In The Next Five Years, Want More.

(Taken from the five-year anniversary speech presented to members of Vibe Vault Fit) 

Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

We are all driven to something bigger.

It’s a yearning to matter, to contribute, to belong, and to be an integral part of a greater whole.

What if you didn’t just yearn for it.  What if you truly believed you, in fact, mattered. 

I am here to tell you, you do.

There is a purpose and meaning to each of our existence - we are here as unique expressions serving a unique purpose in the sea of life.  

How do i know this? Because, we have no choice but to impact the things we touch. The moment you walk into a room your presence alters it.  Each person you smile at, impact.  Each conversation, impact.  Each frown, impact.  And that might be the case just in a room of acquaintances and friends.  Imagine your impact on colleagues, partners, family, kids.

We have no choice but to impact the lives we touch, but the choice we do have is we can either live unconscious and unaware of that impact, allowing it to hit positively or negatively out of our conscious control, or we can wake up and drive that impact.

Why am i talking about all of this? Trust me i have a point.

Here is the thing, we cannot fulfill our true purpose, at least not well, until we live as whole and healthy beings – and that requires as much as possible, fitness of body, mind, and psyche. Our physical wellbeing is tied to our mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing in a system of interconnected parts, and until we serve each part of the system the fuel it needs to function properly, we will not be able to serve our purpose well, or in the extreme case, the whole system will break down.  Trust me i have been there.

So, what does it mean to live whole and well? It is to live consciously: to be aware. Aware of what fortifies us and what diminishes us, aware of what we need, aware of who we are and the gifts we bring, aware of our impact and potential impact.

It also means making conscious choices. This starts with knowing we are in fact choosing our lives in every moment at every step: it means being accountable for those choices, taking ownership and agency of our lives, and most importantly our wellbeing.  It means being on our own side, growing in strength and courage so we choose in a way that works for us, rather than against us.

Our wellness is our responsibility and our obligation.  We owe it to ourselves and to the world to show up in a way that is healthy and whole, so we can offer the best of who we are, with the full strength of our body, mind, and soul, to those we touch.  Thus, driving and directing our own impact.

Here is a final secret: we are all already whole.  Our core is already healthy, but we need to get rid of the muck, the residue of negative systems that have muddied access to that core out of the way: our histories of struggle or trauma, societal messages, daily stressors, disconnection. 

We do that by creating healthier, conscious systems.  Systems guided by compassion, acceptance, inclusion, “otherlessness”, belonging, encouragement, and empowerment.  Systems driven by a greater depth of meaning and purpose.  Systems dedicated to lifting and elevating each other and the lives we lead.  

It is only together that we can do that.

A system is created by people.  In this system at vibe vault fit, and in each system we are a part of (culture, community, work, family), what we each do has impact, how we each show up has impact.  And why we each do what we do becomes crucial; what does it mean to be an instructor or s.o. here, what does it mean to be a member of the tribe?  It means you each have a part to play - what you do matters, how you show up matters, it means your gifts your light matter, it means you are an integral part of who we are and who we can become. 

Our work is cut out for us and each of you has an important part to play.  Your health and wellness are critical to your purpose in life.  It matters because you, your impact, matters.  It is why our work is to support you in uncovering your inherent strength and wellbeing.  Whether it is through our fitness classes so you can feel physically strong, motivated, and healthy, or through creating a space that allows you to explore your own internal power, nurture your mind, support your emotional wellbeing, and help create greater peace, connection, and joy.

Our commitment to you in the 5 years ahead is to empower you in your journey to wholeness, wellness, and consciousness living so you can live bigger and do what you were always meant to do. 

So, you think you joined a gym?  Yes, in essence, sure.  But think again, think bigger. You joined a movement.  A movement “to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

Tribe, we are here coz we want “the more” for you. 

We are here for it.

I ask you: are you?