As you read this, there’s a bloke spending $2 million a year trying to reverse his ageing. He wants to live forever.
At the same time there’s someone else, somewhere, halfway through their tenth pint, just finished a pizza for four, lighting another cigarette, saying, ‘You’ve got to enjoy life.’
Both are convinced they’ve got it right.
Both are wrong.
Or… both might be right?
That’s the problem with extremes.
I was watching a documentary about Bryan Johnson (the live forever bloke not the singer with AC/DC). Every calorie is measured. Every minute optimised. 100+ pills a day. Food has no joy, only purpose.
It’s impressive.
It’s disciplined.
It’s also, for most of us, completely unliveable.
Then there’s the other side. The ‘I’ll do what I like’ crowd. No rules. No structure. No thought for the future. Just immediate gratification.
And every now and again, someone from that side lives longer than someone from the ultra-health camp.
And that one example becomes ‘proof’.
Like, ‘My grandad smoked 40 a day and lived to 92.’
You’ve heard it.
We humans love exceptions.
They justify our extremes.
We don’t look for truth.
We look for proof.
Proof that we’re right.
You see it everywhere.
In health.
In business.
In religious beliefs.
Some people will tell you there’s only one way to build a business: scale it, sell it, move on.
Others will say you’d be mad to relentlessly chase growth when you could build something simple, enjoyable and still have time for the things you love.
Both sides have evidence.
Both sides have stories.
Both sides think the other is missing the point.
And then there’s religious belief.
Take something like Westboro Baptist Church. An extreme example of a congregation using hate to justify their Christian beliefs.
They don’t represent the millions of people who quietly live their faith with kindness and care.
Here’s what I’ve noticed.
Extreme people stop exploring. They start defending.
Defending their diet. Their business model. Their beliefs. Their way.
Extremism gives certainty. But it takes away something important.
Freedom.
Freedom to change your mind.
Freedom to adapt.
Freedom to say, ‘Maybe there’s another way.’
I caught myself doing it researching this newsletter.
When I was listening to Bryan Johnson I kept thinking, ‘That’s ridiculous.’
Then found myself agreeing with him on sleep.
Then disagreeing again.
I was picking the bits that suited me.
Do you do it?
Here’s how I’m questioning my potential extremes.
Is this improving my life and making me happy?
Is this making life better for the people closest to me?
Is this making the world a better place?
Life is more than winning the argument.
More than proving you’re right.
More than living forever or burning out trying.
It’s about finding what works for you.
Your version.
Your balance.
Your just right.
Be Brilliant!
Michael
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