“I thought I’d solved a problem when really I was creating new ones by taking the path of least resistance."
~ David Goggins, You Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds
Out on the trail, I came to an old narrow log stretched out over a swamp, between high ground and a tree stump. In order to avoid the mud, I would have to traverse. As the log was very old and rotting, each step I took made it swing. I lost my footing right away and fell into the bushes.
No loss. Determined, I got back onto the log, but this time I decided to crawl. However, it turned out that old nails were protruding from the log where small boards had rotted away, so I worried that my knees were going to take a beating. One hand forward, one knee forward…. Man, the whole tree was swinging and vibrating! I contemplated giving up and getting very muddy instead.
At this point, these words shouted in my head, “Stay hard!”. I had been listening to retired Navy SEAL, David Goggins’ book, Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within, and the overtones of his message were fresh. (Note: Although I find Goggins’ book an interesting read, I invite you to have a look at his social media before you open it, just in case his style isn’t your style. For me, I love to step into the work of all kinds of people, and I get his point… “stay hard”.)
Our minds are powerful tools. They are either working for us or against us. David Goggins grew up in severe trauma and, through that, he had developed a habit of letting his mind put him down. One day, he decided to follow his dream to become a Navy SEAL. This required a one hundred and eighty degree turnaround.
Fascinated by the influence of his mind, Goggins began to push his limits. It didn’t matter to him that he was obese and had a heart condition… he decided nothing would get in his way. As he focused in, he became inspired by how far he could push his body.
So there I was on the log, just about to fall again, when I heard David Goggins’ voice, “Stay hard!” My next thought was, “Jill, you can do this. Calm down… steady… breathe… just like you do in yoga. Find presence. Focus on this moment, rather than on what might happen. One step, two step…”.
Little by little, I made my way across, proud of my transformation and achievement.
I wonder what else there is for me to realize in my life that is blocked by only a thought? I know I have beliefs that get in my own way, and not just in the physical realm.
Reviewing my notes from the past 6 months with my Life Coach, I noticed a pattern of self-limiting, self-condemning thoughts that had been blocking my journey forward. My coach tells me often, “If only you could see you and know you through my eyes… oh the mountains you would climb.” I trust my coach. I admire my coach, and I certainly believe my coach. Perhaps I can borrow his belief in me to move forward with my dreams and aspirations.
Master Metaphysician, Ernest Holmes, said, “The body without the thinker cannot function.” This is the first principle of Science of Mind, but not the last.
Yes, ‘Mind’ is so powerful, and although there are far greater depths to this philosophy, there is much we can resolve in our lives when we decide to be the drivers of our thinking. New Thought pioneer, Emmet Fox, wrote the book, The Seven Day Mental Diet: How to Change Your Life in a Week. “Ha!” you may scoff. “Easy.” I challenge you to make the $5 investment in that book and try.
“The vast majority of us are slaves to our minds. Most don’t even make the first effort when it comes to mastering their thought process because it’s a never-ending chore and impossible to get right every time.” – David Goggins
We have to decide how we want to be in this world. We can overcome our pasts and choose to be the people we desire today.
As the authors ask in another book called, Life Worth Living, “What is worth wanting?” David Goggins found his answer loud and clear. Like him, I have dedicated decades to honing in on my personal answer. We each have our own.
It is worth noting, however, that there is a fine balance between driving ourselves into the future we desire, and allowing opportunity to arrive with all its blessings, while accepting the ‘here and now’. Acceptance doesn’t mean resignation. Focus. Be clear. Look up to the highest principles of Life you can know, and walk boldly forward into your desires, with your arms wide open to the ‘here and now’ and to endless possibility.
“Accepting the lessons and experiences of the past, and taking the best from everything, we should press boldly forward, looking ever for the Truth, and ever ascending higher and higher into the heavens of reality.”
~ Ernest Holmes.
“The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself. You wake up with them, you walk around with them, you go to bed with them, and eventually, you act on them. Whether they be good or bad. We are all our own worst haters and doubters because self-doubt is a natural reaction to any bold attempt to change your life for the better. You can’t stop it from blooming in your brain, but you can neutralize it, and all the other external chatter by asking, What if?”
~ David Goggins
Yes, What If? I say, ‘stay hard’ and make the discovery for yourself.
ACTIVITIES FOR TRANSFORMATION:
~ Do try digging into Emmet Fox’s book, The Seven Day Mental Diet: How to Change Your Life in a Week. Follow the principles within it, and let us know what shifts for you. (You can drop a line to admin@thecentrecr.org)
~ Also, take a look at where you might benefit in your life from putting your ‘self of infinite capacity’ more in the driver’s seat. Where could your thinking use a tweak to move it from something that feels too ‘soft’ and limiting, to something that feels more muscular and filled with possibility (“hard”)? Take a step in that direction and journal about your experience.
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