Why did I start The 6AMERS?
It’s a question I get a lot. It’s a good question.
I could tell you that it’s because I wanted to start a group for people who wish to better themselves or improve certain skills, and while that’s partially true, there’s something bigger at the center.
The authentic truth is that I longed to be healthy. And by pushing myself to be healthy, I launched a community of others who wanted the same thing.
Not just healthy, either. Healthy-Selfish.
The Search for Happiness
I used to feel like my goal was to get to the top of happiness mountain. I thought once I got there, I’d finally be able to experience the happiness that I craved.
But I eventually realized something—this mountain has no summit. In other words, my happiness isn’t found at the end of my journey; it’s found along the way.
This concept was confirmed for me when I participated in the 29029 Everesting event in 2022. At 29029, you climb whatever mountain you’re on multiple times until you’ve reached the equivalent elevation of Mt. Everest. Where I was in Salt Lake City, I’d have to climb my mountain 13 times. It was daunting, and many of us there couldn’t wrap our heads around how to get to the end.
As we prepared to go up the mountain for the first time, we were told to be where our feet were. If we spent too much time focusing on getting to that 13th trip up the mountain, we might not get there—and we definitely wouldn’t enjoy the experience along the way.
When the 29029 event runners said this, it reminded me of climbing the mountain toward happiness and why I push myself so hard to find happiness in the journey. It feels a whole lot better to enjoy what you’re doing while you’re doing it than to just enjoy it at the end.
Practicing Happiness
Once I understood that happiness couldn’t just be found at the top of the mountain, I also had to learn that it wasn’t going to come easily.
Happiness must be practiced. A lot of people feel like it should come naturally to you—just as I once did—but that’s not the reality. Instead, you have to work every day to find happiness within yourself.
Often we assume that the easiest and best way to fill our lives with happiness is to surround ourselves with the people and things that make us happy. Then, when we struggle to find happiness, we start asking ourselves questions like, “Does my spouse make me happy?” “Do my children make me happy?” “Does my job make me happy?”
The fact is, other people cannot be the reason you are happy—you have to find it within yourself. To practice happiness and find it within, you should be asking yourself questions like, “What am I going to do to attract happiness into my life?” “How am I going to improve my health? How am I going to work on my mind?”
The more you practice happiness, the more happiness will come to you. It’s really that simple.
Healthy Selfish
The best way I’ve found to practice happiness is to focus on being Healthy-Selfish.
Here’s what that means: when you’re Healthy-Selfish, you understand that you have to be selfish with yourself. The time you spend attracting happiness and improving your health and your mind is non-negotiable.
Once I made that time non-negotiable for myself, it became easy for me to model it for others. And that’s where the 6AMERS came in. By wanting to set aside time to be Healthy-Selfish, I created a space for a community of others who wanted to do the same thing.
Being part of the 6AMERS has changed my life in so many ways. I’m so grateful for a group of people who understand the importance of being Healthy-Selfish and who are always there to remind me that my journey to happiness isn’t waiting for me at the end of a climb; it’s right here where my feet are.