Tip #39:
“The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.”
John Buchan
In life, we have two choices:
To live out of a place of possibility;
Or to live out of no possibility.
The fascinating thing is that no sooner do we choose to come from a place of possibility, no possibility begins to show up as well. Often it shows up in spades! And it immediately tries to take over by bombarding us into self-doubting our efforts, and bogging us down with doubt, fear, and, sometimes, resignation. It’s extremely valuable to know ahead of time that this is a very predictable dynamic. It’s a natural phenomenon most folks often experience.
Know that we will be tempted to bail on our goals and dreams; or that we will have moments of seriously wanting to throw our hands up, as we’re pursuing our goals – goals that now seemly look way too daunting- and that cold feet is simply a part of anyone’s journey toward new heights. This foreknowledge is critical for being able to keep on keepin’ on.
Initially, most likely we aren’t going to see any tangible indications we are making any real progress. This can cause any defender of living in possibility who is operating on shaky ground to start to falter. This is no place for the faint of heart. If you go into possibility forewarned, however, when those pesky, nah saying whispers start showing up in the midst of our fuzzy brain cloud – what we would call: confusion – and these negative thoughts start ramping up, you’ll be able see them for what they are.
If you go into this pursuit knowing you’ll get some momentary second thoughts, then with a bit of practical experience you’ll to able whisk these goblins off – to even laugh at them – and ultimately block them out by flooding your mind with positive and encouraging thoughts instead.
With this kind of awareness you’ll come to see these “interruptions” as a flag – as an indicator that you are actually on the right path. You’ll see them as proof you are doing well. What is going on is what we rightly call sabotage. Sabotage is what makes an appearance whenever we begin to do things well. Count on it. I know this seems counter-intuitive. But be prepared for it.
Rest assure because you are stepping into fairly new and unfamiliar landscape, and you are actually doing pretty well, you’ll also be bringing along some of your own skepticism, doubts, and fear. Seeing this for what it is – just a part of the process – means you won’t have to let it derail you. You will not need to automatically give into it. You may have done this in the past, but no longer.
The sabotage won’t have the same hold it once had on you when you didn’t know sabotage as being only a temporary piece of your process, and that it generally comes along with any sincere attempts at making significant changes.
The important thing to know is this: All Sabotage is Self-sabotage.
This is always true about sabotage. It does not matter where it is actually originating from – internally or from others outside of us. We will only fall prey to sabotage because we first believe these negative and self-defeating ideas about us to be true.
FEAR: False, Emotions, Appearing, Real.
Sabotage is based upon FEAR. It is not real. Sabotage, like all of our thoughts, are merely thoughts. Only thoughts. We make them all up. Some of our thoughts – the positive ones – have power to move, touch and inspire us. Other thoughts – the negative ones – tend to bum us out, depress, discourage and deflate us.
Those negative ones are not real. But, neither are the positive ones real.
Here’s the thing: We are free to make up bold, exciting, and audacious thoughts. This is perfectly fine – in fact it’s even better to know you are the one making them up AND to go out and live by them. Make them up AND know you are making them up allows these made-up thoughts to best serve you. They are all made up, therefore, why not make great ones?
Thoughts have power. Words have power. Be impeccable with all your words and thoughts. Use them wisely. Allow them to motivate and cause you to take powerful actions – actions that draw you toward whatever you may desire and yearn for.
How to start:
Begin by noticing your feelings are a result of your thoughts. The thoughts you generate come from the things that happen, but are not what happened. The feelings are from your interpretation about what happened. We don’t really get upset about what happens, per se. What happens, happens. Rather it’s our interpretation or ideas or opinions – the spin we give about things – all the stuff we make up about the things that happen – and that is what disturbs us. And this spin or interpretation – you can even call it your story about what happened – determines how you will feel. It’s guaranteed!
Depending upon what particular story you make up about whatever has happened, will determine how you feel. Happy? Sad? Excited? Terrible? Your thoughts cause the resulting feelings. In other words: You do this to You. No one else does it.
Once you get clear about this and handle this, or at least begin to see that you’re always creating your own emotional states, you are much more capable of living freer and more powerfully.
We think thoughts, But we hardly ever think about thinking our thoughts, and instead of just accepting these thoughts, you’re now able to take back our personal power – the power you used to give away to circumstances and/or other people.
“You are now free to move about in the cabin.”
You are even free to choose to live the charmed life of a seeker of elusive yet attainable goals. It doesn’t matter at all if you are after a fish or after a million bucks. You may be working on the Sunday crossword puzzle or an Olympics gold medal. All your dreams are quite doable and well within reach. At least they are worth pursuing. Thinking that this is so makes them quantitatively much more likely. That’s a hopeful thought; one worthy of one’s life. Henry Ford once said: “if you think you can or you think you cannot, you’re right.”
One thing for sure is that you can certainly increase the possibility for “a perpetual series of occasions for hope.” But here’s the spoiler alert:
It requires us to have the courage to keep open to our possibilities, no matter what.