Unregistered
Master Don Juan
- Joined
- May 9, 2003
- Messages
- 546
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I was cleaning out my closet today and found a quote that I'd scribbled down a while back, from Herman Hesse's Buddhist novel Siddartha.
"...when you throw a stone into the water, it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddartha has an aim, a goal. Siddartha does nothing, he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal."
Reading this made me realize something: reaching our goals could be easy. Not easy in the sense that they won't require hard work and patience, for any worthwhile goal requires a tremendous amount of physical and mental exertion; but easy in the sense that we all have free will, and we generally know (or can find out) what exactly we have to do to accomplish our goals. Why then, are so many goals not met? Why do so many people work at something for a short time and then quit?
The first thing you have to understand is that we are ruled by our subconscious. The mind controls the actions of the body.
The Law of Conflicting Desires simply states that we have various desires, and when they conflict with each other, the strongest desire is the action we take. Example: John desires to lose weight, but he can't. Why not? Because John also desires to be comfortable. He has a strong desire to feel pleasure and avoid pain. His other desires eventually overrule his desire to lose weight, and the result is that John sits on the couch and eats potato chips. I'm sure everyone here has failed to reach a goal, and it is almost always for that reason. The fact is, you usually have to experience pain (or at least lack of comfort) to accomplish anything worthwhile. It's also true that the desire to feel pleasure/avoid pain is the strongest emotion we have, and thus the most difficult to conquer.
I have many goals, and it's interesting how I struggle with some; not because they are unreachable, but because I don't have the energy or true motivation for them. However, I have other goals that seem so easy; I work towards them every day without fail. I'm on the right track, and I have no doubt that I will reach them. It's just a matter of time.
A good example of a goal that I used to struggle with was strength - lifting weights. For about 4 years, I would attempt to start a workout plan and end up quitting within a month or two. I remember really hating working out. It was something I suffered through to gain results. In addition, I had no real knowledge of what I was doing, and therefore I had very small results. Eventually I quit.
However about 18 months ago, I started lifting again and, more importantly, I started researching the proper way to gain strength and add bulk. In addition, for whatever reason I had a much stronger desire to gain muscle. I was completely motivated. I found that the more I went on, the easier it became. Now it's gotten to the point where it is a part of me. I'm constantly thinking about getting stronger. I can't wait until I hit my target weights for my compound lifts. I'm incredibly caught up in the rush of transforming my body. I'm sure everyone in the HF forum can relate. On Wednesday I had to miss my chest workout due to extenuating circumstances, and you can bet that I was in the gym early Thursday morning making up for it. I wouldn't have felt right otherwise. It's so interesting to me, because there isn't anything about repeatingly lifting weights that is particularly thrilling or pleasurable (in fact, sometimes doing heavy deadlifts makes me want to puke), but it's one of my favorite things to do. The right word is satisfying. There are transient pleasures, and there are long-term pleasures that have value. While a temporary pleasure such as masturbation will give one solitary pleasure, absolutely nothing of value comes from it.
The key point is this: if you want to attain your goals, if you want accomplishment to be the easiest thing in the world, make it part of your nature. Just like it is in a stone's nature to sink in water, it should be in your nature to perform the tasks needed to accomplish your goals. Just think how easy it would be, whether you're trying to get stronger, financially successful, more knowledgeable, etc, if taking the necessary actions were simply an unconscious part of your existence. It would almost be like breathing. You wouldn't have to try, you would simply do.
My advice in attaining this is as follows:
1. Plan - don't just jump into something. Figure out exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goal. The best way to do this is to ask and emulate the person who is currently where you want to be.
2. Specify - No vague, general statements. Figure out exactly what you want. Write down every part of it.
3. Ask yourself Why? - Don't just state what you want to accomplish, state why you want to accomplish it. This is the most important thing I can tell you, because figuring out why (the benefits) creates the ultimate motivation. Write down all the benefits of your particular goal. Don't just write a couple sentences, write pages and pages on it. It may feel like you're writing silly little fantasies, but it will work. Write down precisely what your life will be like when you attain your goals, and then dwell on them. Think about them constantly. Program them into your subconscious. Write them in the present tense every night before bed.
4. Patience - the beginning of anything you strive for will be difficult. Just remember, force yourself through that initial pain period, keep focusing on the future, and eventually you'll find yourself hurtling towards your goals like a bullet out of a gun.
And finally, remember: what you are seeking is also seeking you. I don't really know what that means, but it's a good way to end this post. Perhaps someone else can enlighten us.
"...when you throw a stone into the water, it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddartha has an aim, a goal. Siddartha does nothing, he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal."
Reading this made me realize something: reaching our goals could be easy. Not easy in the sense that they won't require hard work and patience, for any worthwhile goal requires a tremendous amount of physical and mental exertion; but easy in the sense that we all have free will, and we generally know (or can find out) what exactly we have to do to accomplish our goals. Why then, are so many goals not met? Why do so many people work at something for a short time and then quit?
The first thing you have to understand is that we are ruled by our subconscious. The mind controls the actions of the body.
The Law of Conflicting Desires simply states that we have various desires, and when they conflict with each other, the strongest desire is the action we take. Example: John desires to lose weight, but he can't. Why not? Because John also desires to be comfortable. He has a strong desire to feel pleasure and avoid pain. His other desires eventually overrule his desire to lose weight, and the result is that John sits on the couch and eats potato chips. I'm sure everyone here has failed to reach a goal, and it is almost always for that reason. The fact is, you usually have to experience pain (or at least lack of comfort) to accomplish anything worthwhile. It's also true that the desire to feel pleasure/avoid pain is the strongest emotion we have, and thus the most difficult to conquer.
I have many goals, and it's interesting how I struggle with some; not because they are unreachable, but because I don't have the energy or true motivation for them. However, I have other goals that seem so easy; I work towards them every day without fail. I'm on the right track, and I have no doubt that I will reach them. It's just a matter of time.
A good example of a goal that I used to struggle with was strength - lifting weights. For about 4 years, I would attempt to start a workout plan and end up quitting within a month or two. I remember really hating working out. It was something I suffered through to gain results. In addition, I had no real knowledge of what I was doing, and therefore I had very small results. Eventually I quit.
However about 18 months ago, I started lifting again and, more importantly, I started researching the proper way to gain strength and add bulk. In addition, for whatever reason I had a much stronger desire to gain muscle. I was completely motivated. I found that the more I went on, the easier it became. Now it's gotten to the point where it is a part of me. I'm constantly thinking about getting stronger. I can't wait until I hit my target weights for my compound lifts. I'm incredibly caught up in the rush of transforming my body. I'm sure everyone in the HF forum can relate. On Wednesday I had to miss my chest workout due to extenuating circumstances, and you can bet that I was in the gym early Thursday morning making up for it. I wouldn't have felt right otherwise. It's so interesting to me, because there isn't anything about repeatingly lifting weights that is particularly thrilling or pleasurable (in fact, sometimes doing heavy deadlifts makes me want to puke), but it's one of my favorite things to do. The right word is satisfying. There are transient pleasures, and there are long-term pleasures that have value. While a temporary pleasure such as masturbation will give one solitary pleasure, absolutely nothing of value comes from it.
The key point is this: if you want to attain your goals, if you want accomplishment to be the easiest thing in the world, make it part of your nature. Just like it is in a stone's nature to sink in water, it should be in your nature to perform the tasks needed to accomplish your goals. Just think how easy it would be, whether you're trying to get stronger, financially successful, more knowledgeable, etc, if taking the necessary actions were simply an unconscious part of your existence. It would almost be like breathing. You wouldn't have to try, you would simply do.
My advice in attaining this is as follows:
1. Plan - don't just jump into something. Figure out exactly what you need to do to accomplish your goal. The best way to do this is to ask and emulate the person who is currently where you want to be.
2. Specify - No vague, general statements. Figure out exactly what you want. Write down every part of it.
3. Ask yourself Why? - Don't just state what you want to accomplish, state why you want to accomplish it. This is the most important thing I can tell you, because figuring out why (the benefits) creates the ultimate motivation. Write down all the benefits of your particular goal. Don't just write a couple sentences, write pages and pages on it. It may feel like you're writing silly little fantasies, but it will work. Write down precisely what your life will be like when you attain your goals, and then dwell on them. Think about them constantly. Program them into your subconscious. Write them in the present tense every night before bed.
4. Patience - the beginning of anything you strive for will be difficult. Just remember, force yourself through that initial pain period, keep focusing on the future, and eventually you'll find yourself hurtling towards your goals like a bullet out of a gun.
And finally, remember: what you are seeking is also seeking you. I don't really know what that means, but it's a good way to end this post. Perhaps someone else can enlighten us.
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