This is very exciting!

A different perspective.
Whenever it becomes uncomfortable you change the conditions.

I'm so glad you're writing daily and sharing your life and perspective. Thank you. It's refreshing

And this is totally true;
"More growth and discovery seems to happen when I’m uncomfortable"

This sounds like high-intensity interval training but for life.

I dig your scribblin’ Man !!!

Wow, one of my favorite writers in my home country - hope you are having a great time here and obviously trying a sauna is a must!

I wish saunas were more common in the United States. Sure, gyms and the like have low-end indoor saunas (more recently "infrared"), but they just don't compare. I have a friend in Western Massachusetts who built a 12-person, wood-fired sauna. Going back and forth between the sauna and standing in the snow or cold showers brings an indescribable clarity of the mind.

Feels like me.

Sounds good to me. Just don't get married, ha,ha.

Whoaaaa... such a great conclusion.
I love the analogy, and I love the last sentence.

The last sentence is perfectly represent the analogy.

Living in (each) two extremes = relaxing.
Still have my jaw dropping.

The opposite, I suppose, would be me back in my youth trying to plan, plan, plan a balanced life like an accountants daily credit and debit sheet. It all made logical sense back in my planning days.

It is only when I shove in the clutch on the "should" gear and look around at what really happens with me that I go—"Wait a minute.... I'm not a logical geared machine, I'm more like a cat who both sleeps long and pounces fast." (Like in a certain Derek post about work and sleep)

Balance might work for my employees when I am the boss of their work lives.

Yet...there's an awful lot of computer-millionaires who go all out on just one thing, while "procrastinating" (such poor accounting!) on all the other things in their life. Call me a capitalist, but I think these millionaires are onto something.

The last sentence just blow my mind.
Now, I am in the other extreme that I used to be.
I didn't even ever think it would be relaxing.
I still a bit feels uncomfortable and frightening to jump over.
I'm trying bit by bit to adapt.
Thanks for this great post Derek.

Yesterday I found myself wishing I could hit pause on the outside world and spend two weeks doing home repair projects and have little or no interactions with other people.

Can relationships work like this? Can I see someone intensely for a few weeks and then not see them for a few weeks until I'm good and ready to see them again?

Lovely way to balance, like seesaw. Thanks for posting this, I realized I already do this!

Dear Derek:

Siting in the Sauna is not "exploring all boundaries." Moving the "boundaries" of the body is ! Five times a week, I join a water aerobics class and get my head to toe moving in the water. Our total bodies are meant for movement No Sauna for me. Derek move beyond the Sauna sitting mentality ! LOL !

best.


Joe P.

One suitcase!! That's what leapt from the page for me. I'm preparing for a massive downsizing, and the very thought of getting down to one suicase sounds both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time... kind of like jumping from the super hot to the super cold and back again.

I'll bring this metaphor with me as I dive in;) Thanks, Derek.

Joanna

Loved this one about back and forth. I think I am like you and not content to pursue a normal life. I think I will start pushing those boundaries again. My breast cancer came back as metastatic last year in my bones. I'm stable now and felling pretty good, doing hormone therapy and radiation when needed. It's all so much better than what I went through 9 years ago. I would love to travel more and wish that I felt more comfortable traveling alone as I love doing some of that. It seems like the world has gotten so much more dangerous although there are ways and habits to help stat safe. Do you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation? Anyway, thanks for sharing. You sound like you are doing well. Keep on keeping on.

Thought-provoking as always, Derek. Thank you for sharing.

Next time you're in Helsinki, you should also try Sompasauna – it's free, built and maintained by the community, and totally lovely.

Hyvät löylyt!
= "Good streams!"

In sauna, when the water is thrown on the stones, one might need to sit totally still and just wait till the burning sensations goes away. Waving arms only makes is stronger. This observation calms the mind. This is maybe why sauna is the finnish "church" - everyone goes at least once a week.
Greetings from Sammatti, Suomi

inspiration to write / perform

Beautiful distillation of experiencing the range of wholeness. Thank you for the generosity.

This post resonates with me so much, Derek. People always tell me I need more balance in my life, but I’m super happy, and they’re generally not. The reason is because I love living at the extremes... I will be trying the super-hot super-cold in my gym tomorrow, thanks!

I’m not sure how much our need these extremes but if the give you satisfaction and gratification and make you feel alive that’s good. Those are your terms - imho those are the ultimate way to live. It’s probably one of the exceptions. As I believe many of the World’s problems are caused by extremes. Just saying...the middle ground for t’he masses at least is the safest and most balanced.

I do similar, on my small scale, as usual.
My daily shower; get clean and burn for a bit, then turn on full cold! Invigorating!

This post speaks so true to my childhood in Northern Canada. We have a very strong Finnish influence and would frequently spend out summers and winters at friends' camps cranking up the sauna, diving in the lake, and repeating dozens of times over. Love the post!

Not coming from a Bible-Thumping perspective, but your style is very biblical.

The idea that God would rather someone be Hot or Cold, not luke-warm, has many deep ideas and philosophies around it. Pretty much from my viewpoint, the world is suffering with Mediocrity of living and caring. Thus, Luke-Warm is fitting.

Thanks for your insights and wisdom, as always!

For Valerie at #17 who wants to travel alone with more safety:
My auto club now offers solo tours and has information nights to explain them, complete with wine for solos to socialize. Besides the web, you could learn more by going to one of their branch offices.

"They sicken of the calm, those who know the storm."
-Dorothy Parker

Gee! How could/would anyone, dare miss, these episodes of adventure ? I'm looking forward to the next review ! I shivered and then sweated during your sauna tale .

Thanks for this!

I've found (at least I think so!) that this tendency, which I share, can be hard for other people / relationships in life. Could put strain on a marriage, or so I've heard. Could freak out your friends a bit, who may feel like the changes are disorienting relative to their expectations.

You thought about how some people think it's strange. Have you thought about that aspect of it? What it looks like for other people in your life and how to communicate with them around it?

Seth Godin sends a daily blog post which I religiously read. That way I don’t have to remember to look or refresh.
That’s what I would prefer to receive, and likely read. Can that be arranged?

It's all subjectively experienced, but the "Human Way"-what it means to be a human as experienced over time, is a product of what occurs. I think that the fact that our particular, subjective experience is unique within the category : "what it's like to be a human" being, among other beings and inanimate objects. I like the idea of expanding the threshold as calculated of what is acceptable limits as applied to the usefulness of The Shred. Of course, this is based on an ideal condition of either 1)determining as many details conceptually as necessary, ahead of time,with the associated idea: "The better the Prototype, the better the Product". Or- as is evidenced in the experience of playing music improvisationally: "If you're 'thinking about what you're going to play' while playing, it's already too late. Anyway, with regard to Creative Diversity, there is a Unity, acting to balance an Intention.

We are on the same page Derek: the extremes of experiences are more interesting than the median experiences.

I can fast and be extreme about my exercise regime - and _enjoy_ it! Or, I can eat chicken wings and pitchers of beer - chased down with a tub of Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean with Nutella topping. And I enjoy that too! But ask me to eat reasonably and count calories and macros and I just can't do it.

Is that good or bad? I don't know. It _seems_ like it would be better to live in the middle. The middle seems more reasonable. I'm debating my next car right now. Will it be the latest M series BMW or, maybe, a used Toyota Prius C? Seriously, those are the current contenders. Again, it's all about the extremes. Maybe it's an affliction? Or maybe the extremes are just inherently more fun.

We hint at the fact that the middle is a bit lame in our language. Lukewarm. Middle-of-the-road....not exactly ringing endorsements. On the edge, extreme, Ramen-profitable, F-you-money....they all have a much more positive connotation.

Interesting thoughts as usual Derek. You always get me thinking. Thank you.

Thank you for your article, Derek.
You are in the edges of your life & in the middle of your heart.

Ha just the medium water for me (:Not to hot not to cold but just right (:

What's the most extreme country and living condition have you had so far?
None yet. — Derek

Enjoy Finland and Helsinki. My adopted home town.

Thank you for this post Derek, especially this really resonates with me:
"It’s fun to push the boundaries — to explore the edges — to see what I can do. I’ve never been interested in pursuing a normal life. "

Love it.

There’s a bit of God’s word on just about everything.
Must have something to do with complacency. It’s a rut you can so easily fall into. Revelation 3:15
I know your deeds; you are neither cold nor hot. How I wish you were one or the other!

So true Derek. I have always been an all-or nothing person. Just last month I asked my wife if we could sell our massive home, buy an RV and live in it with our 3 kids...no big deal, just a few years to see what the minimalistic world has to offer. You can imagine the response! She said, “you are always so extreme.” It’s true, but I told her every extreme move I’ve made in my life I was thankful I did it (and the growth was immense). Thanks for presenting the cold/hot water analogy...gives me validation amongst the “norm” who think there is something wrong with my actions. For now, no live-aboard airstream...I will just declutter my closet for my minimalistic experiment😂

What makes me curious about this is the amount of discomfort you are willing to feel or sustain. Do you take it to another level to see what is there (an new place) or stop when you get to that same place. It’s not about minutes but about, what if I did not have the choice? And I had to stay another 30 seconds? Have you extended your “flight response” or is it always the same.

Derek we are all different and I have tried the sauna in Epsom Sutton many years ago. Apparently jockeys went in there to loose weight. I found it very hard to go in either too hot or jumping in the plunge pool.
Good on you though.

I have yet to meet many people that this would resonate with but I COMPLETELY understand. The sense of fulfillment, peace, stillness, calm that comes after extremes such as sauna/ice bath or the domestic life for a quarter to intense focus...

Thank you so much for sharing, I will never forget this article.

Hi Derek,
Thank you for this article. I always love reading what you write. I think that you are trying to achieve the middle road by going to the extremes.

personally I really wish a decent middle ground was easier to find sometimes lol but the rest of the time I love the ride ^_^

"The medicine is in the discomfort. Comfort is a disease."

Hi Erik,
I finally got the time to open your latest email, which got me to this post!
Everytime I come here I wonder “what took me so long to come back here?”
Just great inspiring thoughts and approaches, which at least make me overthink my mindset or goals I had for the last weeks!
Keep it up 👍🏼

I'm not sure I'm bold enough to take the leap and push the boundaries of my life in the same way as you do, but this post spurred me to go to the sauna, and do the hot/cold thing, which I had been meaning to do for months, and it felt amazing.

I love this. All-in or all-out. I am experimenting with the OMAD feeding pattern. Fast-Feed on a 23-1 hr cycle. I feel great, easy to maintain and frees up time for other more essential things.

I was just at that sauna with friends, cool spot. I try to sauna 3-4 times a week, not only for the relaxing feeling, but also the health benefits. See this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUnDkqjncSM&t=3s

I'm based in Bangkok and there are some good options here - the local saunas get super hot and have the cold plunge. Budapest last summer had an excellent sauna and cold plunge at the main park there.

My ex partner is very much like this. It can be very hurtful to others when you leave them behind and they can't join you due to other obligations, or maybe you would not want anyone to join you when you take the other extreme.

One person’s middle ground is another person’s extreme. I am enjoying my first home. I am 60 and recently retired. I love the sauna and the polar plunge. Make you feel live. Normal is a state of mind.

I was always under the impression that that kind of extreme temperatures was not good for your system. Could I have gotten erroneous information?

It's like sitting on a teeter totter - one moment you're up and the next moment you're down. If both sides end up perfectly balanced in the middle it's no fun at all. :)

I like the simplicity of your tips. But I don't necessarily share this one in particular.

I've been able to keep swimming for more than 10 years most likely because I've never burned out myself from it. I practice it 2 times a week.

I've got plenty of friends that went into the semi-profesional tracks: training 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. Almost none of them keeps swimming anymore.

Having this black or white approach leads to little endurance.

Hi Derek,
I feel the truth is that you are not a "mediocore" person in nature. I enjoyed listening your new podcast.

Best,
Gong Qian

I couldn’t agree more. The advantages of dynamics aren’t more obvious than this, perhaps with the exception of music (loud-quiet-loud, disharmonic-harmonic, major-minor, etc). And seasons. I have a bandname in my mind for the last 15 or so years, The Temperatures, for this reason. (Please don’t steal without asking if I could join first.) Also, after building my first sauna, at this time, the beginning of The Temperatures (come to think of it, ’’Bare Back’’ with The Temptations - coincidence..?), I developed the 6-4-2-system, a system of how I wanted to live. I’m from Stockholm, Sweden, and kind of like it here, but not always. Summer’s really nice, parts of the rest too. I hate to be stuck. I hate not being inspired. But I like the feeling of coming home. My solution was to divide my life between three, way different environments. Three different climatezones. Three homes and three careers. May-October 30 in Stockholm, or similar. New York and Paris could also pass. November is too dark and depressing, and everything ends and so on, so then we move to somewhere brighter for four months. Needs to have some form of beauty, and good food. South America, or similar. But deep down I’m a winter man, so I need that too. March and April in a lodge somewhere in the forests or mountains of Alaska, Lapland or similar. Preferably off-grid, and miles and miles to the nearest neighbour, no roads, you get there either by snowmobile or skis, and you shop for groceries once or twice, and get them dropped by helicopter. Sauna of course, and cooking on a fire stove. Chopping wood at least a third of my time to stay alive. By the end of April I’m pretty fed up with this, cold and lonely, and it’s time to head home to Stockholm (or Paris or NYC or whatever) and the weather is great and we celebrate the international workers day and everyone is truly happy, for that’s what you are when the first sun in a long time shines on you. In October I’ve had it, after the last streak of crispy autumn days it’s time to return home to South America (or whatever). And so on. Point is, I’m always returning home. I never get stuck, always on my best. i have three different homes that I know but never gets bored with, three different jobs and kinds of everyday life that I know very well but never gets bored with. Just as with the temperatures. I love them, but not all the time. Just as long as it’s great and then the relief when you experience the opposite. That relief is my key to everything.
Ha! Yes. I have almost identical plans. Thanks for posting this! — Derek

Hope you treat parenting differently

The book, dopamine nation, details this preference