Who do you respect and admire?Alive or long gone, family or fictitious, neighbour or Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson … (it's okay, guilty secrets are fine with me. Embrace them, celebrate them!)
Who would you love to have as an aunty or uncle, just living around the corner so you could pop by and soak in their wisdom, their presence, as you're together in the kitchen peeling potatoes, drinking tea?
All of these people, everyone you respect and admire, was born with strengths. But all of them, every single one of them, were never born complete. They all had challenges, weaknesses, fears, troubles.
Perhaps that’s what made them the people you admire today – the fact that in many cases life wasn’t easy for them, that they had to work to overcome.
Regardless of the events of anyone’s life, a truth not so universally acknowledged is ... that no one is born finished.
If you’re interested in making a difference in someone else’s life, perhaps on a world scale, perhaps for your family and work mates and neighbours … if you’re interested in being worthy of respect and admiration, I think there are two very useful questions to keep alive in your life.
Two questions to revisit from time to time, to gauge a sense of how “well” you’re living life, are, number one:
“How can I do this better?”
Everyone can do everything better. Being open to seeing how you can be better means you get shown.
However, it takes a huge slice of humility. You’re never as good as your ego thinks you are. The more you know, the more you realise you’re just beginning and how much there is to learn … ha!
The second is:
“How can I enjoy this more?”
Seriousness of any kind is always a great sign you’re attached to a certain outcome, you’re fixed on being right, you’re a little bit stuck, you’re self-absorbed.
You can be involved in the most serious thing in the world, but having a light heart makes all the difference. To you, your ability to cope and to achieve, to everyone around you.
Seriousness is never a great idea.
Two questions then, combined with the ability to be present and live fully in this moment in time, in the same location as your body, means life becomes something wonderful.
It means your life not only becomes satisfying and fulfilling and alive to you, but is a gift to everyone else. A gift.
How wonderful is that?
Go well!Arjuna
PS. There is no finish line.
Isn’t that great? You will never get to “done.” You are not a pot-roast (or a roast potato if you’re vegan).
You are a constant work in progress. If you are willing, there can be a constant discovery of more. If you assume this attitude every single situation and person becomes a chance to see more, to be more.
With this attitude, there are no mistakes, there is no wrong. Then anything is always a case for you of, “OK - what do I want to do with this?”
And that attitude is amazing, inspiring, unstoppable.
PPS.If you're interested in these musings - some would say ramblings - coming directly to your email, here's a link to sign up:
https://mailchi.mp/60dbe4ffeccf/freedom-from-thinking-so-much