One of my all-time favorite statements of reflection actually comes from the teachings of Lao Tzu, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.” Today, this statement came back to the forefront of my heart after reading an article surrounding the idea of changing how we use language as a means of creating unintentional barriers in our lives. It was further solidified after watching a rerun of an episode of the hit TV talk show, The Real, in their Girl Chat segment.
In the segment they talked about the concept of how when we discuss having children, we often use terms like “We are trying to have a baby”, rather than saying “We are preparing to have a baby.” This revised look gave me a moment to pause and reflect. Why is it that we use the term “try” when we are working at achieving our personal goals?
Yes, it is that we are constantly trying to accomplish some goal or some target that we have set for ourselves. However, why aren’t we shifting our mind frame from the idea of we can either be successful or not?
One of the greatest things that I can say that I learned on the course of my own personal journey is that when we let go of the idea of “TRYING”, we are able to see a clearer path to reaching our end goals in everything we set out for. By shifting our thinking the idea of “trying” to live in the manifestation of preparing ourselves, we start to move differently and approach hurdles differently. This idea of living in the manifestation of preparing ourselves reiterates in our own minds that whatever our end goal is, already belongs to us. There are many examples in religious text that testify to this ideology, for example, Proverbs 24:27 “Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field; after that, you can build your house.” Or even the Buddhist teaching, “When you dig a well, there’s no sign of water until you reach it, only rocks and dirt to move out of the way. You have removed enough; soon the pure water will flow.” Both of these quotes surround the idea of preparing.
Nothing on this world will ever be achieved if we do not prepare ourselves to be the vessel needed. In my opinion, to try something gives me a reason to believe that there is a space for failure. But to be consistently preparing leaves no room to fail only space to receive. For me shifting my mentality from “Try” to “Preparing” has helped me in reaching many of my personal goals. Live life as if you already have achieved your deepest goals and desires, but do so wisely.
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