Intensity Turned Inward: Finding Healthy Outlets

So, I did a lot of thinking yesterday.  Especially last night.  I thought about this intensity that Rod mentions in his blog - this part of me that kept me alive in Iraq and is causing me so many problems now.  For most of the evening yesterday, I was at a loss - what the hell do I do about this?  How do I know what a healthy outlet is for me?

To do this, I needed to create a personal definition of my intensity, my drive.  Ugh.  Easier than it sounds.  I have tried a billion things, using anything from meditation to rug hooking to video games to exercise.  They all left me feeling dissatisfied, chomping at the bit to do more.  All of these outlets just ended up delaying the inevitable implosion that invariably followed.  It has been a vicious cycle for me and it's a cycle I really want to break.

I have thought about a related question:  Doesn't being a good husband and a good father motivate you enough?  Doesn't that give your drive a healthy outlet?

In short: No.

I need people to understand that I love being a father and a husband.  Love it.  They are my reason for living, for persevering.  What they do not provide is an outlet for this intensity, even though they have experienced the fallout from that intensity when it turns inward.  This intensity, this drive is something that is entirely and deeply personal and not something that I share with others to find fulfillment.  The drive, when properly directed, provides me with a sense of fulfillment and peace.

If this is the case, when was the last time my drive was pointed in the right direction?  This is what I thought long and hard about last night.  I wanted to identify what I was doing that gave me that feeling and what was the criteria for feeling that way again.  And then it hit me - having the freedom to direct my own destiny - when the only person I would have to blame for failure was me.  The last time I was in that position was when I was in Iraq, leading a life of service, responsible for keeping our troops safe from insurgency.

That left me with even more to think about.  I live in Pennsylvania.  Is there a way to recreate that feeling here?  That's the mission I have given myself - figuring out how to recreate that feeling.  What are the fundamental underlying threads that I need to recreate?  Is this activity something I have to do for myself or can I get my family invovled?  That's where I am now.  I think this may have been a major breakthrough, but time will tell.  I will write on this more in the coming days as my purpose for 'being' becomes clear.

For those folks out there who can identify with my definition of intensity and Rod Deaton's description of drive, it's time for a gut check.  Take the time to sit down and think about this.  Talk to your families about this, your parents, your spouse, your siblings, your friends.  This has the feeling of momentous change for me and I hope it does for you too.  Time to go think for a while.  Enjoy your Sunday and I will follow up tomorrow!