"The rate of change today is staggering."
"We have an accelerated pace unprecedented in the human race."
"The amount of information we have available to us is doubling every year."
Sound familiar?
It should. These ideas have been so hammered into our collective
consciousness that they hardly make an impact any more.
Frankly, I'm sick of hearing about it...
About how things aren't the same as they used to be -- but they are
going really fast. And I don't like how it makes us react: It influences
us to think that things outside of us are moving so quickly that we have
to race like rats in a maze to keep up.
How fast is fast enough?
The truth is that we have complete control over our own internal rate.
Yes, we have to stay abreast of technology if we want to capitalize
upon it, and yes, we must keep challenging ourselves to our own personal best.
But we don't have to feel as if we're on some treadmill and the dreaded
finger of time keeps pressing the "increase speed" button.
The comfort zone is the most dangerous place to be...
In the first e-mail lesson you received, I encouraged you to get out of
your comfort zone, and even went so far as to say that it's the most
dangerous place to be. You have to swim past the crashing waves trying
to pull you back to shore, I wrote. This metaphorical treadmill is just like
those waves. We need to move beyond it. Mentally, we need to step off
and onto our own path.
The Path of Power is a Warrior's path...
I call this "The Path of Power," where we can stride forward with courage
into the unknown, seeking our own personal potential. I refer to people
who are on The Path of Power as "Warriors." In this case, I'm using the
word not to refer to those who attempt to conquer others, but instead to
those who take on the task of mastering themselves...
The most difficult battle you will ever fight...
...challenging themselves to live well and achieve great things despite the
cultural conditioning. Each of us can be Warriors who face our fears and go
forward despite them.
As this kind of Warrior, the most difficult battle you ever fight is the battle to
be unique in a world that will marshal its every force to keep you the same.
I hope to arm you for this battle both in these e-lessons and in the future
should you choose to join me at a live event.
"One more thing" is never enough...
One of the most seductive ideas is that we can "acquire" happiness
through something here on the physical plane. Advertising and our
social culture reinforce the idea that our lives are about getting a new car,
or an impressive title at work, or making six figures, or having a million-dollar
home. There's nothing wrong with pursuing or having those things, but we
must realize that they are empty if we don't build our lives on something
more grounded and eternal.
The ego will never allow you to be wealthy....
We have to silence that craven voice that nags us, "If I get just this one
more thing, then I'll be successful and happy." We all know intellectually
that this is false, but most of us still behave as if it's true. We run around
pursuing that "one thing" and wonder why we don't feel complete when we
get it. Or feel frustrated when it doesn't come to us quickly.
Instead of working on things from the outside in -- striving to get that
"one thing" to make us feel good inside -- we need to work for goodness
from the inside out, to know that the source of everything that is good in
our lives does not come from somewhere outside ourselves, but instead
from within.
If you sit around long enough there will be nothing to sit on...
"Now wait a minute, James," you may be thinking as you read this. "I am
not going to sit around and contemplate my navel, believing that good
stuff will come my way just because I'm a good person." And you are right.
But the distinction is that, ultimately, "good stuff" comes from you -- not
from the world in which we live.
Our accomplishments are hugely important, and they are gratifying only
if we understand that it's not the "thing" itself that is gratifying, but who
we became in the process to acquire or achieve it.
Live every day for its own sake.
If you can immerse yourself in living, then you can detach while you are still
fully engaged. Sound contradictory? It's not.
You can set goals and work to achieve great things in your life. At the
same time, you can live each day for its own sake rather than some future
return. You can stop living as if every experience is a means to an end
and see that every experience is an end in itself.
Most people live everywhere but the present.
Some of us dwell in the past, reliving good memories or trying to change
bad ones. Many more are on that treadmill, running to get to somewhere
else. But this kind of living brings limited power and limited joy when
compared to what you have when you are fully engaged in what you're
doing and being right now.
Hurry is fear.
This racing around to get somewhere else is defended by many as
enthusiasm or drive. But hurry is merely fear disguised as passion.
Impatience is just the ego struggling for control. Once you recognize
and accept this, you can start to change it. Doesn't it feel great when
you are inspired and excited about your life and your achievements
rather than pressured by your own or others' expectations? It comes
down to a basic temporal shift: bringing your focus back to the here and now.
When you start to feel frantic, take a moment to ask yourself...
Am I having fun? Does what I am doing right now bring me joy? Is this
an adventure? Am I following my love or my destiny? Am I grateful for the
opportunity to do what I am doing now?
If you find yourself answering "no," then you know you are back on the
treadmill. Mentally hit the pause button. Step off the treadmill. Consider
how you can bring yourself back to the present and enjoy what you are
doing.
* First:
Observe that you are not totally focused on the task at hand. Observing
your lack of "present-ness" (awareness of the present) automatically
brings you back.
* Next:
Close your eyes and focus on your breath. Simply tuning in to your breathing
will lead you back into the present moment.
* Now:
Shift your focus to your whole body. Don't think about it, though. Feel it.
Notice the sensation in your entire body, a part at a time. By bringing your
awareness to your body, you can take it away from the future and past, which
exist only in the head.
* Ask yourself:
How can I place my full attention on right now and enjoy what I am doing for
its own sake?
Get out of the rut...
One of the best ways I've found to step off the treadmill is to do something completely
different from your usual routine. That's what a vacation is supposed to do. You'll return
to your daily life a very different person, refreshed, revitalized, recommitted to living at
your fullest in every moment and following the destiny of your dreams. And pursuing a
destiny you love is nothing like a rat race -- instead, it's the most enjoyable journey
you could take.
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