Who Put the Oola-la Back in my Life?

A few months ago, when I was going through my divorce, I joined Twitter at the urging of a colleague.  I saw no purpose in Twitter, really.  I mean, who can talk in 140 characters or less?  Certainly not me!  However, he told me that I could check all the news channels rather quickly for the headlines.  Well, that DID appeal to me.  I don’t generally watch the news but would like to know should there ever be a comet headed to earth so I can duck and cover.   And so I subscribed…unbeknownst to me that I would actually encounter some folks who would genuinely change my life!

I don’t know how I became Twitter-friends with Dr. Troy Amdahl or Dr. Dave Braun, who go by the monikers OolaGuru and OolaSeeker, respectively.  It must’ve been a retweet of a retweet of a retweet or some such thing.  What I do know is that they have written an incredible book about a way of life that they refer to as “Oola”.

 Now, when I first heard of this, I thought this must be some sort of New Age-y thinking or a new religion (move over Scientology) or something just not particularly kosher.  However, I asked Dr. Dave about it and he explained the basic philosophy.   He also told me they had a website and a book.   Again, not entirely convinced, I went to the website, www.OolaLife.com   I also checked out the book.  I was really looking to see what it was they were promoting.  I am what I consider a strong Christian and wanted to make sure that their philosophy aligned with my beliefs.  If it didn’t-- forget it-- I wasn’t interested.  However, I kept watching them on Twitter; their tweets, the quotes they chose, and even checked out their webpage.   Frankly, nothing seemed out of the ordinary or more importantly, out of line with my religious doctrine.  One day, I decided I needed to take a closer look.  I am, if nothing else, someone who believes in not being judgmental.  I bought their book, “Oola: Find Balance in an Unbalanced World.”   I was curious but no quite sure what to expect.

 What I discovered was an incredibly well written book in which the authors share the most intimate details of their lives and how Oola can enhance anyone's belief system.  The two men are like a ying and yang of one another.  Both seem to balance the other, making for a symbiotic friendship.  One can feel the camaraderie between the two.  However, that is just the icing on the cake.  Dr. Dave tells a gritty tale of where he was at one of the most significantly low periods in his life and how Dr. Troy, his former mentor, helped him get back on his feet.  But this blog is more than a book review.  It really is the importance of the OolaLife.  You see, I don’t often put myself out there and promote anything.  I don’t honestly feel it’s my place.  However, this is something that I believe in and that has truly helped move me beyond a life of the ordinary – and, it’s moving me into a place of the extraordinary.

By using the book, I learned about the 7 key areas in life that they identify and the key to Oola is to find balance.  One of my key areas is faith.  That will never change no matter what, and is a big reason why I am able to speak out about Oola.  You see, faith is an important component of Oola – as important as you want it to be – and that’s what I like about it.  However, there are also 6 other key areas that they identify. 

Presently, I am drawing up a plan for my life.  And yes, I do believe you need one.  You cannot reach your goals if you do not set any.  And that’s where Oola comes in.  It helps you not only lay out a plan for your life, but helps you determine how to balance those 7 key areas.  That’s the Oola in the Oola –la of your life.  In short, it’s what makes our lives awesome!  And as just an aside, 7 is the number for completeness in the Christian faith.

A few months ago, after my divorce, I was only about faith and family.  That is truly awesome and I am so thankful to God.  However, through Oola, I also realized that there are other areas of my life in which I needed to build upon.  So using my strengths, I began to build up my weaknesses.  I do it all the time with the special needs kiddos I work with – so why not do it for myself?

Currently, I am working on having some fun in my life; something that I had not experienced in years.  And believe me, requires some practice on my part.  It is not easy to go out and have fun; particularly if you have gone through something particularly painful in your life.  However, I decided that was an area I wanted to increase and needed to increase.  Some may refer to fun as joy.  Fun does not mean you have to go out and party every night; rather, it needs to be something meaningful to you and maybe even incorporate some other aspect of your life such as family.  For me, fun right now is getting together with friends for coffee or dinner once a week or watching a movie with my family on a Saturday night.  It does not have to be extravagant; it just has to be…well, fun!  Through Oola, I have not just experienced joy but actually developed deeper relationships and friendships, am more ready to enjoy life and continue to worship God as I always have.

 

When I was divorced, I was left with a large amount of debt.  However, I am slowly paying things off while keeping up with all my bills.  Again, planning my work and working my plan.  It sounds simple to plan for your financial future and I suppose it’s really not that difficult.  But it does require a commitment and more goal-setting.     
 

There are still other areas I continue to work on…I struggle with finding time to exercise.   Working two jobs just does not leave me a lot of time to think about fitness, and yet, it is a necessary component in our lives.    I think I get an “F” for that one.  But I am excelling in my field, which is teaching.  By the way, did I mention that Oola covers 7 key areas in your life and I have mentioned them all in this blog?  I challenge you to go back and find them.  All begin with the letter F.   
 

Many thanks to Drs. Dave Braun and Troy Amdahl for writing this incredible book.  It is a fast read which is great for those of us who struggle with time management.  More importantly, it is life-changing and one that I found fulfilling.  Now for those of you who believe that this is not for you, I urge you to read the book first before making that judgment. Talk with your Christian friends.  I did.  I also talked about it with my pastor.  Not one felt that there was anything that was not life affirming and not in line with the Christian faith.  So, I challenge you – get the book and read it.  Find out if it is something worth doing.  What are you out?  The price of a fast food meal?  However, if I am right and it is worthwhile, what do you stand to gain?  Take a chance – do what I did and put the Oola-la where it belongs…back in your life!