Stay curious and open to life. No matter what happens, keep learning and growing. Find what you love to do and find a way to share it with others.
—Cheerful Monk
I recently read a post about how this is a highly competitive, dog-eat-dog world and we can’t let up. We can’t hope to compete unless we’re the best in our field. The post reminded me of two things:
- This picture of a dog so competitive that he sees other dogs, even his own reflection in a window, as a threat. It’s a great way to close down our minds and keep us in the stressful, fight-or-flight mode.
- Lily Tomlin’s quote: “The trouble with the rat race is even if you win you’re still a rat.”
As I’ve mentioned before, that way of looking at the world just isn’t my style. The post in question was a guest post on someone else’s blog, and the author’s own blog is about slowing down and living more consciously. For some reason I gave some strong advice in my comment (which I usually try not to do):
Your article sounds like desperation to me. Lighten up, get in touch with your deepest values, find a way to make a contribution to the world. Stop thinking in terms of competition. My latest post is Following the Path…Step By Step. I think it’s a much saner way of living.
He thanked me for the reminder and says he’s a “recovering achievement junkie” and sometimes gets diverted. He wisely adds, “…this happens to the best of us.” Good for him! Cultural influences are strong, and if we’re not careful we’re bombarded by messages telling us we’re not good enough the way we are… we need to do more, be more, have more. One of the beauties of blogging is we can connect with kindred spirits, other people who have no desire to win the rat race. We can talk about what we really want in life, something a lot better than being just a rat frantically running on a treadmill.
What About You?
How do you see the world? Does your view motivate you out of fear? Does it make you feel helpless? Does it empower you?
Thanks to bikehikebabe, Lance, rummuser, Lori and Diane for commenting on last week’s post.
I’ve been a rat before…running on that treadmill. But I’m now seeing the world through a different lens – one of love and connection. One of listening to my heart. Sure, I still can sometimes get swept up in doing things for the wrong reasons – I don’t think I’ll ever fully get it “right” – I don’t know that any of us will. It’s a continuous journey for me – toward where I desire to be. And as I journey along, consciously – I become more aware of where it is I’m going. And that IS empowering for me.
At my age, in retirement, there is hardly any choice!
On some matters I do feel helpless and have to take recourse to prayer and meditation to snap out of feeling low or helpless or even the odd “why me?” wallowing.
Blogging helps, both when I write and read and comment on other blogs. It takes me out of myself and that is badly needed every now and then.
I thought my day was successful when I got jobs done.
I asked my friend what’s a successful day for her.
She said, “When I have fun.”
Her view is best.
Lance,
Judging from your blog, it looks as if you’re doing fine! It’s included in my Live Bookmarks and I check it regularly.
rummuser,
I know plenty of retired people who are still stuck in the activity trap…not me! I also know there are plenty of things we have no control over. For me the important thing is not to generalize that realization to assuming I’m helpless in all areas. When I’m feeling low, assuming it’s not because I’m tired and need rest, I try to find some constructive action I can take. As usual, a balance between rest and activity works best for me.
I certainly agree with you about blogging…whenever something happens I don’t like I try to see how I can turn it into a post. And, like you, I spend a lot of time reading and commenting on other people’s blogs.
bikehikebabe,
🙂 I agree. One of my favorite sayings is “If it’s not fun, it doesn’t count.” That doesn’t mean I never do things that aren’t fun. It’s just that they “don’t count.”
Competition on some level is ok, I think. It can help motivate us into action. That said if we focus too much on competition we end up comparing ourselves to others and in my experience, that never ends in a positive way. We are all different and our paths are all different. What works for me may not work for you. Competition and comparison don’t necessarily allow for those differences.
Stacey,
Amen to that! Thanks for coming by. 🙂
My view used to be very poor because I believed that the Omnipotent Being in Charge of Everything was a bit malevolent and liked to pull away people’s cheeses just as we got to the end of the maze. But when I saw my daughter and wife starting to think that way, I decided that it was unhealthy. I decided to try to attract good things and experiences instead.
Anyway, I just received a Kreativ Blogger Award and wanted to pass the award on to you.
http://square–peg.blogspot.com/2008/11/kreativ-blogger-award.html
All the best!
Square Peg Guys last blog post..Kreativ Blogger Award
Square Peg Guy,
Thanks! I’ll write about this next Sunday.