What Matters


At 54, I’ve been to the mountaintop—both literally and figuratively. I’ve run harder than most, for longer than most, and learned all the lessons (usually the hard way).

Here are 7 things that really matter:

1) Family
In a world gone crazy, it’s all we have. Find a good partner, get married, have kids—you’ll never know true love until you hold your own child. Burn the boats and go all in. Make family your top priority—not just in words, but with action. Want to change the world? Start at home.

2) Fitness
We are made to move. Hard physical labor is the cure for most of society’s ills. Work up a good sweat every day—it doesn’t matter how—and watch your life improve in every way. Your body is your only vessel for life’s journey, so treat it accordingly.

3) Nature
Humans have been around for 300,000 years, and only in the past century have we retreated indoors—living under artificial light, breathing recycled air. We evolved to live in harmony with nature—if you’re not spending time in nature and getting lots of fresh air and sunshine, you’re fighting biology (spoiler: you won’t win) and missing out on the best this world has to offer.

4) Helping
It’s the only thing we can do that defies the laws of physics: when you give energy to others, you don’t lose it—you gain more. Helping others is the best way to help yourself. Conversely, negative energy—even if it’s just a snarky comment on X—drains both you and them. Over time, it manifests in a very real way—in your health, your relationships, and even the way you look.

5) Creation
Consumption without creation is an empty existence. Each of us has an innate desire—and need—to make our own small dent in the universe. Art can take many forms—what’s yours? If you’re not creating beauty in the world, you won’t find lasting happiness.

6) Mastery
There’s nothing more satisfying than finding a pursuit that brings you joy and pursuing mastery over a lifetime. It’s a journey, not a destination. Even the simplest of pursuits teach us profound lessons about life. And the best part is: when you find your pursuit, you’ll also find your tribe.

7) Spirituality
Let’s start from first principles: the only thing we know for sure is that we know nothing of the mysteries of our universe. On a universal scale, the sum of all human knowledge rounds to zero. We’re sacks of meat, limited by five senses, inhabiting a speck of dust. The Bible is clear about this:

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55:9

The mere fact that we know ~nothing suggests that there’s something greater out there—something beyond our comprehension. To believe otherwise is to suffer from an extreme lack of imagination. Think big thoughts. Seek truth.

I’ll leave you with a sobering truth:

Modern society pushes us away from these seven things. More than ever, people live isolated, sedentary, indoor, selfish, soulless, transactional lives.

What are you doing to be different?

All the best,

Kevin (@camp4) 🤙

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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