People I want to be around

I want to be around people that are always trying to get better. Those people that are trying to get more informed (better educated). Those people that are trying to be better people. Those people that are trying to get better at whatever they do.

I want to be around people that are always looking to know more, be more…who move with and embrace change. The cliché says if you are standing still, you are getting behind. It’s true. Everything is changing. Technology. Families. How we prepare to pursue our sports. Health care. Nutrition. Access to Information.

Remember when cell phones first came out? I do. My first one was that brick looking thing. I couldn’t believe I could make a call without being physically connected to a land line. When I was a kid, there was this Dick Tracy cartoon. Dick Tracy had this watch looking thing that he could talk to and communicate with others. I never thought I’d see that day.

With the technology of today, our lives are so much more convenient. You can gripe about your cell phone and that you can’t escape but I don’t see it that way. I see it as a convenience—I can make or take a call when I want to. And if you’ve ever been worried about a family member, being able to connect with them on their cell phone is a true angst-reliever. And don’t gripe too much about technology or somebody will come and take your microwave away.

Technology is moving forward so fast that if you so much as pause to take a breath, you’ll be behind. Instant access to the last football play on the sidelines? It wasn’t too long ago that we had crude photographs of the last play being hand carried to the sideline. (Truth be known, I remember chalk boards on the sideline.) Now you have iPads that break the last play down in slow motion immediately after the play is over.

Who would have thought that CD’s would be a short lived source of music? I thought cassette tapes would be around forever. Now you can download all the music you want, keep it in your phone, and play what you want, when you want it. Amazing.

Families are always changing. Growing. Moving. Family dynamics changing. There comes a time when parents become the dependent and children the parents. And your kids won’t stay babies forever. As the old saying goes, if you blink your eyes, they’ll be grown. As a parent, change is constant. As a kid, change is inevitable.

Training for your sport is always changing. I can remember when Pete Rose was criticized for lifting weights during the baseball season. These days, if you aren’t participating in strength training, you’re getting behind.

I remember the days when people would go to the gym to lift weights and stay for hours. We now know that the fastest and most efficient way to get stronger and more fit is to do High Intensity Interval Training. No longer are hours upon end necessary to get better.

Health care, particularly in sports medicine, is constantly changing. Better diagnostics. Better surgery. Better rehab. We are getting people healthy with effective, efficient interventions, returning them to a full life—a life without limitations.

Nutrition. Oh my…nutrition. We still haven’t reached that point where bacon is considered good for you (a personal dietary dream of mine) but we are a lot smarter about what it takes to eat healthier. We know there are good fats and bad fats. We know that white sugar and white flour are twin evils. We know that no one diet fits all.

We have better information at our disposal these days. The internet keeps us better informed. Don’t know how to do something? Look it up. Don’t believe what the talking heads are saying? Do your research. Learn to get facts. In a world filled with bias, prejudice, lies, and innuendo, learn to think for yourself. Seek out reliable sources of information.

As Bob Dylan said, “oh the times, they are a’changin’.” Don’t be left behind.