Unearthing The Essential March 3, 2014
Posted by nrhatch in Happiness, Life Balance, Mindfulness.trackback
Refraining from snap judgments about people, places, and things makes sense given our limited vantage point. We should keep our eyes and ears open and mindfully observe life with alert curiosity rather than a rush to judgment.
But . . .
As we observe the world around us ~ seeing people, places, and things with alert curiosity ~ we are going to see patterns which enable us to conclude, suppose, or conjecture about what we’ve observed.
Based on our observations and experiences, we may be drawn to some people, places, and things, while being bored or repelled by others.
And . . .
Maybe that is as it should be.
If we are to honor our own life purpose, we have to allow ourselves to be the arbiter of what we are drawn to and what holds little or no interest or appeal. After all, there is not enough time for all of us to do it all. We have to pick and choose those pursuits and interests that work for us.
* The minute you choose to do what you really want to do, it’s a different kind of life. ~ Buckminster Fuller
Recognizing that something is “boring” is OK. BFF loves flipping through car magazines. I find them boring. I would rather watch paint dry.
That’s a clear signal that cars have nothing to do with my life purpose.
* Take charge of your life or someone else will. ~ Herman Millman
The key to sifting through options and possibilities is to do it mindfully and with alert curiosity ~ a conscious effort to sift through what is “extraneous” to us so that we can unearth the “essential.”
* Once in a while it really strikes people that they don’t have to live in the way they have been told to. ~ Alan Keightly
Aah . . . that’s better!
Related posts: It’s Boring (Candid Impressions) * Judging and Kindness (Find Your Middle Ground)
Spirit Lights The Way 
I am one of those people that makes snap judgements about people, places and things. I have goofed a few times but generally my first impression is true for me. I keep my judgements to myself. And I am hardest on myself.
When I am mindful (rather than mind full), I am more willing to accept the “what is” as it is . . . without feeling a constant compulsion to compare it to what (and whom) has come before.
But I know that I do not like Green Eggs and Ham and do not need to “try them again for the first time.” 😛
If we are to honor our own life purpose, we have to allow ourselves to be the arbiter of what we are drawn to and what holds little or no interest or appeal. After all, there is not enough time for all of us to do it all. We have to pick and choose those pursuits and interests that work for us. -Yes, it’s all about choice and priority. I have so many interests I sometimes find it hard to pick which ones I need to put aside and which to get lost in…actually, that’s the answer in itself which is teaching me what is worth pursuing.
BTW, love that last quote!
If we had “amnesia” and could not sift through present options using bits and pieces of data gleaned from the past, the NOW would always be NEW . . . but we might keep picking the “wrong thing” from life’s buffet.
Using what we know from past experiences allows us to be more discerning about how to spend TODAY.
Thanks for the pingback Nancy. Great post.
Here’s to lives filled with stuff we WANT to do! 😎
You write well and express your thoughts so clearly. There are so many gems of wisdom on your blog to ponder! Thank you.
For me, one of the hardest things has been determining what it is I want to do. Now, after many years of jobs that I never enjoyed and a whole career of enduring each work day, I’m peeling away the layers to discover what it is I really want to do because, for sure, I know what I don’t want to do!
I can say from experience that the quote you posted above by Herman Millman is so very true!
Thank you so much, J! Yes. When we finally getting around to asking ourselves “what do I want?” the answers may come only after peeling away the layers of what we do NOT want.
BTW: I love your blog . . . did you close comments due to a problem?
Omigosh. I didn’t know I had a problem with comments being closed! I know I haven’t been getting ANY comments so I figured nobody was impressed with my posts enough to comment.
Thank you for calling it to my attention. I’ll have to figure out what’s wrong now.
Good luck sorting out the problem . . . I look forward to being able to comment on your posts.
If you want me to post a “test comment” once you’ve unlocked the gate, let me know.
The Fuller and Millman quotes, coupled with your perspectives, pretty much capture the core and the essence!
thanks, Eric. Our Inner GPS is excellent as both barometer and compass. 😀
I ‘do’ what I want, easy peasy, there is nobody around to object! 😆
It’s great being the boss!
Sometimes I do things I don’t want to do but have to be done (like housework!) but the rewards are excellent (for five minutes) 😉
I don’t like spending time with people who are judgmental. I’ve chosen my life’s purpose and I’m sticking with it. My hubby’s family all hold very strong beliefs and I don’t try to persuade them otherwise, but often they don’t give me the same leeway…
I’m with you on housework ~ it’s a means to an end when we want to live in a clean house.
It’s great when we learn NOT to let “them” call the shots for us.
Using intuition and internal judgment to make sensible or wise choices for our own lives is good practice (provided we aren’t deluding ourselves… I am aware that Oreos don’t like me nearly as much as I like them). Knee-jerk reactions happen when people direct their often uninformed opinions outward at the rest of the world. I’m glad you made the distinction above.
Yes! Sometimes good judgment requires us to keep uninformed and ill-formed opinions to ourselves.
Tell that to the internet!
😉
Sometimes verbal diarrhea is rooted in the frantic desire to be seen as “somebody.”
But nothing lasts.
(Especially in cyber space.)
So what’s the rush?
I pretty much do what I like and want to do. Took a long time to get here but it was worth the work.
I’ve been working to fine-tune the process. Knowing what I want to do allows me to LET GO of stuff I no longer need ~ like books on building Shaker Furniture. 😀
There was a time you needed books on building Shaker furniture? Who knew?
BFF built some furniture for me ~ bookcases, benches, etc. When I acquired the books, I envisioned having a home filled with handmade “built better by BFF” Shaker furniture.
This year we both decided that wasn’t going to happen ~ so we gave the books away to a friend who loves woodworking.
I agree that based on past experience can cause us to avoid or be drawn to someone. I’m fairly certain golf isn’t part of my life purpose… my husband loves to play and even watch it on TV. I. can’t. Take. It. 🙂
I love watching golf . . . when I’m ready for a nap. Those announcers have the most soothing voices. Best white noise ever!