The reason we're here is because we all want to change, probably for the better.

The most important thing that needs to change when we change is our actions. Not our beliefs, not our ideas, not our perspective on anything. Only to the extent that they help us change our actions are they useful to us.

And in this specific instance, we are here because we want to transform ourselves into a version with a stronger back, a more intelligent spine, and greater awareness of our core.

And that's why I created this course, Kinetic Keystone, to guide us step by step through the process of radically transforming our movement, our physical actions, in a way that moves us towards a stronger back and greater awareness of our spine through our actions, not just understanding mentally or desiring a different situation emotionally.

But physically acting in accordance with principles that move us towards the preferred situation. Towards healing. Towards strength. Towards power. If you go to CraigVan.com and take a look at the home page, you'll see a banner for Kinetic Keystone. That's where you can navigate into the course and find everything you need. It's one of a kind, unlike anything else I've seen so far.

I've designed it to hold your hand throughout the entire process. It's the closest thing we can do to putting me in the room with you. Now, you can get started right away. There's a part one. In part one, we do everything necessary to minimize the impact that our sedentary, seated lifestyle has on us. I often talk about the two wings of a bird in this project, in this journey. One is stopping harmful actions, and the other is adopting beneficial actions. Many people think that they can simply adopt beneficial actions without ever refraining from harmful actions.

But that's not sufficient. We have to remove the factors that put us where we are in the first place. Then our beneficial actions have a much better chance of succeeding. Part one mainly focuses on minimizing harmful actions, minimizing stress on our lower back and spines in general. But I've also included a taste of the beneficial actions, corrective movement, so that you can get an idea of what it's like to follow along with these sessions, to have me in the room with you. I've also selected a few exercises that I believe are the most important. Along with everything else in part one, if you follow it closely, you will experience radical change. And part one is completely free, so go ahead and get started.

Part two is the full movement correction, where the emphasis is on mastering the beneficial actions. So go check it out and you'll find something entirely practical, something that is geared to help you change your actions for the better now, to minimize harmful actions and adopt beneficial actions from day one.

And remember, it's our actions that matter. Not our beliefs, not our ideas, not how much money we have, not who we think we are or want to be. Everything that matters is our actions. And for any change, the only thing that matters is the actions we change, because they're what move us to where we want to go or prevent us from getting there. It's our actions that shape us, that move us, and that cause all the reactions. Cause and effect. This is where we should look.

Now, with these ideas and my strong opinion and belief based on my experience around action and consequence, why have we spent a few lessons discussing abstract philosophies and high-level ideas if the most important thing is action? They play a very important role. The value of our philosophies lies entirely in their ability to change us. And change only happens through action. The extent to which our philosophies support our desired behavior is the extent to which they are useful to us.

One very famous concept that has made this very clear is Simon Sinek's "Start With Why," the Golden Circle. Why, then how, then what? If we consider the course as the what, the practical changes, the actions we make, the behavior we modify, this is the what, the definitive practical matters. But these are guided by the how, the principles that govern what our actions are trying to achieve. The principles that form the how are themselves governed by the why, the meaning, the motivation, the direction.

Simon Sinek's book "Start With Why" lays out a clear case that what moves people is their feelings, their emotions. Selling someone an idea is impossible. You have to sell them a feeling. An idea is only meaningful if we resonate with it, if we feel it.

I found a beautiful depiction of these concepts of the Golden Circle, "Start With Why," by someone called Antony Villis. It was attributed to the First Wealth blog. He has two circles, three concentric circles with Why in the middle, then How outside that, and then What outside of them both. Next to that, he has another two concentric circles, one with the limbic brain in the middle and the neocortex on the outside, showing how the why and even the how really touch us in the deeper parts of our brain, those emotional, ancient parts of feeling and intuition.

Meaning, and how this limbic brain provides the direction for our neocortex. I think this is a generally underappreciated dynamic of our conscious experience. We are hyper-aware of our thoughts and our ability to reason, but completely ignorant of the limitations in our perception and how we can reason anything to seem true. Truth is so difficult to come close to. What's happening most of the time is that our feelings move us in a direction, which we then decorate, justify, or enhance with our thoughts. We use our thoughts to achieve the means with which our feelings are pushing us towards or away from.

At the core of that is the pain and pleasure that is at the heart of what we're always moving towards or moving away from. As much as we like to believe that it's our reasonable thoughts that are logically dictating our actions and that we feel consciously in control of, what's really happening is a much vaster collection of data coalescing into an experience of feeling, of intuition. And that's what's truly moving us.

Anthony Villis explains that the why is our purpose, our motivation, what we believe. The how is our process, the actions taken to realize our why. And these correlate with the limbic brain, our trust. Trust is closely related to truth. When we trust something, we perceive it to be truthful.

The consequence of the why, how, and limbic brain, our feelings, is the what, the results, what we do, what are the results of these phenomena.

So the way I understand the why, how, and what, the why is really my philosophies. These are what it means to me. The how are my principles. These are like pipelines between the what's and the why. How do we bring an abstract philosophy down towards reality? This is in a principle, something that is relevant for all action or all of the time. Then we go down a layer to the what's, which I understand as practice. Practices are governed by principles, which are motivated and directed by philosophies. What's are guided by how's, which are compelled by why's.

So we need the philosophies to motivate and direct our principles. We need the principles to guide our actions. We need the practices, which constitute our actions, to realize the change, to realize the goals, to become what we choose to become, to go where we want to go.

As much as action is the be-all and end-all, it rests on principles, which rest on philosophies.

Let's look for a more formal definition of philosophy because that's where we are in this journey. What I've highlighted here is what I consider the most relevant interpretation of philosophies in this context. Philosophy is the study of the theoretical basis of a particular branch of knowledge or experience, or a theory or attitude that acts as a guiding principle for behavior. It is the framework, the bedrock, the foundation for us to guide our actions, to direct our actions, to motivate our actions.

To wrap this up, I want to emphasize the necessity and critical role that these philosophies play. You may be at a point in your journey where you have all the motivation you could ask for and know exactly where you want to go. But very few of us are there. Even if you need a course like Kinetic Keystone to solve a problem you urgently want to solve, if you want to ensure long-term success on that journey, if you want to go the full distance, then you need to study the philosophies and principles as well. Thoroughly understanding them, gaining a greater perspective, understanding the real reasons behind what you're doing, why you're doing it, where you're going, why you're going there, why you're leaving what you're leaving behind. This is what keeps us committed for the long term, instills deeper motivation, pushes us through challenges, and gives us the impulse to keep moving forward. There will be challenging times. Simon Sinek has also popularized the concept of finite games versus infinite games. Journeys of health, wealth, and happiness are infinite games. We need to keep moving forward for the rest of our lives, facing challenges along the way. We need the motivation, the understanding, the real perspective, and the deliberate planning of our North Star.

Thoroughly understanding the philosophies that support the principles guiding our actions and practices will strengthen your journey, commitment, and resolve. It will enrich your journey as well. So now that we've covered this, we can continue exploring the philosophies behind the course. We have more to get through, so stay tuned.

I've put my heart into this project and created something I believe is very useful for those looking to revolutionize their spine experience, whether due to pain or performance. If it's not you but you've made it this far, please share this with someone who might benefit from it. Let's help each other. Otherwise, subscribe to the channel for the sake of your future self and like the video for my sake. Let's spread the word. Otherwise, see you next time.