#953 Doing Everything Possible

In our last +1, we explored the (brilliant) five-word philosophy of Georges Hébert: “Be fit to be useful.”

Today we’re going to revisit the same theme from another angle.

So…

I’m currently enjoying another great book by Eknath Easwaran called Words to Live By. (Book #9 for those keeping track!)

This one is a collection of short readings of daily wisdom featuring some of the history’s leading spiritual luminaries.

Rumi. Saint Teresa of Avila. Gandhi. Buddha. Meister Eckart. Saint Francis of Assisi.

Let’s just say that it’s not the kind of book in which you’d expect to read much about “being fit to be useful.”

Yet…

Here’s what Easwaran has to say on the subject: “If you want to live life at its fullest, do everything possible to keep your body in vibrant health in order to give back to life a little of what it has given you.”

In other words…

Be fit to be useful.

Important note: When Easwaran says “do everything possible to keep your body in vibrant health,” he means that LITERALLY.

The man was a professional spiritual Optimizing machine.

In another one of his books, he tells us: “Today, everything I do from morning meditation on—eating breakfast, going for a walk, writing, reading, even recreation—is governed by one purpose only: how to give the very best account of my life that I can in the service of all.”

Every time I think about that passage (which is often) I’m humbled and inspired by his heroic-minded commitment.

EVERYTHING (!) he does is “governed by one purpose only: how to give the very best account” of his life “in the service of all.”

And…

That’s Today’s +1.

Are you doing EVERYTHING possible to keep your body in vibrant health so you can give the very best account of your life in service of all?

If not (and who truly is?), what’s the next highest-leverage thing you KNOW you could Optimize in our never-ending evolving process of striving to be fit to be useful?

(Seriously.)

(What is it?)

(Let’s get on that!)