and in the good is good. But there cannot be good, without bad. There cannot be light, without darkness. There cannot be good, without evil. This law of polarity is what makes us understand that without the bad, we cannot have good.

Once you understand this, surrendering to life becomes easier. And becomes easier because you know it is the time of life that you need to go through this. You know that the higher power at be in the world dictates that you are at this time, to move you through the next time.

You must break down before you can breakthrough.

Rock needs to get weathered down before it can turn to the soil to replant the earth. So must we. Every single thing negative that has gone on your life that time for a specific reason – to set up the future good. That sometimes is a hard pill to swallow because you wonder how much bad can go on and ultimately equal good.

I recall the first pregnancy that my wife had which resulted in a miscarriage at 10 weeks. To say I was devastated was an understatement. My world went so bleak, far beyond anything I had in the past. I thought I would never be able to get over something like that. That was my time to cry, my time to hurt, my time to grieve. And I had to go through that time in order to be here – now – with 2 beautiful boys and a family that still is hard to believe is in my life every day. If that first pregnancy comes to fruition, I would not have my boys as I have now – and I would not be in this moment of life where I am at now. That is the power of the universe working for you.

I am not sitting here trying to tell you that whenever something bad happens, immediately look for the good. Grieve. Remember, there is a TIME for everything, so if you are going through a time to grieve, grieve. If you are going through a time to strain, go through the strain. But know for the time going through the strain, ease is right behind it. And you have to go through the strain to get to the ease.

Breakdown to Breakthrough

Life isn’t just about building up and up and up. That actually is very anti-climatic. If everything was all success all the time, where would the learning be? Where would the time in these other areas be? Where would you be?

You have to breakdown to breakthrough. You have to go through the hurt and pain and suffering and strain to know that there is the opposite on the other side. Those dark times may be dark – but there is ALWAYS blue sky behind rain clouds. Moving through the dark times to be able to feel the warm sunshine on your face is why we go through the dark times.

And keep in mind that there will be more dark times. For as dark times lead to the light, the light will lead to the darkness again. Such is the cycle of life – a time for everything. So embrace the beautiful times, knowing they are short, and push through the dark times, knowing they are such.

Such is the success in life – a time for everything.

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Do Things That Make You Happy

Zachary — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 23:17:47 +0000

Life is a funny thing.

It is so beautiful, so fragile, so amazing.

We are cognitive beings, capable of thinking, feeling love, and experiencing joy. We have the ability to run around in the sunshine barefoot on the grass while the wind blows through our hair.

That is what life is all about. That is living.

Yet most of us aren’t living. We are dying. Slowly and painfully. People are mad about their jobs. Stress about their finances. Angry at their spouses. We walk around bent sideways under stress, anxiety, and depression, thinking that this is how life is supposed to be. We are in such bad states, that we get angrier when we see those chronically happy and optimistic people prancing and dancing around, saying things like how great it is we have the ability to run around in the sunshine barefoot on the grass while the wind blows through our hair. Who says that?

I say that.

And I believe in that.

The meaning of life is to live. Not waiting to die. Life is about seizing the opportunities, and the moments that make you smile and say “ah”, not holding on to resentment and sadness and depression and anxiety. Let those go – be here in the moment.

“Oh – well it just isn’t that easy Zach. I know it is easy for you to see in your perfect little world, with your perfect little brain, and say your perfect little hippy sayings. It isn’t that easy”.

Yes, it is.

Here is how it is that easy – you ready? Read this next line nice and slow…

Whatever is causing you to die inside – whatever is causing the stress, depression, anxiety, sadness, resentment, and all other negative feelings – whatever that is – stop doing that thing.

STOP. DOING. THE. THINGS. THAT. DON’T. MAKE. YOU. HAPPY.

Go do something that makes you happy. Go be with people that make you happy. Go change our environment to something different to experience something different.

We all try to spend too much time overthinking how to be happy. We are in information overload with books and podcasts and audiobooks and experts and family and everyone else saying you should do this or you should do that. We hear news stories on how anxiety and depression are on the rise, yet ironically sitting and screen time are as well. We are raised to be brainwashed to try to find work we are passionate about so we never have to work a day in our life, only to struggle in every job we have because we aren’t passionate about it. We spend so much time sliding our thumbs through Facebook and Instagram trying to find someone whose grass is greener than ours and then feeling bad about it. We sit indoors, watching the latest Kardashian garbage, on our laptops, while we text our significant sitting right next to us the latest meme photo we found. And I know someone is reading that last line that is doing EXACTLY that.

It’s mind-boggling. And not that it is happening, that people don’t know how to fix the problem. Depression and anxiety are running rampant in our society, yet most people don’t want to do a god damn thing to fix it. Because facing the truth in your life is hard. Realizing that it is easier to hide behind the screen than live a life worth living. It is easier to yell at your spouse and belittle them, than start over and find a nurturing relationship. It is easier to go to a job that you hate than tell your boss you quit and hit the pavement again hunting for a new one. It is easier to get used to living cheaply and complain that you never have any money than actually getting your ass in gear and making some dough.

No one wants to work hard. No one wants to try. They want to sit there and bitch about the problems they have in their life instead of taking steps to make it better. And here is the kicker…

On your deathbed, your depression doesn’t matter. Your anxiety doesn’t matter. Your fear you had during your life doesn’t matter. Your job doesn’t matter. Your work doesn’t matter. Your money doesn’t matter. Your friends on Instagram don’t matter. It all just doesn’t matter in the end. In the end, you will die. And if you don’t change something, you are doing to die with so much regret in your heart.

I’d rather have happiness in my heart. I’d rather lay on my death bed, ready for death to come, knowing I created happiness every day of my life, focusing on things I love.

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