Sustainable Living

"You mean we get to swim around in a circle, bike in a circle, and run in a circle, and then come back to the same place that we started?"

What a cool way to live! It all doesn't necessarily mean we try to get "anywhere" specifically, but just go through the process only to get back where we came.

This has been something I've been grappling with all year, not just within the Ironman goal and trying to figure out a really "deep" meaning behind it, but with the purposefulness of all the big things that we all place great importance on... Career, relationships, success, health, spiritual development. The first instinct is to try to figure out "what is the end goal here?". When you look at it globally, though, it's all about coming back to the place that you started.

I'm becoming quite enamoured with the word "sustainability." It started many years ago, but in the past year I've tried to sharpen my senses in searching for areas of sustainability around me or in my own life. There is, certainly, a level of environmental and societal sustainability that is preached in the news and in recent movies. I recently read about "AnInconvenient Truth" by Al Gore. I have yet to see the movie, in large part because I really do agree with many of the points that I have read it covers, and I don't feel a pressing need for another movie to open my eyes to something I am already well aware of. I read enough newspapers, books and online accounts to know what's going on.

The common dogma of the environmental movement really can be explained with the word "sustainability". I don't believe we can go back to living in the woods and not allow societal pressure to dictate a part of our conservation strategy, but I also do believe that we each have a role to play in our own contribution to the environmental issue. It's a problem and the easy thing to do is throw your hands up and say "where do I start?" and then not start. But Al Gore, and many like him, ask for the practice of "carbon neutral" living, meaning that for every emission and environmentally impactful action or event that you are involved in, that you equally contribute to the preservation of the environment. In other words, your presence has a neutral effect on the environment, or better.

Interesting thought...

Now, I would like to take that down to a micro level and ask if it's possible to be "neutral" in our own lifestyle. Because what I am concerned about is whether I can maintain an Ironman training schedule, have a career, be financially independent, have a family life, maintain social relationships, be "healthy" (nutrition, sleep, virus-free), be spiritual, meet my intellectual needs, and, oh yeah, have fun in the process. That seems like a monumental task... But if we break it down, the key is figuring out the balancing point in each of them. I know, also, the being excessive in any one area at the expense of another, will make the balancing act.... unsustainable. Much like unchecked industrialization creates wealth at the expense of the environment and, in some ways, the lower class, I cannot be "all Ironman" at the expense of my career, or my spiritual health, etc. because it will prove unsustainable - I'll be poor and in debt, for one, but also will lose out on family, fun, etc....

There is an "identity" associated with the Ironman athlete or other extreme sport participant that we are expected to be self-absorbed, one dimensional... The "tri geek" label is not without its merits in the description of some of us. But, I don't think that because the stereotype exists, that it's necessary to slot into that. I fully believe, and have seen this, in people who compete in Ironman and, outside of that, lead fairly "normal" lives.

So, what does it require to do this all? It is not easy, first of all. And I think acknowledging that is step number one. It does take some work and commitment. But I think the easy part comes by looking at everything as a compliment to the other. I need a career, and to be successful, in order to afford and justify being an Ironman, and also to fund the other things I want to be. It's hard to be spiritually focused when you're always in debt, because you are stressed. And stressful living is a surefire way to being unsustainable.

The first thing I need to do is sharpen my time management up, recognizing that, with 24 hours in my day, I have a finite amount of time to accomplish my goal of sustainable living. I need to look at my priorities and what being "sustainable" means in each of these areas that I've identified as important to me. In financial success and independence, I am recognizing that my day job as an IT sales rep is sustaining me, and I need to ensure that I am successful in that. I also need to recognize that, while I have a salary, the expenses that I incur as an Ironman athlete are above my ability, with a salary, to maintain, so I need to realize that I have to look for more sources of financial wealth, but also realize that I have to consider the finite amount of time that I have. See, it's difficult, but that simply tells me that gaining income from sources that don't require large investments of time is important... Hmm, this means investing and letting my money generate its OWN income.

Now, I'm not greedy. I don't need millions. What I need, though, is a plan of attack and I need to realize that, in order to be how I want to be, I must learn to be active in the investment market.

The bottom line is that I would love to be doing Ironmans on a yearly basis and enjoy the process without pinching my dollars to the point of extinction, a habit I have built up despite my background in financial advising.

Independent lifestyle is all about sustainable living, and the two are intertwined. Being an Ironman athlete is one of the things I do, and I love it, but it is sustained by my ability to fill the other areas of life in conjunction with it.

Being broke is nothing to be admired nor is it a "simpler" way of life. To live and exist in a city liek Vancouver, you simply need money. To be an Ironman, you need $10-15k of disposable income PER YEAR. It's simple math that if it takes $35,000 to live independently in Vancouver (and I have done so on $35,000/year) then you need $50,000 to do the Ironman as well. And this is assuming that the rest of life doesn't come into play. I have a wedding and two trips to the States already for 2007, in addition to my Ironman schedule, that will be another $3-4k throughout the year...

And so on and so on, and the real trick is that every year there will be "something". One year there will be a family, and that will require a whole restructuring of how "sustainable living" applies when you add the dependence of others.

It's funny, but deciding that Ironman was important part of my life has, instead of limiting my options, it's causing me to think of all my options and focus on creating my life in all areas, and figuring out what's important in each. Throughout this year I'll be refining and thinking more and more about what is truly important in each area of my life and figuring out how that works (i.e. sustains itself). But it's one thing at a time. I know I can do financial, Ironman, and start on eating healthy so I have energy for it all, getting in touch spiritually, etc. I can't worry about relationships right now, or a partner, because, well, I don't have one to worry about yet. So, as that becomes a part of this life, I can intertwine it into the fabric of the other aspects that I am "sustaining" (see, I love this word now).

Thus, a start on the theme of this year. Become a better athlete and a more well-sustained person... Continue the journey...