Episode 5: Why running is more glorious than winning a million dollars—How to tap into unlimited vitality
There is an indescribable glow that exudes from someone living a life of joy. Their eyes are alive with a sparkle that beguiles their age and their stride is full of purpose and energy—a purpose that has nothing to do with the force of worldly ambition but everything to do with the wellspring of life itself. Here’s the question, “How is it that some of us feel constantly exhausted everyday despite apparently doing little, while others always meet life with a bright, energetic smile on their face, even in the midst of life’s hardships?”
Listen now:
In this episode of Super Soul Podcast, we will…
Explore how a joyful life is the key to boundless energy and vitality
Learn about the rejuvenating power of joy
Gain perspective by understanding the difference between happiness and joy
Redefine our relationship with our life goals, ambition and direction
Discover how to tap into and harness the power of joy in your daily life
“When we engage in daily activities that resonate with our true selves, with things that are important to us, we continually replenish our inner reservoirs with meaning and purpose.”
Full transcript below.
There is an indescribable glow that exudes from someone living a life of joy. You would know it if you saw it—a never-ending vitality that seems to bubble from deep within them. They might not look fancy on the surface, perhaps a wrinkling old lady, a casually-dressed youngster from down the street or they might even hail from a humble background, but you know surely, they are touched by the kiss of life. Exuding from their beingness is a glowing vitality; their eyes are alive with a sparkle that beguiles their age and their stride is full of purpose and energy—a purpose that has nothing to do with the force of worldly ambition but everything to do with the wellspring of life itself.
And while the rest of us struggle to feel alive in the monotony of our daily lives, people touched with the power of joy never appear to tire at all, even in the face of hardship. Here’s the question, “How is it that some of us feel constantly exhausted everyday despite apparently doing little, while others always meet life with a bright, energetic smile on their face, even in the midst of life’s hardships?”
Kings of old and adventurers of long forgotten stories may have spent their entire youth seeking the ever-lasting elixir to life and never found it. But today you and I will be going on a journey to discover how to tap into the rejuvenating powers of joy for a life full of vitality, drive and glow!
_____
In my twenties, I was very much into fitness and running. A large part of it was driven by the fact that I never had the pleasure of doing physical activities when I was young, but the other part was driven by the sheer joy of running. The exhilaration of the runner’s high that every runner knows, is to me, more glorious than winning a million dollars. For the better part of an entire decade, I dedicated my time and energy training for triathlons and marathons. I meticulously crafted my diet, fine-tuned my runs and even monitored my sleep patterns. Back when there weren’t all these smartphone apps to track our daily lives, I would manually do it using Excel, painstakingly inputting every bit of information to analyse my performance. Of course, I never won medals nor even came close to ranking within the top 50 in any race but there was a deep sense of satisfaction after every event—one that made me want to put on my running shoes day in and day out and continue my physically intense lifestyle.
Every time my foot hits the pavement, a feeling of delight, mixed with gratification will bubble up. Each swing I take is a consummation of the step before, triggering my dopamine pathways, driving me to take the next one and the next one, even when my muscles may be screaming out in exhaustion. The non-runners may think we are masochists for wanting to push ourselves so hard, and yet, people who exercise regularly have greater energy levels than those who don’t. So, how is it an activity that uses up energy, generates more energy?
It is very simple.
Every time my heel strikes the ground, my muscles clench and my entire body prepares for the intricate dance of movement, one that releases in perfect harmony with each step. I am moving forwards, all aspects of me—body, heart, mind and soul—into the path ahead, a new space that welcomes me with open arms. With each stride, I enter a boundless expanse of self-discovery and growth; every step a testament to my journey and a joyful celebration of the one that preceded it. I don’t merely move through space; I become an active participant in the unfolding narrative of my journey.
This simple act of running, step by step, allows me to tap into reservoirs of energy I never knew existed within me, as if my body is a bottomless wellspring of energy and with each rhythmic breath and pounding heartbeat, I draw from it a renewed sense of vitality. This energy isn’t just physical; it is also emotional, mental and spiritual. Through this continuous process, I rejuvenate myself every moment of every day. It reminds me that the capacity of renewal resides within us, waiting to be tapped into.
When we engage in daily activities that resonate with our true selves, with things that are important to us, we continually replenish our inner reservoirs with meaning and purpose—not through external success or material gains but through the sense of self-discovery and renewal that accompanies our journey itself. It is a powerful reminder that the most amazing experiences can be found in the ordinary activities of our daily lives, even in the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other.
_____
Jack London expressed this really beautifully in his story “The Call of the Wild” about Buck, the free-spirited dog, who displayed a greatness of heart and nobility of spirit. Buck served one master after another, all the while hearing the call, whispering to him, until he finally, after many trials and tribulations, reconnected with his inner wolf and returned home to the wilds where he truly belonged.
I quote this paragraph, “He was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.” The phrase that really caught my attention here was that joy is, “...everything that was not death.”.
Joy is a celebration of what it means to be alive; confetti, fireworks and all. There is an enduring quality about Joy that centers on the journey itself. It isn’t just the temporal happiness about achieving a goal or about getting your hands on the latest product release. Rather, it is the recognition of what it took to get to your goal and the patience and effort it took to obtain your favourite product.
In other words, the true meaning of having lived at all, the essence of life, lies not in the finite and material things but in the journey that we undertake, the experiences we go through and the stories we tell about it, where every triumph and failure, love and pain, joy and sorrow, collectively make up our experience in life to give it the sense of completeness.
Yes, even the ugly emotions that people so often reject, are also an important ingredient of the joyful experience. And in fact, it is precisely because the ugly things are present that we are able to appreciate joy. Because the best and most complete experiences are ones that contain both sides of the truth, that is, without black there is no white. Contrast brings depth and depth brings meaning.
More often than not, joy is misconstrued for happiness and yet they are completely different. People often use these two words interchangeably without realising that happiness is transient and fleeting while joy is a state of beingness. Happiness may disappear when our desires are unmet or when we are in a bad situation, but joy endures even if the trials of life remain.
Buck, the dog in Jack London’s story, knows this really well. Even though life was difficult and he worked for many a hard task master, once as a sled dog delivering mail in the snowy Yukon, he never failed to connect with his wild instincts to tap into the joy of running in the mountains.
It is really a lifestyle that requires a genuine shift of habits, thought patterns and emotional states for it to work. When we move away from the modern world’s obsession with end results and recognise that fulfilment lies in the process too, we embark on a paradigm shift that redefines how we engage with life itself. This is not to dismiss the importance of having goals. In fact, both the destination and the journey are important. Separately they are incomplete but together they make up the whole. With this harmonious marriage, neither overshadows the other but work together in seamless harmony for a deeply fulfilling and purposeful life.
_____
And so what exactly is joy? If I had to define it in words, I’d say that joy is a very delightful, pleasant and pulsating kind of energy, a feeling so palpable as to be unmistakable. You would know it if you have it. It buzzes with a vibrancy that infuses you with an inexhaustible energy and endless vitality. You feel like you have so much to give to the world. You are never tired and can keep going the distance.
In that sense, it is quite the opposite of emptiness; that hollowness often seen in someone whose entire life’s focus is chasing after power, good looks or material wealth. And because it springs from the source of life itself, I think of it as a life-giving energy, that if you are able to tap into it, you will be constantly brimming with vitality.
There is a point that I’d like to make that, when I say “tap into it”, I’m speaking as if I am doing an action to take from the stream of energy, but it isn’t so much an act of taking, as it is an act of completely embodying and BEING joy itself. There is no need to buy, take or seek it externally from others, because you can’t, really. Joy isn’t something to be bought but it is something to become or to be. When you harmonise with joy, you become a part of the source itself, radiating it to the world around you, in turn teaching others how to tap into their own source of never-ending vitality.
Imagine all the effort and money people spend chasing after this elusive feeling but that which can be attained simply by being conscious of every step of your journey and celebrating it.
And so, here are three pieces of advice I would give my younger self:
Shift your focus on the journey too, not just the destination. Both are equally important because one provides direction while the other imparts meaning. Together, both destination and journey help us lead a deeply fulfilling and joyous life.
Reward yourself for every milestone achieved and celebrate your journey, wherever you are at. The celebration is an act of witnessing and acknowledging your hard work, and that is equally as important as success itself.
Lastly, choose a journey that resonates with the core of your inner being; one that calls out to you and aligns with your personal growth direction. Is there something you have always wanted to explore but never did before? This journey cannot be chosen by your family, friends, spouse or even what society says is respected or not. It has to be something that you are trying to discover for yourself. And through that growth phase, you will derive great meaning from your journey. And this is something that NO ONE can take away from you. You own it. Your decision. Your choice. Your journey.
And so I end the podcast with the question, “Can you think of an experience you went through today that deserves celebration?”
Thank you for being here with me on my journey. Stay curious and hydrated on yours.