Do you remember the Seinfeld episode called The Contest? It aired way back in 1992 and was considered the best TV episode of all time … according to TV Guide.
The show starts off with George and the rest of the gang sitting at Monk’s restaurant, and George starts relaying the most embarrassing story imaginable …
As George tells it, he goes to his parent’s home to return their car, and there’s nobody home … or so he thought. While dropping the keys on the table, he sees a Glamor magazine, and as he puts it, one thing leads to another, and the next thing he knew, his mother walked in on him. Ugh, talk about embarrassment.
So, George shares this comic tragedy with Jerry, Elaine and Kramer, and then at the end of the story, he vows, “I’m NEVER doing that again.”
Well, Elaine jumps all over that declaration and asks, “What, you mean in your mother’s house or altogether?”
To which George replies emphatically, “Altogether!”
Everyone immediately dismisses that by saying he’ll never last, and so George looks at Jerry with a challenging look and asks, “Do you think you could?”
And Jerry replies, “Well, I know that I could hold out longer than you.”
With a squint in his eye, George challenges Jerry by saying, “Care to make it interesting?”
And so, the bet is on … a contest to see who can remain master of their domain by holding out the longest.
Okay, that was a great comedy, but let’s segue into another form of mastery, and that is; are you master over your health, fitness and general well-being?
In other words, have you designed a healthy lifestyle that you enjoy living?
- Do you eat a reasonably healthy diet?
- Do you exercise regularly?
- Get sufficient sleep?
- Do you have control over your level of stress?
If you didn’t answer “yes” to those questions, then it’s unlikely you’re a master of the most critical domain you have … your health.
Why Don’t We Try to Master Health? After All, It IS the Most Valuable Thing We Possess!
Part of the answer is the endless confusion sown by the health, fitness and weight-loss companies who try to convince us that we need to buy their products. The fact is, we don’t need diets, supplements, specialty foods, or any other weight-loss gimmicks these industries are pedalling and their near 100% failure rate is all the proof we need.
In order to master health, all you need to do is incorporate a few things into your daily life that fit seamlessly into your lifestyle. In other words, make a small investment into the most valuable thing you own every day. That could be as simple as being sure you’re properly hydrated – most people aren’t. It could be making sure you eat foods with fibre; most people don’t. Eat a healthy meal without any ultra-processed food … that will also make your day different from almost everyone else. Go for a walk, get adequate sleep.
There’s no world-conquering secret to health and longevity, make a small, simple investment every day, without fail, and you’ll be on the road to mastering health.
The funniest part of the Seinfeld episode was that we all knew they had no chance of mastering that particular domain indefinitely, despite their best intentions.
But here IS the thing, when it comes to achieving a lifetime of fitness and health … our chances of long-term success are just as remote as “domain mastery” was for Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer if we don’t make a commitment to a simple daily investment.
Achieving a high degree of health in our modern world is not easy, but it’s absolutely doable and enjoyable when we put our priorities in the right order.
The best part of this mastery is that it requires minimal effort because, by definition, that’s what mastery is all about.
Now, when it comes to mastering your “domain,” who cares? After all, life is meant to be enjoyed! 😏