“Virturvian Notes” The Blog of Jason Wright

Commitment changes everything. It’s not enough to say we’ll do a thing. We must resolve to do it. Franklin lived in a much different time. Honor was something to be cherished and respected especially when it came to your fellow man.

It’s right there in the Declaration of Independence- “We pledge our lives, fortunes and sacred honor.”

Back then a man breaking his word could mean ruining his reputation for good. Therefore, it’s no surprise Franklin held in such high esteem the virtue of resolution. One must be willing to carry out their commitments.

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‘Order, too, with regard to places for things, papers, etc, I found extremely difficult to acquire. I had not been early accustomed to it, and, having an exceeding good memory, I was not so sensible of the inconvenience attending want of method…I made so little progress in amendment, and had such frequent relapses, that I was almost ready to give up..”

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I was 35 years old when I was elected to the Tyler City Council. I was thought to be a young, somewhat cocky political ladder stepper prone to oration. I’ll admit, I like to give a good speech. I really enjoy being in front of people and making an argument for something I believe strongly in.

This being the case it was expected once I was elected I would use the council dias as a podium for grandstanding and oration. I knew this was the case. So what was my strategy to dismiss this bias? Silence. I actually made a point to see how few instead of how many words I would speak during a council meeting.

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Habits are amazing things. I’ve written about them before. I will write about them again. There are numerous books on them. Habits and their benefits have made James Clear a very wealthy and sought after man. I’m always trying to form or break some habit.

That’s kind of weird isn’t it? You’d think by now I’d already have all my bad habits broken. Like weeds they just keep popping up. I’m currently writing a series of articles on Ben Franklin’s 13 virtues. Franklin captured these virtues in his aptly named book, ‘Benjamin Franklin’s Book of Virtues.’ (Check back here for my 13 part series on each of his 13 virtues).

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You’re at lunch with some friends. All fire is friendly. You know you don’t have to worry about these folks being “triggered.” This is a time where you actually have the benefit of the doubt that you aren’t a white supremacist or woke worshiper. You’re just all friends with varying views on different topics.

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Benjamin Franklin, it could be said, was America’s own Leonardo Da Vinci. He was a polymath for sure. He was a skilled writer, statesman, inventor and by all accounts one of the brightest individuals of his day.

If you wear bifocals, you are connected to Mr. Franklin. Ever had to use a catheter, that’s Ben also. What about electricity? Well, we all know that one.

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On the whole, I fear Americans are pretty ignorant to how the economy actually works. We hear things like inflation, stagnation, recession and we know they are bad, but we can't really explain why they are what they are.

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It was David Goggin’s first ultra-endurance marathon. His kidneys had failed. He had shin splints beyond bearable to most humans. His feet were riddled with small fractures. He was 240 lbs and he was in what he called “the greatest pain of his life.”

It was at this moment David Goggins who was becoming the David Goggins we all know today-quite arguably the toughest man on earth.

"I believed it enough to where my body said 'He's not gonna stop,'" Goggins said. "

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It’s 1991. These are the days when SNL was actually good. The cast was strong, and my friend Damon and I never missed an episode. It was this year a self help guru was born.

“Wait,” you ask. “Did Tony Robbins get his start on SNL?”

No. Not that self guru. The one I’m referring to is none other than Stuart Smalley who pointed the famous line, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough and dog gone it people like me.”

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So here’s how I ended up racing down this rabbit hole. I wanted to better understand sources of protein and which ones were the most effective. So I start my research. That took me down a path of plant protein vs. animal protein.

Disclaimer: I am neither pro or anti vegan. I’m just not a vegan. In my research I came across this documentary made by James Cameron, you know the guy who did Terminator, Avatar oh and that little number with the old lady who chunked the huge diamond in the ocean at the end?

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Pardon me while I rant a bit here. I have to say I’m sick of people refusing to claim agency over their lives. The latest dust up of Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter has really been eye opening.

Here’s what I mean. So we have a guy who claims his reasoning for purchasing the ‘public town square’ is to open it up to more free speech. One sort of person loves this idea. More speech equals more discourse. More discourse a better understanding of truth vs. opinion.

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This was a special week for me. I had the pleasure of visiting Johnson Space Center for the ump-teenth time, and for some reason was more inspired than ever. As I looked upon the artifacts and photos of all the things created by the folks at NASA over the years I was moved by just how amazing the human mind really is.

I couldn’t help be think, “All this once resided in someone’s mind, and now here it is. Rockets that can go to the moon, suits that can protect humans in a zero oxygen environment and allow them to float in space.”

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“It was so cold that if the thermometer had been an inch longer we’d have froze to death.”-Mark Twain

Are you freezing to death because of the temperature or because of the thermometer? Many of us only “see” instead of experience. We aren’t truly aware. When we decide to be aware everything changes.

How about darkness. Can we fight darkness? No. Of course we can’t. We so often throw punches at the darkness hoping it will dissipate. Our awareness of light overcoming darkness will stop the punches and cause us to reach for the light switch.

I encourage you to start truly understanding the meaning of words. Realize your meaning and the meaning of another may come from a completely different life experience. You get to decide what words mean to you. If I say, “You’re a low life piece of sh**!” My meaning of the phrase only raises to the level of the value you place on it.

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There are several things that make a relationship go from good to great. One of the single greatest characteristics a relationship can possess for success and satisfaction is trust.

A relationship based on trust is light and airy. It’s fun. It leaves space for all the good parts of a relationship like shared experiences and moments of bliss. Nothing unleashes the full potential of a relationship like sound trust.

So how do you build trust in a relationship? Well, for starters you have to build it within yourself. So many people consume themselves with being able to trust their partner they forget an important fact. They cannot under any circumstance determine their partner’s actions. The quicker we realize this fact the better.

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Starting a new habit is hard. Once you start you have to fight the resistance to maintain it. Eventually the habit you thought would show up is instead nothing but a new battle you’ve added to an already hectic life. Once this happens you’re forced to rely on willpower.

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If you were to ask me, “JW, what’s one thing I can do right now to lose some weight?” The answer would be easy. I’d say, don’t eat after 7p.m. or before 11 a.m. That’s it. That would be my one best pitch to start you out. We would get more granular from there, but if there was only one thing that would be it.

Of all the major diet fads (and I hate to refer to it as that) of the past few years one of the biggest has to be time restricted eating. You may call it intermittent fasting. This is simply adhering to a schedule of when you do vs. don’t eat.

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Mrs. Wright and I love coffee. We order it by the 5 LB bag of beans. It’s part of a tradition for us. Neither of us wanted to go on a date when we first met. So we opted for coffee instead. We have “our” bench in Central Park where we like to go to the Plaza food court, grab a coffee and then go sit and just New Yorker watch.

I have a standing coffee date with Mrs. Wright every Friday morning. Our favorite coffee in Dallas can be found at Honor Bar in Highland Park Village. If you haven’t had it, trust me. It’s stupid good. We even have a favorite coffee spot in my hometown of Sulphur Springs. When we go to Boulder, CO to see Abby we can be found no less than two times per day at Box Car Coffee or The Laughing Goat. When we see Rylan in Tuscaloosa, we’re screwed. It’s Tuscaloosa.

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This is one of those times I sit down to write, and I’m really anxious, excited and completely full of self doubt. Here’s why. I’m about to endeavor to write about something I believe to be incredibly important. Sure. Everything I write I find somewhat important. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother.

But today is one of those subjects that makes me say to myself, “Dude. Get this right. This can really help people live a healthier life.”

That really stresses me out. Granted it’s all self inflicted. If I didn’t write this at all you’d likely not even notice. But since I am I really want to get it right for both our sake. So here we go. Deep breath..go!

So what is the circadian rhythm? Well, let’s start with the basic of the basics. Circadian comes from the Latin word circa which means “around”. Diem is Latin for “day.” Combine them and you have “circadian.” So your circadian rhythm is just a countenance of things that happen every day around a certain time.

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I used to have a really bad habit. I’m so happy to be able to report this habit in as something in the past tense. I do still occasionally struggle with it. However I do so much more infrequently than it time’s past.

There was a time when I looked on the past with great nostalgia. I looked to the future with anxiety and anticipation. I completely ignored or loathed the present.

How can this be? Isn’t the present just tomorrow’s past? As Merle Haggard once crooned, “Are the good times really over for good?”

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