DAY
74
“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own soul.”
— Carl Jung
Today’s lesson is a sort of check-up. How are you doing on some of these soul searching exercises? They’re not as easy as they seem, are they? Have you been avoiding facing your own soul? Are you afraid of what you might find hidden within yourself? Or are you afraid you might have to actually do some of the work to achieve success when you find out that you are more than capable?
Jenny started reading this book a few months ago, but she stopped short at around Day 20. Today, she is not happy. She finds that she is irritable and quick to point out the flaws in others. What triggered her mood shift?
Maybe the work got just a little too uncomfortable. Jenny didn’t appreciate facing her own soul. She didn’t like having to take personal responsibility for her life. It was so much more comfortable to blame others for her lack of success. She was in a bad marriage. Her husband put limits on her, because he wanted her to stay home and raise their children. She knew she was far smarter than those around her in her part time job, but she wasn’t able to prove it, because she couldn’t work full time and also be available to pick the kids up from school. It wasn’t her fault. She had been dealt this deck of cards, and she had to live with it.
Jenny preferred to remain stuck and grumpy rather than facing the true desires of her soul. Are you facing your soul today, or are you looking for a distraction to avoid this ultimate confrontation?
DAY
75
“As long as we have practiced neither concentration nor mindfulness, the ego takes itself for granted and remains its usual normal size, as big as the people around one will allow.”
— Ayya Khema
Mindfulness is not just a gift you give to others. It is a way for you to have an accurate picture of life and your place within the world. Mindfulness is an opportunity to keep your ego in check. If you numb yourself to the world around you and choose to believe only select ego-boosting people and your own fantasies, you are not living in reality, and you will not achieve success. Concentrate on what is going on outside of you. Notice the world and other people, and acquire as much knowledge as you can from the things that surround you every day. Use all of your senses to experience life.
Concentrate on learning and participating rather than maintaining your image and status. You cannot achieve if you are not teachable. Practicing mindfulness gives you a constant lab and classroom and a lot of new opportunities for success.
Your assignment today is to take mindfulness to a more intense level. Concentrate on what is going on around you. Find out what happens when you intensely focus on all of the things that take place outside of yourself. It is a fascinating exercise. Try to jot down your experiences throughout the day. Then, at the end of the day write down a top-ten list of things you learned by concentrating on humanity and elements of this world. Make sure you incorporate all of your five senses into this exercise.
DAY
76
“Fundamentally mindfulness is a simple concept. Its power lies in its practice and its applications. Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. This kind of attention nurtures greater awareness, clarity, and acceptance of present-moment reality. It wakes us up to the fact that our lives unfold only in moments. If we are not fully present for many of those moments, we may not only miss what is most valuable in our lives but also fail to realize the richness and the depth of our possibilities for growth, and transformation.”
— Jon Kabat-Zinn
Mindfulness is such a valuable tool to build your awareness and stack up opportunities for growth and transformation. Today you will nurture your practice of mindfulness.
The quote above is a little longer than most of the quotes in this book, but it is a beautiful description of the benefits of mindfulness. Read the passage several times, and then make a pact with yourself. Promise to concentrate on mindfulness for at least one week by reading this passage every morning and then sitting quietly for five minutes with your eyes closed, concentrating on nothing but the rhythm of your breath. Then launch into the day with total abandon. When you find your mind wandering, gently bring your attention back to the moment and revel in your ability to participate fully in every single instant.
Practice the art of paying attention without judging. When you are actively participating and focusing on the day, you will not have an opportunity to judge. Judging takes you away from the moment. Stay in the present and reap the benefits of your increased awareness.
DAY
77
“When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth.”
— George Bernard Shaw
Humor is another terrific instrument that is very useful for building your success. It allows you to not take yourself too seriously, and it also softens the blow of a difficult hidden truth. It is sometimes hard to look at defects of character and work on them, but humor provides a sort of cushion that gives you room for change.
If you can laugh at yourself, then you are aware of your shortcomings. You can deal with them with a much lighter heart than you would through tools like fear, anger, or disapproval. Humor gives you the opportunity to respond with an action, rather than retreat in remorse or shame or guilt.
Woody Allen is one of the most prolific artists of our time. He is a successful writer, actor, director, playwright, musician, and comedian. One of his sharpest tools is humor. He pokes fun at his own neurosis, nervousness, and intellect, and even at his Jewish heritage and his identity as a true New Yorker. The reason Woody Allen is so funny is because his humor is based in truth. He can poke fun at himself, and that is endearing. It strikes a common chord with humanity. We’re all imperfect, and that’s funny when you think about it.
Your job today is to poke fun at yourself. Don’t worry about looking good all the time or being perfect. You’ll never attain those goals. The world loves imperfection, so show them what you’ve got. Bring out your truth through humor. Don’t beat yourself up. Laugh at yourself and be open to change.
DAY
78
“He who laughs, lasts!”
— Mary Pettibone Poole
Laughter is the secret weapon for happiness and success. It is the magic elixir that will change your outlook and probably lengthen your life. Why is it so healing and helpful? Who knows? If you are skeptical, give it a try and find out for yourself how it can transform your life.