I saw an article in the local news today that highlighted how small businesses are looking to shut and close operations due to rising rents, amidst other factors. It's also increasingly common for people to describe the dire state of the economy and the job market etc. The list goes on.
All I see is that the old way of going about things, the need to 'go in for the kill' and grind your way through life isn't working anymore. And I think more people are starting to realise the disparity between expectations and lived experience.
There's no certainty in brute forcing outcomes to get a different result. It's like aiming darts at a target and hoping that one lands. By the time something lands, you've probably exhausted all of your options.
What's the way out then?
Reorienting the mind.
If not, you'll continue to be susceptible to factors that are not afraid of throwing you off balance.
There's no such thing as randomness in life. From the people we meet, to the way your day flows, down to your reactions, thoughts and assumptions of situations and events. Perception is the way out of insanity.
If every day we dedicate some parts of ourselves to view the good within the bad, let go of fear, not allowing what we see to dictate our reactions, we can take back ownership of our fates.
The biggest thing that I had to let go was this need to perform and self-justify everything that I was doing. It was difficult to let go of, but when I knew that it was serving as an underlying current to some of my actions, I knew it had to go permanently. When so much of worth hinges on 'needing to look a certain way', you start to make decisions that do not reflect who you are. The recommended strategies to 'win' at life, the silliness of forcing productivity for the sake of it, or dimming ourselves to be palatable for others... no longer becomes applicable.
Being open and present. Making decisions from clear mind and not pressure. That's the way forward.
