This morning I was looking at my notes from a past teleclass on Earning Money.
My amazing group of fellow-travelers inquiring into Money, Work, Jobs and whatever this thing is called “Business” had a fabulous session in our second teleclass together.
We were looking at what we really, really need with regard to work/money/business.
I need to expand myself, my company, my capacity (for energy, enthusiasm, productivity) or my bank account. I must expand! I must grow! I must drive!
There is such a deep belief, really a whole system of thinking, that I must push myself, discipline myself, organize myself, focus on peak performance, plan, set goals, and dig out what is “wrong” with me in order to GET OVER THERE.
Over there is wealthy, powerful, secure, productive, famous, successful!
Over here could use some improvement. Over here is confusing, messy, chaotic, unpredictable.
I loved it when one participant used the word “oscillate”. I had an instant image of an oscillating fan. Push the “on” button and it starts going back and forth across the room with little whirrs and clicks.
The mind flip-flops the same way. Or shall we say, it blows!
Thoughts going that way, thoughts going this way, spanning the whole entire horizon.
When I believe that I MUST push myself to get anywhere important or positive, then of course I am focused on how to push myself.
I may secretly notice that I don’t really like being pushed that much…nor do I respond exactly to being pushed, some of the time.
Hard to relax completely, hard to force myself to do everything on my list. BOTH are difficult, stressful, not really that fun.
But I have to push, I have to force or cajole, in order to “make” something happen….right?
Otherwise, my true nature is to be a worthless piece of junk laying around by the pool all day. Even if there is no pool!
If I don’t MAKE stuff happen, then I will be offering nothing to the world, interested only in me and my comfort. Interested only in getting through this life as easily as possible, without hardship. Avoiding hard knocks.
One big non-productive lump.
NOT TRUE.
In our class, we all tapped into who we would be without the story that we have to push or make an effort at all, not only just about getting money or building a business or being a great employee….but for any other deep desire.
What a weird, unusual, foreign concept for so many of us hard-drivers!
What a gift, to relax so completely that you get to find out who you would be without the belief that you HAVE to do something?
“The more you can be completely in the NOW, the more you realize that you’re in the center of the world, standing in the middle of a sacred circle.” ~ Pema Chodron
The beautiful thing is, we all wind up doing things, being in this body in our circumstance, in this place. We have an idea to call a person to ask for a job, or get help from someone to write a resume, or we google something about how to make online flyers, and it’s fun. Or we get up to go to the bathroom. Or go out for a walk.
Life unfolds itself, and money comes and goes.
“I do NOT have to push or force anything to grow, whether with money, or awakening, or learning”—How exciting to find that this is actually truer!
What are examples in your own life that NOT pushing, NOT forcing, NOT being a task-master still leads to growth?
“The Tao is always at ease. It overcomes without competing, answers without speaking a word, arrives without being summoned, accomplishes without a plan. Its net covers the whole universe. And though its meshes are wide, it doesn’t let a thing slip through.” ~ Tao Te Ching #73
Love, Grace
P.S. If you’re wanting to look at money, work, jobs and business closely, come join the next 8 week teleclass on Earning Money starting in June. Email grace@workwithgrace.com to let me know you’re in. Scroll down on the list below to see all the upcoming offerings!