Next New Zealand – September 2019

THE UNCOMFORTABLE

PATH YOU TAKE ISN’T

HUGELY IMPORTANT

• WHAT MATTERS

IS THE STRETCH

Text

©
The Sunday Times

Photography

Getty Images

as a traf c-light scheme comprising safe green

zones, orange zones that stretch you a bit, and red

zones in which you feel panicked and overwhelmed.

“If you have a lot of red in your life, you need to

seek out the green to recharge,” he says. “If it’s

mainly green, you’re playing it a bit safe.” Which

uncomfortable path you take isn’t hugely important

• what matters is the stretch.
  The bottom line is about accepting that life is
  tough, says Greg. “I cite Buddhism a lot because that

idea is central to it. As soon as pain becomes thought

of as normal, life immediately becomes less painful.”

The reality is that “you’d have to dig yourself deep to

avoid any kind of pain”, he adds.

We’re all digging away, while failing to equip

ourselves for life’s inevitable challenges. In order to

be well-rounded humans, says Kathryn, “We have to

experience the bad stuff and learn how to deal with

it to be able to engage and strengthen our responses

to real life.”

*

SEPTEMBER 2019 / NEXT 43

LIFE HACK