When you look into your metaphorical heart or – in other words – quiet your mind down by focusing on the breath you will find, sooner or later, a peaceful place. This is the place where there are no thoughts. You know this place; you also arrive there when you doze off on a sunny day or after a particularly satisfying session of lovemaking, after a run or a visit to the sauna. In this place of no thoughts possibilities are limitless. It feels free and eternal. You feel no greed, no fear, no stinginess, no competition and no rush.
What if this place is real and pure and that other place is contaminated? With that other place I mean the place where thoughts are dominating your actions and behavior. The space where the nagging feeling of deficit leads you to wanting to perform, achieve, get approval, win or – at least – survive. I am confident that if you would be able to discern the two you would want to live from the heart. As a matter of fact, the implication that you are currently not living from your heart makes you feel uncomfortable. You will feel denial, irritation, sadness, embarrassment or guilt.
The more time you take to become acquainted with your heart, the more you will understand that what I am saying about your heart is true. But it is something you have to find out for yourself. Because basing your actions on what other people tell you to do and not do is the whole problem in the first place. That is another lesson you have to check for truthfulness yourself: that you are very much conditioned by opinions, expectations, culture and trauma. The acknowledgement of the latter is a quite painful side effect of the former thus making becoming acquainted with your heart a daring enterprise.
But once you have clearly seen that your actions reflect your fears and not who you really are your life will change. Chasing money, status or fame is not so important anymore once you have seen you are doing it to avoid the feeling of deficit and being inadequate. Now you can ask yourself what you want to do with your life. Who would you be if you weren’t driven by your fears, needs and desires? How would you want to spend your days? What would you want to contribute to? Who would you serve?
I am reading Tribal Leadership. It is about the different stages a company culture can have. They have discovered 5 levels. On the highest level the people that work there are not preoccupied with the competition, they are serving the world. During his interview the CEO said ‘we asked ourselves the question ‘are we helping 6 billion people or just the best corporation in the world?’ He then proceeds “The honest answer was that we were helping the best corporations—and schools and universities. We weren’t doing much for the six billion people.” Once they changed that the whole company started to change.
In the open space of the heart serving 6 billion people is a real possibility. You need a rational mind to point out to you that you will never be able to achieve that. What if you stop serving the rational mind? What if you allow your heart to speak and then do the best you can to get as close as you can?
If you have a room full of people with an IQ of over 120 why don’t ask yourself how to make the world a better place instead of how to make as much money as possible? Not only because it is noble to not be motivated by greed but because it opens so many more interesting possibilities. Trying to make a difference leads inevitably leads to uncovered and therefore adventurous terrain. Being rich never leads to fulfilment, being useful does.
I believe that daily meditation can help you build a solid foundation of inner peace, trust and courage. These characteristics can support and guide you beyond your conditioning. If your creativity and intelligence becomes a servant of your wisdom and compassion inspiring action becomes inevitable. Just imagine spending 20-30 years working like that. What an amazing journey will it be.
Who do you serve?
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This is episode 47 in a series of 100 blog posts that will be published daily during the 100 Day Warrior, a unique program around physical strength, inner wisdom and meaning. All posts are written by Atalwin Pilon, founder of Basic Goodness and creator of the 100 Day Warrior. For requests for motivational speaking, in-company workshops, online coaching and mindfulness training click here. If you would like to join our international community of brave and inspiring human beings or just follow this blog and receive updates, please click here or sign up on the right side of the page. Atalwin specializes in coaching smart and creative people, both groups and individuals. If you are interested in a free coaching session click here.
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