Seven months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 211. Yesterday, I talked about never giving up. Today is a new day.
It's raining today and as someone born and raised in Seattle it's something I'm used to, so I didn't take an umbrella and walked to the gym like everything was normal. As I was walking to the gym I noticed a lot of people running through streets to find cover even though it wasn't even raining that hard. They still got a little wet, but it's just water. This reminded me of the importance of mindset.
Life will always throw obstacles that get in our way and how we handle them says a lot about our character. There will be times when we're hit with something unexpected and a lot of people end up panicking because they're unsure of what to do. Some people get upset or angry because things aren't going as expected. Tsunetomo's words of resolve reflect our ability to face whatever comes in our path. In knowing the reality of something, such as the unpredictable nature of this world, you can deal with it.
If we expect that things won't always go our way and accept the fact that we'll run into obstacles they won't bother us so much. We can't be taken surprise by mishaps when we expect them to happen at any time. Knowing that we'll have to improvise and adapt to our situations enables us to be mentally prepared for it. It's the difference between not packing your things last minute for a trip and preparing ahead of time. In not rushing at the last minute we can go about things at our own pace, which allows for more control of the situation. Although we may not be able to completely control every situation, we can always control how it affects us. Whether we end up panicking or calm depends on our mental framework.
I try to adapt this into my daily life. I know that something unexpected can always happen. I made plans to go travel and take some pictures today, but due to the rain that's no longer an option. Even though that plan's been cancelled, that doesn't mean I can't do anything today. I regularly make myself a To-do list so that I can track my progress. In times like this I use it to think of other ways to spend the day in the same way a strategist comes up with multiple contingency plans in case the main plan isn't successful. I'll be buying some new work shirts, will use that extra time to practice some piano, and I have a new idea for a drawing so I can get some work on that done, too. There's always something to be done so even if things don't go exactly as planned we can adapt and move on.
Peace
“There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything.” - Tsunetomo Yamamoto, The Hagakure: A code to the way of samurai
It's raining today and as someone born and raised in Seattle it's something I'm used to, so I didn't take an umbrella and walked to the gym like everything was normal. As I was walking to the gym I noticed a lot of people running through streets to find cover even though it wasn't even raining that hard. They still got a little wet, but it's just water. This reminded me of the importance of mindset.
Life will always throw obstacles that get in our way and how we handle them says a lot about our character. There will be times when we're hit with something unexpected and a lot of people end up panicking because they're unsure of what to do. Some people get upset or angry because things aren't going as expected. Tsunetomo's words of resolve reflect our ability to face whatever comes in our path. In knowing the reality of something, such as the unpredictable nature of this world, you can deal with it.
If we expect that things won't always go our way and accept the fact that we'll run into obstacles they won't bother us so much. We can't be taken surprise by mishaps when we expect them to happen at any time. Knowing that we'll have to improvise and adapt to our situations enables us to be mentally prepared for it. It's the difference between not packing your things last minute for a trip and preparing ahead of time. In not rushing at the last minute we can go about things at our own pace, which allows for more control of the situation. Although we may not be able to completely control every situation, we can always control how it affects us. Whether we end up panicking or calm depends on our mental framework.
I try to adapt this into my daily life. I know that something unexpected can always happen. I made plans to go travel and take some pictures today, but due to the rain that's no longer an option. Even though that plan's been cancelled, that doesn't mean I can't do anything today. I regularly make myself a To-do list so that I can track my progress. In times like this I use it to think of other ways to spend the day in the same way a strategist comes up with multiple contingency plans in case the main plan isn't successful. I'll be buying some new work shirts, will use that extra time to practice some piano, and I have a new idea for a drawing so I can get some work on that done, too. There's always something to be done so even if things don't go exactly as planned we can adapt and move on.
Peace
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| We can handle anything we prepare ourselves for. Are you ready? |
What can you work on now to be more prepared later in life?
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