Jim: I’m always talking about the mind and how to redefine things to gain a new perspective.  How does Strength for Life and your definition of health differ from the generally accepted definitions?

Shawn:    What you’re talking about Jim too and I think you’re really picking up on is I’m big into distinctions and distinctions offer a new way to see something that you may . . . it’s like to see through something.  A lot of us have this vague idea of fitness or this general or specific yada yada where we know about diets; we know about this.  I like to take and look deeper in there and find the radical distinction; the differentiating point which allows people to really see something for the first time; a fresh perspective.  Is that what you’re talking about when you say I’ve got a way of seeing things?

Jim:    Yeah, absolutely and it is this fresh perspective.  So go into it.  The idea of strength and health – you define that differently than most people do.  I think it’s valuable.

Shawn:    What I do is this – and I looked at this deeply – I believe adamantly that most people in America’s  definition of health is from the  Webster’s Dictionary – which I happen to be looking at right now.  Webster’s Dictionary defines it as the absence of disease or the absence of illness.  It really is that.  We talk about it; we slam down a little Jamba Juice; maybe a little wheatgrass and we hop over to yoga class, but we don’t take it much more seriously than that.

I think health is a wonderful thing, but the idea that I’m going to wait for my doctor to tell me I have to do something before I get really serious about caring about it; before it means as much as it should mean – because if you’ve ever seen somebody lose their health – you’ve been sick.  Even to get the flu, you have this whole understanding of how important health is when you don’t have it.  When you have it, it’s kind of like a bird in the hand “Okay, whatever.  I’ve got my health.  I could be in better shape.”

To me, strength is the new health.  It’s the new definition of health.  I define strength as not just the presence of health, but the abundance of energy, vitality and the capacity to make a contribution in the world.  I believe ultimately our lives are to be in service and it’s what we can do.  People will gain more, be more and do more in the service of others.  So strength is to be more than enough for me; it’s an abundance.  It’s kind of going back to the scarcity abundance mentality of something like The Secret.  I live in scarcity and I say I’m healthy or good enough or I live in abundance and I accept strength which is physical, mental, spiritual, etc.  It’s all strength as abundance on all levels.