Treasure Hunting in the Mirror: A ground-breaking guide to finding, freeing, and lovingly leading the REAL

By Travis McMurray

What if self-caring behaviors like commitment to nutrition, early rising, productive living, and physical vitality are already inside of you and waiting to be released? What if the only thing holding you back from these is simply an unawareness of their existence and purpose? What if the secret to success was not in the acquisition of personality, but in the uncaging of it? What if the best and real you is not an end product but a current reality? What if you weren't standing on buried treasure…what if you WERE the treasure? This truly remarkable book is a perspective-altering experience. You will never again look into a mirror without its irrefutable message whispering in your ear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jul 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667846958

Book preview

Part 1:

Your Worth and Your Waistline

You are not insignificant. You are a rare find. You are not common. You are of an entirely unprecedented design. You are not worthless. You are treasure. You are the culmination of the universe’s finest creative efforts. A universe that, without you in it, would bare the scars of that loss for eternity. Your life has far more meaning than you have yet discovered. You are not an accidental framing of molecules. You are a beautifully and carefully crafted work of divine art.

-Travis McMurray

Fitness and balanced nutrition, at their core, are about offering your mind and body the care that they deserve. But how and why would we care for something that we do not see as valuable? No meaningful fitness instruction can begin without solidifying the message of your worth. I hope, by the end of this section, that you are no longer able to see yourself as anything other than incredibly valuable and worthy of care.

I urge you to please take the time to thoughtfully do the written exercises I have provided in this book. As someone whose career is based on the instruction of exercise, I can not overemphasize that these written exercises are even more important than the physical exercises in a fitness program. They will form the foundation for your future commitment to the self care you deserve: the nurturing of a healthy mind and body.

Truth #1 – Value recognition is the foundation of care.

A farmer in Michigan was using an old rusty rock as a doorstop for his barn. He had purchased the farm 30 years earlier, and was told that the old rock holding the barn door was actually a meteorite. It was a dense stone, weighing over 20 lbs. It was uneven with angular surfaces that prevented it from rolling under the force of the heavy barn door. It wasn’t pretty, but it was perfect for its job. After hearing some information that meteorites can be quite valuable, he began to reconsider using it as a doorstop. Speaking in an interview, he remarked, I said, ‘Wait a minute. I wonder how much mine is worth.’ This meteorite turned out to be worth $100,000! Needless to say, the old rusty rock quickly lost its job as a doorstop.

It’s interesting, isn’t it, that we instantly treat something differently when we are made aware of its value? A rock can go from an old weathered doorstop one day, to a museum artifact the next. And what changed? Its appearance? No. Its usefulness? No. In fact, nothing changed about the object. All that changed was recognition of its value. When that recognition occurs, our treatment of that object immediately changes without significant planning or effort.

Self care: invigorating physical activity, balanced nutrition, rejuvenating rest patterns, fulfilling personal time…without significant planning or effort. Can you see how ideal tapping into this system would be? Rather than digging deep for the motivation to pursue an activity you don’t really enjoy, wouldn’t it be a weight off your shoulders if your motivation came, not from pressure or guilt, but from instinct? Imagine the emotional unloading of a mindset converted from, I should exercise to How could I not exercise?.

When caring for your body becomes as natural as caring for your child or a prized possession, it becomes a joyful privilege rather than a chore. Therefore, the recognition of your worth is the fundamental first step to freeing yourself from the exhaustion of shame-based and pressure-based fitness motivation.

A simple way to solidify and personalize this concept, if you agree with it, is to answer the corresponding questions below with a pen. And similarly, sign your name below them. If you feel so inclined, please make my concepts your own and allow them to permeate your thought patterns.

What prized possessions have you owned that you valued above most others?

What unique care did you provide for those possessions that reflected their value to you?

If you were to apply the same valuation to yourself (and hopefully greater!), what types of self-caring practices do you hope would come more naturally?

Your worth already exists and is complete as you will see in the upcoming pages. There is nothing further you need to do to secure it. Simply accept it. Accepting your value as you are is not indifference to further growth. Quite the contrary, it is a launching pad to further growth! A daily recognition of your worth will alter your approach to self care. This alteration may not be instantaneous, so do not expect it to be. Allow your answers to the written exercises to become your default thought patterns, and this alteration will eventually take over.

And know that once you see yourself as valuable, your approach to nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle in general will change. You will free yourself to organically nurture an appreciation for self care. True care exists, not to create worth, but in response to it.

Recognition of my value is the foundation of my self-care.

Signed,

Truth #2 – Our treatment of an object reflects our assessment of its value.

Have you ever attended a county fair or similar event where there was a Car Smash Fundraiser? If you’ve never tried it, I’m sure you’ve seen it. For a small fee, you are handed a sledge-hammer and are given a predetermined number of swings in which you cause as much damage to the vehicle as possible. They are a great way to unleash a little pent-up aggression while contributing to a worthy cause!

Understandably, the typical vehicle used in these events is older, well-used, and far past its prime. But what if that were not the case? Close your eyes and envision your dream car. Likely you can see it immediately: the vehicle you’d purchase if you won the lottery.  Take a few moments and study the image in your head. What color is it? Imagine that color polished and gleaming in the sun. Look at the tires. Imagine the fresh rubber, the shimmering rims. What about the interior? Is it luxuriously fitted with fully-loaded options? Or do you prefer stylishness through simplicity? Regardless of your preferences, keep the image of that perfect vehicle in your mind.

Now I want you to imagine that it is this vehicle that is wheeled out for the Car Smash Fundraiser. What would you feel if you had paid your $5 for 3 of your most destructive sledgehammer swings on this beauty of a vehicle? Surely you would protest in shock! It would be nearly inconceivable, would it not, that anyone would get any kind of payoff by willfully causing damage to such a valuable item? Perhaps, in your incredulity, you would even offer your own as a substitute! Here! you shout. Take my car instead! If this vehicle is truly unwanted, I will happily exchange it for the one I’m currently driving!

Now imagine that the organizers are quite happy with your offer and you find yourself to be the proud new owner of your dream vehicle. How would you treat it? What are some of the things you would do to maintain its value? And what about the effort it took to care for it? Would it feel monotonous, or fulfilling? Would you struggle to find the time to commit to its care? Or might you put other commitments aside for the satisfaction that comes from caring for it? Consider any