PERFECT Morning Everybody!
Here are your 3 golden nuggets for the week!
- “The thrill isn’t in the winning, it’s in the doing.” – Chuck Knoll
This quote serves as a reminder to focus on the journey, rather than the destination. Whether it be a client win, beating an addiction, or 10 pounds off the scale, the satisfaction we feel isn’t rooted in the actual win. It is rooted in the process. What makes the victory so sweet are the countless hours we put into the proposal to ensure success, the self-discipline we learn to cultivate on a consistent basis and the relentless dedication and hard work that went into shedding those 10 pounds! We have a tendency to develop tunnel vision and deny ourselves of any fun until winning is certain, but what they don’t teach you in school is to enjoy the part before the winning, the process. True fulfillment lies not in the winning, but in the preparation, dedication, and sacrifice required to execute your win! So smile! Enjoy this moment. It is all you will ever have.
- “What you fight, you strengthen, and what you resist, persists.” – Eckhart Tolle
I have a tattoo right above my left knee that reads “Let It Be.” When things are not going our way, we tend to try to manipulate the situation in hope that we can change it in our favor. Rather than letting the event play out and focusing on our response to the predicament, we obsessively try to think ourselves out of a situation. For example, as I write this, there is a jackhammer screaming outside my window that is making it extremely difficult to focus. Rather than fighting or resisting an uncomfortable emotion, try to allow it to simply be. Rather than immediately reacting, pause and notice the emotions that come to the surface. By taking this much-needed pause, we allow ourselves time to process and bestow the ability upon ourselves to turn inward. By turning inward, we can effectively investigate why this person or event is causing us discomfort and by surrendering to “what is”, we find true inner-peace.
- “Suffering = Pain x Resistance.” – Shinzen Young
Pain is inescapable. It is a part of life. If you burn your hand on a hot stove or your significant other calls it quits after 5 years, that is pain. Suffering however is optional. The difference between the two lies in our level of resistance to pain. Pain and resistance are separate. One can burn his hand or go through a traumatic breakup and experience only pain by not resisting the situation and by letting the situation unfold on its own. However, many of us experience suffering because we further engage in negative thinking and resist the pain. We might think to ourselves “I am so stupid for leaving that damn stove on! If only I would have turned it off!” or “I’ll never find true love. I am the most unlovable dude/dudette on the planet!” By negatively labeling ourselves, we induce suffering! Physical discomfort is one thing, and our resistance to that physical discomfort is something else (see #2 above). Pain is temporary and will always pass if we let it. The less we resist the pain, the less we suffer!
Enjoy what comes of today!