See that picture? I used to suck down one of these every day.

For those who don’t know the vernacular, it’s called a handle. One is equal to about forty normal drinks. It’s also equal to two fifths, which is the ‘normal’ sized bottle on any given rail at your local bar. Popov and McCormick were my go-to brands for two reasons. First, they were dirt cheap, and secondly, they came in plastic bottles which, in my mental state at the time, weighed less and didn’t make a racket when I (eventually) tossed them into the community dumpster.

I’ve met others who actually drank more, but not many. The reality of it was this – if you took what I consumed at my peak (or was it my depth?) and poured it down the gullet of someone who had never had a drink, they’d die. Thirty-one years later I’m still flabbergasted I ‘m alive. My tolerance was insanely high, literally.

Many have asked me what the ‘bottom’ is, where do we hit and either bounce… or die. I’ve heard others say it’s different for everyone, and to break from the traditional answer, I respectfully disagree. Both experience and observation have revealed everyone’s bottom (including mine) as being the same exact turning point, it was and will be that point where we let go.

I’m going to get a little redundant here as I’ve cited the forthcoming example several times, both in my book and here on my blog. Many think the idea of letting go is identical to giving up, and while they seem similar, their actions and motivations are totally different. To equate, giving up is rowing to the middle of the ocean without a compass, poking a hole in the bottom of your boat, and tossing your provisions overboard. Giving up is suicide, please don’t do that. On the other hand, letting go is the equivalent of rowing your boat to the middle of the ocean, again, without a compass, but in this case you keep rowing until you find a port you’ve never heard of. You then make dock and hop out to find an experienced guide you’ve never met and ask them to take you somewhere you’ve never been. THAT’S letting go. The first scenario is all ego generated, and the second is driven by trust. In the second example the boat always remains yours, it’s never relinquished, you have the power to stop the entire process if you want to. The energy that keeps the voyage going is fueled by continued humility, and humility, in a nutshell, is the unwavering willingness to seek out authentic criticism from anyone and anything who has more information and a higher quality of life than you do.

These days I do my best to seek out and pay attention to those moments where I’m being offered opinions and examples of actions and behaviors I can improve upon, though my reactions, I must admit, are often still childish and negative. Even so, I always rewind the information and do my best to reprocess it without prejudice.

When we arrogantly stand our ground, fold our arms, and close off our normal avenues of receiving information, the journey of life effectively stagnates and ends. When we do the reverse, ask for directions and open our arms, eyes, ears, and hearts to outer voices, we will find that the journey never ends, it just keeps getting better.

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With Love and Compassion,

Daniel Andrew Lockwood