Have you ever seen people who live life seemingly in a total state of bliss and grounded wisdom? They beam clarity and listen intently with deep interest in what you are saying. And, to turn the coin to the other side, we hear and read about the constant turmoil and unrest in our world with social media, politics, violence, greed, and fear.
I think to myself – I want to be like the monk. I want that feeling of being the monk sitting in lotus pose on a mountain demonstrating shear grace and blissful abandon, as worldly chaos whips around them like a cyclone, jagged with emotions and flailing debris in the aftermath. How do they do it?
I was intrigued to see a recent text response from a sister after my posting that a game (we play internet word games as a family) was about the journey. I was surprised to see her response that said that the game was about winning. I don’t believe I have thought that way in my life that it’s about winning. Maybe as a child playing sports? I have never won a trophy or a medal or even a first-place ribbon. I was never that competitive, at least not in mind.
In my current life, I see life as a journey or a process and what you get at the end might not even be what you thought you might get as a “win.” In my life I have disappointed myself in that way. Overtime I have seen this process that leads to something good as an effective lesson in setting myself up for failure. This has become my own awareness about perception of what is “good” or “bad.” I have realized that we choose what that thing might look like. What is perceived as good to one person might be bad for another. Ice cream to most is a good thing, but not to a diabetic, for example.
For me I think I like a challenge, but maybe not necessarily the win. My thoughts are: ‘then what, after the win?’ You beat your chest, you scream crazy “in-your-face-I-won-and-you-didn’t?” Regardless of who won, every person in the competition had a similar journey of striving to win a race, a game, or…life. Here’s a thought-provoking question: If you get cancer or a life-threatening illness does that mean you’ve lost? Or look at the other person and think, ‘glad that wasn’t me.’ Did you win?
So, what do you win if you take on challenges in life? Heaven? Will we know in our mind? Maybe even karma balances the wheel, and we will never know consciously if it ever did. These things we will NEVER know as our conscious mind no longer functions after we die. We can, however, believe, which is man’s way of coping with wanting the prize or the win at the end known as heaven, nirvana, or simply resting from the density of our earthly life. Or maybe, it’s setting the challenge that we travel the journey with the thought that something good in the end will come with all our efforts.
Perhaps, even I am caught up in what is called “the win.” “Something good will come of this” journey so I can justify the challenges or pain along the way. And maybe it’s why I strive every day through physical pain, thinking that something good will come of it. Maybe when I die, my organs will show something to science or maybe someone will read my written words and be enamored by the messages and thought process of someone who has gone through a lifetime of pain and endurance. Is that a win? Or is it simply helping others learn without my knowledge of it ever being an acknowledgement? I choose the latter. Even now, I have a book in the works with a publisher who is begging me to submit it and I am still in the journey of it. They want the win. I thrive on the journey.
So, today I ask each of you to check in with your mind- deeply. Take time, reflection, connect with nature if you feel it calls you; or even write it out. What is your thought process with daily life, sports, your family, friends, your spouse? Are you living your life in the journey with no expectations? Or are you in it for the “big” win? Or living in the present, mindful state of bliss like the monk on the mountain? What you choose today will impact yesterday, today, and tomorrow. But, for now we only have today, this moment, this thought of the journey. Join you on the mountain.
by Kat Kohler Schwartz, Conscious Living Coach for Taproots for Life, LLC
Kat is a trained professional mentor, author, and women’s advocate who specializes in the art and science of Neurolinguistic Programming, Cognitive Behavioral Training, Emotion Training, and Conscious Living. Kat offers coaching and classes on Conscious Living 314-359-2467
Tap Roots of Wisdom 