Taking nothing seriously - the most important thing you can do.

The one single biggest thing you can do to have a better life?

Take nothing seriously.

It's such an old Ishaya principle, it's almost a motto.

But it is such an uncommon skill amongst humanity it's worth repeating, frequently.

Taking nothing seriously is crucial to the full enjoyment of life. Obviously. As the joke goes, none of us are getting out of here alive, so why not fully enjoy it?

But it’s also not just being a goof.

When you have a sense of lightness it automatically means you have things in perspective. Perspective means you have clarity, it means you aren’t getting sucked into the thing.

You can then be fluid, adjust easily, be wide open to different ideas. You can make the most of what actually is happening rather than trying to stick with some plan of what “should be” happening.

When you take things seriously it’s the spark that invites a fight.

Instead of laughing and letting it slide, the resistance builds and the fight blows up - unless you back down.

But when you don’t play the game, you are removed from the game. Job done. There is no struggle, ever.

So don’t even invite a fight, just take nothing seriously. Stop playing the game.

Keep what is most important to you as a priority. And that isn’t being right, it’s being happy.

I imagine. Unless being right is more important to you than your mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing, in which case go ahead and try and be right.

Take nothing seriously. Be aware - learn to laugh at everything, most crucially yourself. If you are able to do that you'll have a source of entertainment forever.

Stop pushing.

We think we are in control. We strive and force and try and for what? A life of struggle? Is that how you want to live?

No, of course not. It's just often we don't realise how much we push.

Life is meant to be one of ease. Don't get me wrong - life still involves action - but action that is inspired, fluid and simple.

All the great things that have come to you have come with this straight forward, flowing effortlessness. A moment of inspiration and then an outpouring. An absorption in presence and then simple, obvious action.

Instinct, flow, grace.

Every time - and it doesn't matter if you are an athlete, an artist, a writer, a mechanic, a father, a teacher or a business woman, every good thing has come this way.

You act and you choose and you do, but the best comes when you let go of the future - of any idea of what should result.

The greatest moments have always been when you were totally present. Not overly concerned with the result or the plan, simply doing the right thing to do as it felt in that moment.

Control is the opposite. It kills inspiration and grace. It kills effortlessness and fluidity.

When you control you struggle and you try and you strain.

Struggle happens when you think you know what you need to do, and its not happening to your plan.

Instead of being fluid, you push a little more, and a little more. The resistance gets bigger and bigger. You get more and more tired, more and more stressed. There's less and less enjoyment.

You need to be aware of when struggle comes in and, in the knowing it is counter-productive, simply let go.

Letting go of control is that simple. Stop struggling. Stop fighting. Stop resisting what is.

The bottom line is protect your own peace. Protect the baseline.

You think you can do that? Of course you can. Just now, notice the trying and let it go. That is all. Little by little. Be present, be peace.

Take not a thing seriously.

The single greatest thing you can do to be more clear, calm and collected is to not take anything seriously. If you don't take anything seriously you won’t take anything personally.

If you don’t take anything personally you won’t get stuck in drama and blame and resentment and anger and all of that.

If you don’t get stuck in drama you can see clearly, you can see the big picture, you’ll have options.

If you have options you can do stuff easier and have more fun doing it. It’ll become an endless upward spirally loop of greater and greater joy.

Let me reassure you: The path to being the best version of yourself is through increasing amounts of joy. The enlightened beings I have met all laugh their arses off, constantly.

And here is the thing - a happy, joyful destination cannot be gained through a serious path. It is impossible.

This is good news. Awesome news actually. and its easy.

As my meditation teacher says, don’t worry about forever, just take nothing seriously today. Start small, but start now. If you like it, do it tomorrow. You may just find you keep doing it.

Find ways to laugh at everything, including yourself. Nothing need to be serious. Nothing benefits from seriousness. Even the most serious discussions benefit from levity.

Hang out with the happy people. Help others laugh at themselves, help them lighten their load. Don’t take anything seriously. Life is too short not to.

Taking time out means you can move forward

I’m going to Spain tomorrow to spend the (English) summer at a meditation retreat.

Three months in the mountains with people from all around the world. They’re coming from as far as Mexico, New Zealand, Argentina and Taiwan.

The weather is sweet, the food is tasty, and the vibe is very relaxed yet excited. There are some grand discoveries happening, and a lot of joy. If you're at all interested, or just want to have a snoop at the retreat, here's the page: www.thebrightpath.com/spain-mastery-retreats

I’m not telling you this to show off. Well, ok, a little bit, but more to tell you about the value of retreating.

In this busy world we think more is better. Go further, faster, stronger. The thing is that it doesn’t seem this way, but sometimes to retreat is to advance.

To take time out, to take stock, to come out of the details. Actually, just to let go of the stuff for a little while.

You need to retreat every day. You can create a little sanctuary - and you need to create a little sanctuary - just by finding a quiet place, even the toilet, to sit and take time out. To do nothing.

It doesn’t need to be long - ten minutes is a great start - just close your eyes and see what you notice. You aren’t “doing” anything, just noticing, without judgement, everything.

Try your breath. Or sounds. Or your body. Or count your thoughts. Or you can think a phrase that means something to you and watch it dissolve and vanish.

Whatever you do - take time out. It’ll make a huge difference in the enjoyment and effectiveness of your day.