THE WISDOM OF WATER iN CREATING CHANGE

As we move along the journey of life, we find surprises – voila! If it is the good we want, we embrace it. If not, we spend energy to fight it, resent it or push it away. Some things turn out not the way we wanted or expect it.

When you compete for sports or a contest, it’s natural to expect to win with all the preparations made. When you invest on a job application, you want to get that job. When you invest on a business, you want it to make money. When you love someone, you want the relationship to last. When you buy something, you expect it to serve the purpose you got it for. And so on…

Is there anything among the above that brings you to a past…that didn’t work out the way you planned it to be? For instance, you had a lot of odds to get the job or you didn’t get that dream job… Your business didn’t make money or it shut down…You had so much difficulty with that relationship… or you cooled off…. Or you broke up. These are hard-hitting experiences that make us feel down, entertain self-doubts or simply make us feel we don’t want to be up there again.

Life is constantly evolving. It presents new opportunities for us to take a look at. Not that we should constantly look around for greener pastures and divert focus on where we are at the moment. We just have to be aware of what is there… in the NOW. Basically, it could mean you stick it out where you are at for many years – a dead-end job, a bungling business or a relationship empty of love. Then something comes up that FORCES YOU… to take a DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE than what YOU USED TO THINK WAS RIGHT.

When something pops up – strong…sticky…irritating…that challenges what you think is right, WHAT DO YOU FEEL? WHAT DO YOU DO?. If you take that as a reality check to validate what you hold on to as right, then you will face it and scratch the surface of the “new” idea, information, method, path or process, person. If you spend so much energy to hang on to what you believe in as right in the past and something comes that CHALLENGES you, you will feel great tension. The more you resist it… the more it can break your back.

What if – you read that new proposal for a product… study the new possibility of changing strategy… meet the new consultant who applied before and is more experienced… or make a new investment.. or go back to the strategy you disapproved or junked… go back to the job you didn’t pursue… or take back that person you love that you thought was “wrong”… or take a look at this new person who is pursuing you. And so on…

Let us try this… WATER is a perfect metaphor for an attitude of handling a situation like this. Because water is fluid, it takes the shape of its vessel or blends with the elements it comes into contact with. Being water, it doesn’t mean not hitting an obstacle. It means HITTING THE OBSTACLE and EFFORTLESSLY FLOW AROUND IT. And the next step is to find a new way while around it by natural process.

Water doesn’t hang on to its source… it simply flows, hits the object it meets and moves around it and flows further where things go. When you hang on to what you used to believe as RIGHT… idea, method, process, system, product – you will be in a bind. You lose the opportunity to discover BETTER WAYS OF DOING THINGS.. or HANDLING RELATIONSHIPS… or LIVING LIFE. You are stuck in the past… whether that past belief brought you success or feeling of comfort… the fact remains that LIFE CHANGES FAST… and WE ALL HAVE TO ADAPT quickly with the right reason. If not, we become obsolete in thinking and feel odd… or we lose the idea, product, business or the person who is really perfect for the company, the market… or the person for you. Sometimes, it's just too much pride to take back a stand that’s proven wrong that stops us to shift to what is better and after all -- MORE RIGHT… and move forward to progress.

Life is tough, we all know that. By wise examples around us, the best way to deal with it is to BE PRESENT in the NOW.. and LET LIFE FLOW as it unfolds and deal around it. But let’s not throw caution to the wind. Take calculating steps. Study the risks versus the returns. BE OPEN. Like water, try handling the obstacle or new with blissful surrender, flow around it gently and not resist or fight it. We don’t have to resent the new or obstacle -- or take it personally with anger. We can simply work with the new or the obstacle; and adapt its path that is leading us somewhere -- to GROW.

The operative words here are….. ADAPT… FLEX… BEND… ADJUST…

If you remain solid on something and there is a problem, a deviation or an obstacle, you can hit head-on collision. With yourself. And LIFE. Why not try… change that solid stand into open thoughts.. gentle words…and fluid actions. The wisdom of the WATER allows us to take life with greater joy.

Close your eyes now….. let your thoughts just flow… drift away… empty out… Be still… and feel the NOW within you.

Just GO WITH THE FLOW… and life will naturally flow on its own to your path with the least effort. You will find genuine joy and peace.

I wish you happy fluid thoughts today that make you smile with endless DELIGHT!