No 88: Stolen Wisdom - The Boulders and Stones of Health

Imagine you are on a pebble path towards your goal (or a yellow brick road, your choice).

And up ahead you can see some little stones. You could step around them, step over them, jump them or pick them up and throw them out of your way. 

Then further ahead, you can see boulders. Huge granite boulders that almost block your path. The only way to get past the boulders and on to you goal is to deal with each boulder and think about how you will scale it/ move it/ dodge it or smash it. 

This analogy of stones/rocks and boulders is a really simple way to think about priorities. 

Now, this faux-buddhist fable is not mine. I heard it on the Modern Wisdom podcast a few weeks ago and loved it. 

I love it, because it is simple and easy to imagine. I also love it because it simplifies "prioritisation".

Either something is big and important or it's something that could be dealt with later. 

I also like that you can apply this analogy to almost anything. 

Almost everyone in the Western world will have heard of Mazlow's hierarchy of needs, but I'd wager very few people actually apply it to their lives. 

Even fewer healthcare professionals or lifestyle coaches use this approach to give health advice. 

Everyday in clinic, I see patients and give out medical advice, but if I am honest then I am probably telling most people to rearrange the stones. 

Really, I want to be able to offer people advice on how to deal with the boulders. 

The following is my first attempt to list in order the Boulders of Health: 

• Sleep (regular and enough to wake up without feeling like you need a double espresso) 

• Water (enough to have clear urine)

• Protein (roughly 1.6g per kg of lean body weight per day)

• Fat (for energy)

• Vitamins 

• Minerals 

• Carbohydrates (some when you need it)

• Family 

• Friends

• Exercise 

• Shelter (warmth and hygiene)

• Work 

• Money

• A purpose to your life 

• Some stress (a challenge, but not too much)

• A hobby 

• Something that gives you pleasure

• Tasty food 

• Sex 

• Medications

• Supplements (Protein > caffiene > creatine) 

• All the smaller stones… (gadgets, trackers, biohacking, specific diets etc)

The way to use this concept and list, is to start with the biggest boulder. If you can, sort that out first then move on.

Or if you can't completely sort it, then live with it and get on with the next biggest boulder until you can come back to it.

Ideally, try not to waste time on the smaller stones until most (all) of the boulders have been dealt with.

What do you think? Useful idea? Or just the same old stuff?

Would you try to discuss this with a patient? Would you use a different order?

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