Peak Vitality

We often strive for our peak of accomplishment: peak health, peak wealth, peak performance. The idea for this anthology came from a further question that is both simple but provocative: “What if we could exceed the upper limits of our performance?” What would happen if, rather than focusing on being physically well, we imagined ourselves physically vibrant? What would happen if rather than seeking 100% of the good that might come to us, we pushed past our boundaries, and pictured what 112% might look like? What would happen if we took our upper limits of vision as a baseline, rather than a ceiling? Could we be happier, more abundant, and healthier than our wildest dreams?

Studies in social science and human physiology indicate that each of us has a series of set points. We have a set point for how much pleasure we allow ourselves to experience, how much money we feel we’re worth, how close we believe can get to God, and the limits of our physical endurance and athletic performance.

Yet these limits are often far below our potential. They’re arbitrary limits based in our past experience. Like a giant with mighty muscles who has been raised by pygmies with puny arms, we often buy into the limitations of the society that formed us.

Breaking the limit can be terrifying. For instance, if we’re used to abusive relationships, our body chemistry is geared to that experience. Biologically it feels “right” to us, even if our minds tell us that our situation is horribly wrong. When we try something new, for instance a healthy relationship, our biochemistry and neurology might scream, “No!” because it feels so unfamiliar. Yet we have to push past the barriers of the known in order to establish new, healthy patterns.

That’s what Peak Vitality is all about. It calls us to examine the thresholds of our thinking, feeling and experiencing—then go beyond what we believe we’re capable of.

Please join us for the magnificent voyage of discovery into what reaching new peaks of attainment might look like. As you read the inspiring ideas of these authors and savor the wisdom of their breakthrough concepts, you will be inspired to identify your own highest goals—and reach them!