[Neurons] 2014 "Neurons" Meta Reflections #25

[L. Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

Meta Reflections 2014 #25

June 30, 2014

 

 

VITALITY IT NATURAL; 

DEVITALIZATION IS UNNATURAL

 

 

If people can and do experience life at too low a level on the hierarchy of
needs (Maslow's model, Meta Reflection #24), then what are people suppose to
get and experience at the lower levels?  If the "lower" needs, driven by
deficiency, which when adequately gratified go away, then what?  If these
D-needs are instrumental and the B-needs are non-instrumental, then what are
they the means to?

 

Glad you asked!  And the answer is simple and can be describe by a single
word-vitality.  All of the lower needs are life-needs or necessities
(requirements) for being alive.  And in saying "being alive," I don't mean
merely existing, getting by, surviving.  I mean being fully alive to the
human experience-to the adventure of life.  Yet when we ask ourselves the
questions about this level of vitality, most people are not fully alive.
Are they?  Okay, they may not be zombies, yet how many drag themselves
through life, through their jobs, their relationships, and the activities of
everyday life?  And how many are full of everyday complaints about not being
motivated, not having the energy to do things, and feeling that they have no
passion about anything.  They are bored.  They don't know what to do with
themselves.  They are waiting for something.  But what?

 

By contrast, the idea of being fully alive to the adventure of life is our
heritage.  Just look at the life of a small child.  Talk about being alive
to the mystery and wonder and adventure of life!  Talk about vitality!  Then
of course, we send them to school and they get most of it knocked out of
them -all in the name of "education."

 

Now this being fully alive is the design of the Neuro-Semantic series,
Self-Actualization Psychology.  In fact, this is the name of the first
module in that series, Unleashing Vitality.  That's where we start.  Why?
What's so important about vitality?

 

First, vitality is important first of all because we all use and need a lot
of energy every day.  After all, it takes a good amount of energy (vitality)
to actualize anything that's important and meaningful to you- whether at
home, work, or with some project that's highly valuable to you.  It also
takes a lot of vitality to be able to handle life's everyday demands at home
and work.  So if at the end of the day, you go home ... and go into your
Energy Room and stand on your Joy Meter to see how much life and soul you
have at the end of the day, and your Joy Meter is hardly registering- you've
got a problem. 

 

What is that problem?  You could have a vitality leak.  Or you could have a
vitality dampener.  Somehow you are letting work or friends or family or
children or chores or something suck the very life out of you!  Even if your
Joy Meter is only registering in the middle of the scale, you still have a
problem.  Something is happening that's preventing you from living life with
passion, and joy, and aliveness, and high motivation.  I wonder what that
is?

 

Second, vitality is important because without a strong sense of vitality or
aliveness, you will not be feeling good.  You will be dragging yourself
through life and work and activities rather than being full of the innate
vitality that you were born with.  Innate vitality?  Yes, we were born for
that and as children we had that.  So what happened?  Were did our thrill
and absorption and passion for learning go?

 

In Self-Actualization Psychology, as developed by Maslow, Rogers, and
others, we think of human nature as innately wired for motivation- for
vitality, energy, being alive, etc.  This has tremendous applications.  If
we are, in our nature, in our biology, in our psychology, etc., wired for
vitality, then we do not need for find some great Formula X that will solve
our motivational problems.  We do not need to add Formula X to our lives.
What's needed is for us simply to eliminate the things that are downgrading,
interfering, sabotaging, and throwing cold water on our vitality.  Vitality
is natural; devitalized is unnatural.  So is depression, feeling
demotivated, lacking energy, etc.

 

Vitality is natural.  And when you are taking care of your body as it needs
to be taken care of- you will be beaming and energetic.  Nor is this rocket
science.  Among other things, it means eating right.  If your body and brain
is nutritionally deprived or trashed, you will not be able to think very
well.  It means moving your body.  Today we call this experience by the
disconcerting term, "exercise."  Moving your body means physical activity-
walking, running, swimming, cycling, taking the stairs, dancing, standing
up, moving around, sweating.  Yes, sweating.  That cleanses your body!  If
the state of being inactive and sweatless attracts you, you've chosen the
wrong species to be born into.  That describes the state of the dead, and
you'll be there sooner than you want.  Now is the time to get active.

 

When you are appropriately active, you will naturally get good sleep.
Insufficient sleep reduces concentration and alertness.  It undermines your
ability to learn, solve problems and remember.  Today just as so many people
suffer from activity deprivation (exercise) so also many people suffer from
sleep deprivation.  They stay up too late mindlessly watching TV and then go
through the day feeling the need for a nap and so readily able to nod off.
(More about this in the next Meta Reflection.)

 

A healthy vitality shows up in not only in your level of energy and
activity, not only in your restfulness, it shows up in your passion and
ability to learn new things.  There's an innate passion for challenging your
brain, for reading challenging materials and exercising your mind.  It will
mean you won't be satisfied with life on the couch flipping TV channels.  So
here's to the rediscovering of your vitality- to becoming more fully alive
to life's adventure.  See you soon at a Neuro-Semantic training!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

                Neuro-Semantics Executive Director 

                Neuro-Semantics International

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

                1 970-523-7877 

                Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


     

    

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