Disproportionate Effects

I was doing some introspective journaling in my private, offline journal and for some reason I decided to use Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid to psychoanalyze my current state of existence (woahhh, heavy dude...okay not really, just something fun to use as a measuring stick of "where am I at?").  

The interesting insight that I felt like sharing is that health, located in the second Safety section of the pyramid (a step above our physiological needs) seems to have a disproportionate effect on my wellbeing. That is to say, both levels above and below, above: love & belonging, esteem, and also below: physiological needs like "sleep," are more deeply effected by the effort (effort = time + focus) I spend on my personal health. Which also leads to greater creativity (located at the top of the pyramid in "Self-Actualization"). 

If nothing else, let this serve as a reminder to get 8 hours of sleep a night, drink tons of water, and realize that you must sometimes be rooted in your routine in order to be violently creative in your work. 

I chose the words "rooted in your routine" specifically, and rather than "boring," even though it was the first word to cross my mind. 

You never need to be boring. Reading isn't boring unless you're reading about a boring subject. And writing should never be boring because you should be writing about things you know! Or reading about things until you know them well enough to write ;) 

All that being said, I've noticed a huge improvement in my...I don't know what you call it...overall performance (?) since I've put a huge amount of focus and emphasis on my health. 

I've always been a healthy guy, playing hockey all the way up through college, but doubling down my my diet and water intake, making time for long walks, and activities that appease my mental health (doing random things or learning about things outside my sphere of excellence) has seemed to be, again, disproportionately effective in it's ability to create positive results. 

Take control of your well-being! Remember that you can't help anyone if you don't help yourself first.