082 – Embrace The Unexpected - a podcast by Alf Herigstad

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EMBRACE THE ENEXPECTED!Welcome to Monday!  It’s the start of a new week of life…and life, everyday is kind of an adventure isn’t it?  Because you never know whats going to happen.
Well, I am your host, Alf Herigstad, and whats happening right now is this podcast…thank you for tuning in.So, like I was saying, life…the living of it from one moment to the next is kind of an adventure.  Oh sure, it doesn’t always seem like an adventure, especially if you are letting life happen to you. 
A lot of it you can anticipate and predict…because it’s the same stuff that happens every day, large parts of life might seem boring or mundane…and they are, exactly that.However…in everybody’s life, on occasion something unexpected happens doesn’t it?  Someone says something you didn’t expect, or the car in front of you careens off the highway, a deer or rabbit runs across the road in front of you, you get a phone call with terrible news…or really good news.
Unexpected things happen all the time, to everyone.  That’s why they are called unexpected…because we didn’t know that was going to happen, we didn’t expect it.It is in these unexpected moments that adventure can happen.  Some of these unexpected moments can be life changing, while others just become a story you tell at dinner that evening, but each and every one of these unexpected moments are critically important to your life, wether they are good or bad.  They give everything else context, and it is in these moments that we learn.
Imagine for a moment, life without unexpected moments.  Imagine a world in which nothing unexpected ever happens.   I think there is a name for that; it’s called death.Obviously, what matters most when these moments happen is what we do, how we react, and it is in these moments that we have an opportunity to know ourselves a little better, based on our reactions.
In these times we live in many people have it very easy, too easy in my opinion.  Unexpected moments have become rare for some.  These are soft times we are living in, and we as men in general are becoming soft as a result.Lets think for a moment about our ancestors.  Regardless of your heritage, all of our ancestors had something in common…every day for them was about survival.  Every day was chock full of unexpected events.  You never knew when you left your shelter in the morning if you would come back alive because almost everything in the world was trying to kill you. 
How they reacted to these events made the difference if they would live or die, if they would have enough food for the winter, if they and their family would remain part of the community, at a time when the community was essential for survival.Unexpected events were the rule for our ancestors…not the exception, as it is today.  This way of life might sound harsh, and like a whole lot of no fun…but it also had its advantages;  it made them keen, and sharp.  Every man knew who he was, his limitations and his virtues.  It made them strong and brave and let them know on a daily basis where they needed to improve.  Every body back then was living as the best version of themselves…because if you didn’t, you might die.
That is how we got to where we are today.  Because our ancestors succeeded, because they survived, here we are standing in their wake, the beneficiaries of their daily struggle.  We are the product of everything they did.So, what do we do with that information in 2016?  How do we make this relevant to our cushy lives?  How do we honor our ancestors for ensuring their DNA made it this far?
I’ll tell you how, by living life full steam ahead.  By taking risks and chances, by doing the things we are afraid to do.  By identifying those obstacles that are holding us back and crushing them.  By creating for yourself an environment in which unexpected moments are the rule, just like they were for our ancestors.Our ancestors didn’t...

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