HEALTHY MINDSET
For most people, YOLO is the perfect rock n’ roll philosophy. You only live once… so do whatever feels right in the moment without concern for future consequences. Take that trip, be spontaneous, quit your job, splurge on that dinner, date a new person, be reckless, and always always always keep your options open.
The problem with adopting the YOLO philosophy in that way is that it prevents commitment. We fear getting stuck in the wrong job, wrong relationship, wrong home - so we avoid fully committing to anything. And without commitment, we’ll never really get the most out of anything in our lives.
So do we have it all wrong?
The man who coined the term YOLO is named Mickey Hart, drummer for the rock band the Grateful Dead. Here’s his story:
My wife found this place in a brochure of homes in Sonoma County, but it was an out-of-date brochure. The person who was selling it took it off the market—he wanted too much for it. [But] we just loved the place. It was too much for us, a lot of money at that time, 22 years ago. And we just looked at each other. We wouldn’t leave until we made the deal with the owner. We told him, “Just go take your clothes and take the paintings . . . We’ll pay you list price, you know, here’s cash and go.” [Laughs.] “I’m going on tour. When I get off of tour, July 5th, I want to live here.” And so we just looked at each other and we said, “Hey, you only live once!”
We shortened the name because we didn’t want to talk about it with people. The Grateful Dead ranch used to be called Mickey’s Ranch, or the Grateful Dead Ranch, or something like that. I didn’t want any of that. So we immediately named it YOLO. It’s a very special place and a four-letter word that really describes the attitude and everything pretty much behind it. Our whole mindset at the time, and the idea that to enjoy yourself while you’re here, at least you know you’re here. All the records I make, all the music and the projects, they all come out of YOLO. It was really a masterful stroke, just kind of sucking it up, taking a deep breath, and saying, “You only live once. Let’s go for it, baby.”
I’ve listened to a couple interviews with Mickey where he expanded on the idea of YOLO. In his opinion, most people have taken his philosophy out of context. His intent was NOT to simply throw caution to the wind and do whatever you want, whenever you want.
Instead, he explains that YOLO was meant to honour greatness. You only live once - so do something amazing with your life. Be humble and help others. Immerse yourself in whatever you are passionate about. Leave your legacy and make the world a better place.
Of course, none of that would be possible without intense dedication and focus. Mastering a skill (in Mickey’s case - drumming) or leaving a legacy for others (his ranch) are things that take thousands of hours spread over many, many years to achieve.
I often joke with my patients saying that if they need me then they know where to find me - inside the walls of my adjusting bay bouncing back and forth between the two rooms. Doing the same thing day in and day out.
Chiropractors spend many years working toward their passion. Stressed out days, sleepless nights, exams, research papers, setbacks, failures, etc. There is fun and most find joy in it, but there are sacrifices along the way. You have to say NO to a lot of those super fun but superficial YOLO opportunities.
I suppose that could be viewed as restrictive, but I’ve never seen it that way. I get to wake up everyday and fight for something - to help people understand just how important their spine / nervous system is to their health. And what they can do to actually improve it and keep it healthy.
I totally love what I do. I love being in the office and I love adjusting spines. I love educating people to better understand how their bodies work. I love helping to decrease pain, improve mobility, improve function, and prevent the need for drugs or surgery.
If we spend our days bouncing from one thing to the next we may have a ton a fun, but will likely miss out on the opportunity to leave our mark on the world and impact it for the better.
So - commit to something and become great at it. YOLO.