SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO STOP AND JUST DO NOTHING TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS
A true story…
Today I had a counseling session with John, he is a farmer, passionate about farming, nature and the outdoors, he had no wife or children, and he was unattached. He had freedom.
He was just about to sell his farm after 9 years of strife and struggle, he could not comprehend that his passion did not convert into any meaningful income, he was broke in his spirit as well as financially. When he looked back at the 9 years, he had nothing of value to show for all his hard work and he is a workaholic, this man would chew on his food and wash the dishes to save time and in the same time he contemplated his next task to finish.
He decided to quit.
THE ADVICE OF CONVENTIONAL EXPERTS IS OUTDATED
Now conventional experts advise you must follow your passion and the money will follow, but in his case only debt followed, then his only vehicle broke down, it cost too much to repair, but that is not all, since he had no money, he could not pay the electricity company, they cut off his supply which meant he could not slaughter his animals for selling. He was like a drowning man, every time he comes up for air, something forces him back down, but he kept on fighting the odds, hoping that his fortune lies over the next hill. Now that type of commitment and endurance are really rare and to keep it up for 9 years is commendable.
ARE COURAGE, HARD WORK, RESILIENCE AND PASSION ENOUGH TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL?
I actually admired his courage and resilience, it made me think, does hard work and passion lead to success, and personally I do believe that hard work and success are two of the most important elements for achieving goals. He admitted that he was running around like a headless chicken to get everything done.
THE ADVICE OF THE SPECIALIST
My advice to him, and this saying was borrowed from the Zen masters: “the true master does nothing, but everything gets done”. His eyes opened wider, he was stunned, dumbstruck, he could not comprehend as to what the message is that I am trying to relate.
Sometimes you have to stop and do nothing so that everything can get done. You see he was a person that was on a path that could lead to self destruction, the combination of being burnt out, sleepless nights plus the creditors haunting him can lead to one or more outcomes:-
- Sleepless nights which leads to less rest.
- Stress that leads to depression.
- A nervous breakdown
- Suicide.
I painted a picture to instill fear, I told him that since he is alone and virtually abandoned, he had no support structure and if it so happened then who will take care of him if he gets seriously ill and he becomes bedridden, and above all, what benefit was gained from chasing after a goal that seems out of reach.
THEN I ASKED HIM THIS QUESTION
“Can you see that life is giving you a message.” Life is guiding him to stop, think and listen, life wants to guide him in the correct direction, but he is too busy listening to his own logical thoughts.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU IGNORE THE MESSAGES OF LIFE?
Life uses subtle coaxing to guide a person, sometimes it is a kind word from a stranger, you never know when you entertain an angel, unfortunately most of us was not taught the art of noticing these signals, in fact, we rely so much on our own thoughts and those of experts that we are not aware that life is eager to supply all the information you require to succeed, we are so dependent on our own thoughts, we spend much time to deliberate, we do proper research, we want to make sure that we take the correct cause of action, do not get me wrong, logic thoughts has its place and cannot be replaced. When we ignore life, then life sends messages that is more profound, in Johns case, he suffered a lot of mishaps at inopportune times, it is like drowning, when you come up for air, a stronger force pulls you down.
THE WARNING
Life has your interest at heart, if you do resist it, it will eventually knock you down, rendering you paralyzed, forcing you to stop, think and listen, if life has to put you in a hospital bed to get you to stop, it will, other alternatives include jail time, a serious accident, you name it, life will choose the best method to bring you back in line.
Are you taking notice of life’s little messages?
Specialist Advice 