In my experience, a lot of young people (and sometimes, older people too, very questionably) struggle with this concept of Doing what you like vs. Doing things you hate, or dislike. So, we may think that doing things we like (which is pleasurable, no doubt) is one of life's goals and something to look forward to, isn't it? It's that surge of endorphins, serotonin or whatever feel good chemicals that arise in your brain and physical body when you do things that are pleasurable. But the paradox of this is that in reality, to do the things that you like; you first have to do what you dislike.
What we like and dislike are very personal issues. What you may like doing that gives you pleasure in the act of doing it - May differ from the next person's feelings about the same act. And vice versa. We are very specialized creatures of habit, psychology and nuance. Physiologically too. What works for me, may not work for you. But the distinction and fact is, that there are things that you and I do that gives us pleasure over stress. Things that bring about joy, or difficulty. Yes? And there are things that we may find difficult to attempt at first, but after a while, it may become a habit, or something that we have allowed ourselves to commit to daily practice. Things like this could include washing the dishes. Or cleaning our rooms. Or helping others. Or public speaking. The list goes on. Very concrete analogies and examples above. Now I will go a little abstract here, if you may. Doing what you dislike builds resilience and discipline. It is uncomfortable but necessary. Because you find it difficult, it means that you are not used to it. That it is something that you do not have access to (yet) and that may be important in your life. What you dislike to do is the buffer between your perceived ego (what you perceive as You) and the external world. The external world is something that I would describe as : situations, people and/or environments that are outside our physical body. I'm trying to keep this topic very simple here. So after a while of doing what you dislike, you begin to build a reputation of a trustable, dependable, hard working person or character. When people begin to associate you with being dependable, people will trust your eye and judgement. They will begin to put their money or trust in you. This is how you bridge both the internal and external worlds together. This is the reason we pull our socks up and do the things that are required of us. Even though we dislike it at first. Perfection is lots of little things done well. Nobody likes to work so hard to gain a six pack or a fit body. Nobody likes to wake up at 6 in the morning, exercise, meditate, shower and get to work early. Nobody likes to work so hard daily only to receive remuneration which they think is below what they should receive. But the premise is this : That with repetition, daily toil and honest, hard work, that by being fully immersed in this thing called life, we begin to open up and bloom like a flower. We begin to realize deeply, and we begin to manifest in the physical world the changes that are required for us to receive those things which we want and need. When you attempt doing things you dislike, it becomes easier to do what you do like. Here's the caveat : There will always be rules, boundaries and limits in any event, game, system or methodology. While life can be chaotic, Life also has it's own rules. So while the title of this piece is Doing What You Like - most of the time you will have to abide by some kind of rule, or rules of the game. This is the thing you'll have to realize and accept. That in any game or system, there are bound to be rules. It is paradoxical. And this is what makes it fun, if you understand the deeper meaning of it all. So, for the young and the uninitiated, you'll have to humble yourself and start at the bottom of the ladder. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. You'll have to begin with the most basic fundamentals. Which is : Find a way to do what you dislike or hate doing. If you can manage this, you will have transcended the game of labels. Of ego. Of narcissism. Of excuses. Of blame. Of mediocrity. And then you can eventually do what you like. This is about one's perception. It's about looking at the issue from another point of view. To fully understand what is Left, you must first know what is Right. To fully understand Freedom, you must first know Rigidity, Structure and Discipline. To fully know the Light, you must have walked in the Dark. That is the most sustainable way. It is the full experience of it. So to reiterate, do what you dislike first. Put aside your inflated ego. Expectations. Mindless feedback. Chatter. Gossip. The inner critique. Just do what you dislike in order to fully enjoy doing what you do like. There will come a time when you have come to a realization that the two extremes are actually in fact, the same thing. But that's a story for another piece.
0 Comments
|
Archives
February 2024
Categories
All
|