Every time we show up some place, we tend to have a pre-determined idea of what we expect or desire to happen.
Who we want to meet. What we want to learn. Things we want to do. What we expect to receive. How we desire to serve.
There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s important to have an outcome or an intention for why you’re going some place
We draw motivation from meaning — the reasons why we are doing something help us stick with the process when it gets hard or uncomfortable.
AND… reasons are merely stories we tell.
The truth is, you have no idea why you do the things you do. Over 90% of our actions are dictated by subconscious thoughts.
You only have the stories you tell about why you’re going to a place or taking action.
When we get into tunnel vision with our goal for what we desire to happen, we miss out on the opportunity to participate in our actual experience. That’s where the richness of life lies.
It’s a common tendency that when our actual experience is not matching up with our desires, we resist the actual experience. We push back against what’s happening.
We may get frustrated, angry, sullen, anxious, depressed.
This is suffering.
We can end this suffering by reminding ourselves of a simple truth:
The reason you think you’re here is not the reason you’re here.
“Here” can be
- a workshop or a coffee shop
- a room or a relationship
- a moment in history or a given set of circumstances
- an emotional state or a mindset
Here can be as specific as the place where you are standing right now as you read this or as broad as this universe.
Whenever I repeat this to myself, it reminds me to stay open to the experience I am actually having, rather than remaining fixated on the experience I desired or expected to have.
I can see more clearly who is coming into my path and how I can serve them.
We often miss these clues to our purpose and path because we’re focused on what we desire from a situation, instead of approaching it with an open mind to see what emerges.
The reason you think you’re here is not the reason you’re here.
Instant freedom.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...