Emotional Pollution requires a host environment – it cannot exist outside of you. So if you are feeling lousy, check to see that you’re not keeping any pollutants clinging to your mind by default.
“We become that to which we give our attention.” – Aristotle
There comes a time when each of us, mindful or not, sees our expectations of moving forward outpacing our actual performance. And the result is that we find ourselves mentally stuck or stalled in a, well, let’s call it a “crappy place”. But while it feels very real, it’s often just feeling and not fact. So ending up there once in a while is not necessarily something that has to be “fixed” right away.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, here’s the method behind my madness: If you can focus on maintaining a certain level of objectivity while you are in the middle of a mental maelstrom, you can actually get a lot more insight (about you & it) than if you were outside of it. Think about it: You get the benefits of being an objective observer as well as the benefits of being an active participant – kind of like being a war correspondent on the battlefield but without having to worry about being shot at.
So next time you find yourself mentally in a “crappy place”, don’t be too hard on yourself. Instead, enthusiastically seize the opportunity to learn something about how you operate on your deepest levels – it may be a little scary, but it’s a great way to uncover some of that hidden potential.
Nietzsche sums it up beautifully: “He possesses heart who knows fear but masters fear; who sees the abyss, but sees it with pride. He who sees the abyss, but with eagle’s eyes – he who grasps the abyss with an eagle’s claws: he possesses courage.”
Potential and Possibilities are just two sides of the same coin.
Potential is internal and based on the qualities you now possess; Possibilities are the various forms your Potential may take when expressed in the outside world.
Appreciating the difference helps you make the most of both!
Try looking at uncertainty not as a gun to your head, but as a surfboard for riding rogue waves; now hang ten!
Developing your Principles requires consistent effort over time. The substance of your Principles – maturity, insight, and their development – cannot be “crammed”, as if for an exam.
Every opportunity to develop your principles is singularly unique, and once gone it cannot be recovered. Hence the saying: “Negligence is an extreme thing.”
So remember, each day is full of opportunities to develop your Principles – make the effort to seize every one!
There are two ways to look at unavoidable obstacles created by your past.
You can look at them as chains dragging behind you, or see them as obstructions that you now get the opportunity to move beyond. T
he former viewpoint erodes your confidence; the latter builds it. Easy choice!
In a world which can at times be a hard place, full of harsh circumstances and tough decisions, I see the study of Budō as one of the most effective means of understanding and cultivating one’s potential.
The Japanese term for martial arts, Budō is a compound of bu, meaning war or martial, and dō, meaning path or way. One of the reasons I have infinite respect for Budō is because it embodies a spirit of preparedness without the associated condition of being enslaved by fear of what you are preparing for. The fearlessness that Budō cultivates comes from ultimate capability – the confidence & self-possession to make decisions that lead to “win-win”.
Ultimately, the purpose of Budō is the cultivation of one’s own personal capabilities to such a degree that one can effectively manage the challenges of Life while generating peace & harmony in both spirit & practice. So the true spirit of Budō is really the spirit of winning through having cultivated a Decisive Spirit.