Live a Peak Life

 At the age of 10 I distinctly remember deciding to be the best. Ever since then I have driven myself on a journey to live a peak life. 

What follows is my advice for future men.

I start each year from zero. Like Batman Begins I jump off at year one. I discard what didn't work in the previous year and use only what lead me to my best self. I start each day by creating a vision of myself in the mirror as the best me. I am creative. I am strong. I am calm. I am someone my family, community, country, and even the world can rely on. 

I encourage future men to put family first and be willing to to put all your effort mentally and physically to helping your family thrive and if necessary put your body on the line to protect it. Once your family is secure, guide your efforts to your community because in my opinion the best way to protect your family is to have a strong community. As a kid I grew up in a town where everyone knew their neighbours and people played for the Lara Sporting Club or volunteered at the CFA or St John of God's ambulance. I personally volunteer at my local church and local Labor party branch. Now the family is strong and the community is strong we turn our focus to the country. If you live in a country, receive treasure from its treasury, in my opinion we must be willing to contribute to our nation's prosperity and defense.

To live a peak life I believe it is important to try and be a polymath. Picture Aristotle, Leonardo Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, or Isaac Newton; we can learn from these great polymaths of history. Now critics might say that being a doer of many and a master of none is a disadvantage. To that I say, the great polymaths are able to find connections that the average person cannot because someone that studies filmmaking and science may be able to use filmmaking technique to create a scientific breakthrough or vice versa. An actor can use his training to excel in politics. To balance these sometimes competing ideas I take the octagon approach rather than being pulled in too many directions at once. I sit calmly in the middle of the octagon and mix and match my acting, poetry, YouTube creator, abstract artist, business man, politics, and journalism to live a peak life.  

I also take cues from past generations. This has become controversial to say but I try to follow old school masculinity. My grandfathers were both of a generation that lived through the Great Depression and two world wars. I believe that this meant they knew how to deal with tough times. If the Covid-19 pandemic taught us anything it is that the world can change at any time and being ready to cope with that is important. I recently finished watching the first season of SAS Rogue Heroes which is about the creation of the British SAS. It showed me the ingenuity, stubbornness, and physical and mental fortitude needed in the midst of chaos. I also have recently finished watching Yellowstone and while the characters in the show are fictional I believe that we can take the stoic 'cowboy up' mentality into the real world. When I look at my family tree it is full of hardworking blue collar men. So I strive everyday to live up to their example of old school masculinity.

Living a peak life to me means adopting my version of modern chivalry. Now when you think of traditional chivalry you think of a knight in shining armour but in my version you keep the love of God, being respectful to women, and defending those who are unable to defend themselves for the rest you put on a twist. When it comes to love and chivalry the modern woman is not a damsel in distress so it is important to treat her as an equal but a man should still know how to open doors for his love, write them poetry, speak up if anyone is talking behind their back, and be willing to protect them physically, mentally, and emotionally. In my modern version of chivalry however there is an extra step that is listening to your beloved. Be willing and able to do all the things I just suggested but if the person you're in a relationship with says 'I don't like this or that', change it. My version of chivalry is about cherishing the one you love. I am a king and my wife is a queen and remember whenever you meet someone that person is someone else's queen so they should be treated accordingly. 

The next important part of living a peak life is knowing when and how to be street smart. This is about understanding your surroundings and knowing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Someone with street IQ should be able to read people's intentions and stay calm in the chaos. In Evy Poumpouras's book Becoming Bulletproof she talks about knowing your flight, fight, or freeze response so you can understand how you will react in a situation and overcome it. She also talks about the stress tests that secret service agents are put through before they graduate. I also find the advice of the Everyday Spy founder Andrew Bustamante to be useful in a crisis. He says to keep your thinking clear you do the most important thing then the next most important thing and then go down the list. For example, if a car is coming towards you get behind a brick wall then make sure the driver and those around you are safe, then if necessary call emergency services, then render first aid. Keep going down the list of the next important thing until the crisis is over. Another part of being street smart is knowing how to defend yourself. This can be by learning a martial art, learning de-escalation communication, or developing an awareness rating. For example at home I am in green because 99.9% of time spent at home I am safe but I still pay attention if something is unusual. When I leave home I am in amber. I pay attention to my surroundings, people, vehicles etc. and trust my gut. If something doesn't feel right I take action. I have a plan not necessarily expecting something to go wrong but being ready to deal with it if it does. This is the street smart way of living a peak life. 

Living a peak life is also about understanding strategy and power. As a person with a disability the most important lesson my father taught me is if I'm going to live independently in an able bodied world I am going to have to think ahead. Plan all the way to the end. Outsmart any opponent. Some people might say this lesson to an extreme but it gives me a sense of comfort and control to study strategy and power. Over time I have and read and implemented Sun Tzu's Art of War, Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince, Robert Greene's The 48 Laws of Power, and most recently Garry Kasparov's How Life Imitates Chess: From the Board to the Boardroom. Now you might say that you don't need to know about strategy and power because I'm a peace loving person but how are you going to help bring about peace if you don't understand people who want power? How are you going to protect people weaker than you if don't know strategy? How are you going to live a peak life is you can't stop people using strategies against you? 

Living a peak life also needs us to think and grow rich. Financial independence has been a lifelong goal of mine. I've known from an early age that one of the best tools to help me overcome the limitations of my disability is money. I'm not quite financially free yet but these are some of the strategies that I use to help me get there. 

1. Always spend less than you earn.

2. Save minimum 10% of your income.

3. When you have saved up at least $20 000, take half and start investing but always seek professional financial advice before doing so. 

4. Have an 'Oh crap! The bank has stopped working!' fund. In the last several years Australia has had accidental electronic lockouts of financial systems and people have been caught with no cash. So I suggest having at least a week's salary outside of your bank that you can access in emergencies only. 

Note: I am not a qualified financial advisor so please seek financial advice that is appropriate for you before implementing any of the suggested strategies.

The last and most important part of living a peak life is having a strong spiritual life. For me this takes shape in my Catholicism and profound beliefs in God. I am proud to call myself a follower of Christ. Some of the most important spiritual lessons I have learnt are is to live with a universal god energy.

Let go and let God.

This too shall pass.

It is as it is.

Be one with the present moment. 

There are endless spiritual lessons people can learn if they are open to it.

Living a peak life is not going to be smooth sailing. You will encounter rough seas. From time to time there may even be a sandbar or coral reef you get stuck on. If you are more of a mountain climber, after you conquer a peak you have to make your way back down to the valley. Hopefully by reading this post and following the accompanying YouTube series you have picked up some tool to help you live a peak life. 

Peaks and Valleys

In life it is not always smooth sailing; you might hit a reef or sandbar.

If you are more of mountain climber, after you conquer a peak 

You have to make your way back down to the valley.

In the end when we look back only we count the invisible tally.

To live a peak life I start from zero;

Every day I look in the mirror to create my own personal hero.

Living a peak life comes down to putting family, community, and country

Before the future man you want to be.

Learn from Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, Aristotle, and Da Vinci;

To live a peak life don't be afraid to pick from the branches of the polymath tree.

I look back to generations past to see how to be a hardworking rogue hero

Learning how to 'cowboy up' when the world's spirits are low. 

We must not neglect the code of chivalry 

In the cloud of toxic masculinity.

It is still okay to look after those you love; if you are a king then they are your queen.

So design for each other what romance does mean.

Live a peak life and be street smart. 

Situational awareness should be a future man's art.

Being ready for anything is the key to ensuring your safety.

Do  not neglect the study of power and strategy.

To live a peak life you must think and grow rich.

So you can dig that treasure chest out of the ditch.

A peak life requires spirituality.

For me it's God, for you it can be however you feel free.

When we come to a close only we count the invisible tally;

If you are a mountain climber after you conquer a peak, 

You have to make your way back down to the valley.

Chris Van Ingen | 24 February 2025