The Life-Changing Acronym That Saved My Life and Could Save Yours Too
Haha. I can see some of you scratching your heads. What was an acronym again?
Hi, my dear readers!
Don't worry, we're not doing a grammar lesson here, but let's make sure we're talking about the same thing.
Stay with me; this is going to be a long but very personal post.
So, this is an acronym.
The definition of an acronym.
A word formed from the initial letters of a series of words, pronounced as a word.
There are a few that spring to mind, right?
Examples are:
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administrations.
CIA - Central Intelligence Agency.
DIY - Do It Yourself.
ASAP - As Soon As Possible.
FYI - For Your Information
LOL - Laugh Out Loud
By the way: The term “ADIDAS” is often mistakenly thought to be an acronym for phrases like “All Day I Dream About Sports.
But it's derived from the name of its founder, Adolf “Adi” Dassler. The first part “Adi” comes from Adolf's nickname, and “Das” comes from his last name, Dassler.
So, ADIDAS is correctly classified as a portmanteau. (A word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example, “smog” (from “smoke” and “fog”) or “brunch” (from “breakfast” and “lunch”).
OMG - Enough Grammar!
Ok, ok. 🤣
Why is this important, you ask? Well, I have two passions. I like languages.
I speak and write in four languages practically every day. I understand another two languages well and can also communicate. A little rusty, but still.
I grew up in Switzerland. We have four official national languages.
So it's pretty normal to learn at least 2-3 of them. And yes, English is my third language…
The second passion?
In 2007, my wife and I bought a plot of land with a shabby house in Transylvania. We've renovated, rebuilt, extended, and created a home for ourselves and our guests.
We turned the overgrown property into a garden and food forest.
We've built a modern homestead.
A small part of our backyard. Image made by the author.
Dogs, cats, rabbits, pigs, and sheep. A colorful pile of work.
And a passion that we've come to no longer do without.
We're self-reliant and homesteading is our lifestyle.
The night that changed everything.
It was stifling hot. Even late in the evening, it felt like the hot air was exploding in our lungs.
Nowhere announced cooling rain.
It was a typical summer in Transylvania, August.
In the year 2018.
The eighth day of the month.
No one knew that I would mark this day on my calendar for the rest of my life.
The saving angel.
I woke up drenched in sweat. A glass of water cooled me down.
Then, out of nowhere!
A sharp pain in my chest.
I still can't explain why I immediately realized what it meant:
A heart attack.
My wife raced me to the hospital at hellish speeds.
And saved my life that night.
Nothing was like before.
I had never thought about what life would be like after such an incident.
And why should I?
Only old, fat people have heart attacks. Not people like me. I couldn’t be more wrong!
Well, I was only fifty. And pretty fit. At least I thought so...
It was going to be a long convalescence.
Almost like you see in the movies.
Only much more serious.
Rethink life - right now.
Patience was never my strong point. Now I was forced to learn it.
As soon as my initial weakness after the operation allowed it, I started exercising lightly. Changed my diet. Not radically. But very consciously.
And I started my research. Because none of my doctors were interested in a reason.
But questions kept me awake at night.
Why me? Why now? Why so early?
The puzzle pieces of a life.
I have always enjoyed writing. Now I had time for it.
Too much time.
I started making lists about my life.
What was important to me and Why?
My wife shielded me from any stress and physical work.
Without her, I would never have had the strength to analyze my life in such depth.
What's important in a person's life? What drives you to keep going?
The pages of my notebooks were filled with keywords.
The importance of some words, such as "health", was logical, given my condition.
Words like “success” or “relationships” seemed to preoccupy me.
They demanded more precise descriptions, some even completely new definitions.
Seven Magic Words
After hours of self-talk and never-ending lists, I realized the value of seven words in my life. They contained what was important to me. What I wanted to work on.
What I could influence.
And they pointed out the way to the future.
Almost a year had passed. I weighed 25 kilograms (55 lbs) less and was healthier than ever before.
What if I could use my experience to help others?
Would anyone want my help?
Remember Scrabble - the word game?
The words on my list were:
Health
Sustainability
Relationships
Money
Authenticity
Freedom
Inspiration
I like languages, as you know now. And word games.
So I took out my Scrabble game. I started building combos from these words and letters.
Nothing made much sense. I was close to giving up. Maybe the idea of helping others was stupid? Or only for psychologists or academics? Or all the other self-development gurus.
But not for me?
One last try.
The Birth of My Mindset
The answer to my search lay on the table in front of me. And for most words, I already had some analogies from nature in mind.
The word that would henceforth define my life and business was:
F reedom
A uthenticity
R elationships
M oney
I nspiration
H ealth
FARMISH
The best description of my lifestyle and everything important in life.
All things in life are connected.
Just like in nature. The trees would not live without the microbes in the soil. Birds wouldn't have a home without trees, etc.
These seven words are the segments of modern human life. They determine how much you care, what brings you joy, and what motivates you.
They are the segments that you can influence.
You can improve them.
And that's exactly what I did to get back on my feet very quickly.
It takes work. But it is possible.
How the FARMISH Mindset can help you.
You only learn to appreciate your health when it's already damaged. Unfortunately, this is a sad reality. But it's also the segment that can be influenced and improved most quickly.
That's why the first thing my coaching clients learn is the importance of nutrition and movement.
And how you can use it to control your body.
Quick improvements in well-being and sleep are the logical consequence of this.
Then you learn to deal with your environment better and more calmly.
Depending on the urgency, we work on the segments together.
Not in order.
But in the way that benefits you the most.
Don't buy a farm now!
It's not my goal for you to build a farm. Even if the acronym gives you a hint.
More important than WHERE you live is the question of HOW and WHY.
Seeing a purpose in life is one thing.
Living a life of health and contentment is another one.
If building a homestead helps you become happier, then it's the right thing for you.
Our mice hunter Benny. Image made by the author.
You can also live according to the laws of nature in a city apartment.
Not all segments are equally important to everyone.
But all segments are important for you to live a happy and long life.
FARMISH is the path to your happy, fulfilled future.
The FARMISH mindset is the common thread in your life and is aligned with nature.
So that our planet can breathe a sigh of relief.
This is the story of how I've used an acronym to question and improve my life, my business, and my entire existence.
The lesson:
I like acronyms like FARMISH much better than ER or ICU.
Amazing, isn't it?
LOL
Thank you for reading and your time!
Did you know, others find this post much easier when you give it a like? And it makes my day. Thanks!
Wish you all a wonderful weekend.
See you soon.
Yours,
Daniel
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