"The first step in changing reality is to recognize it as it is now. There is no need to wish it were otherwise. It simply is. Pleasant or not, it is. Then comes the behavior that acts on the present reality. Behavior can change what is. We may have visions of what will be. We cannot (and need not) prevent these dreams. But the visions won't change the future. Action--in the present--changes the future. A trip of ten thousand miles starts out with one step, not with a fantasy about travel." ~ David K. Reynolds from Constructive Living
That's brilliant. I don't know about you, but I'm a big dreamer. I love setting big goals and going for them. I've noticed, however, that I used to spend waaaayyyy too much time in the visioning/goal setting phase and, when things weren't going quite as planned, I'd find myself stressed, spending more time planning, and less time ACTING. Not so effective.
Robert Fritz, in his brilliant book The Path of Least Resistance calls this "structural conflict" --where we oscillate between big dreams and fears we won't be able to manifest them. His solution is similar to Reynolds' wisdom: We can resolve the tension by taking an honest look at current reality, accepting that current reality (rather than sugar-coating it, ignoring it, etc.), and then taking the next baby step. Action. Action. Action.
These days, I'm MUCH more focused on showing up, doing my best and taking the next step, and then the next step and then the next... It's quite remarkable to see the joy and flow and ease that comes when I have less attachment to outcomes and spend most of my time doing what this moment demands.
So, although that trip of ten thousand miles needs to be imagined and planned, ultimately, we need to remember that we won't get there unless we learn to take the first step, and the next step, and the...
More wisdom from David K. Reynolds in Constructive Living:
"It's in the responding to every moment's needs, regardless of success or failure, that we mature."
"Every situation, every moment, provides the opportunity for self-growth and development of your character."
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PhilosophersNotes on Constructive Living by David K. Reynolds | |||||
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