One of the translations of the Taoist principle “wu-wei” in not-obstructing. I wondered how that applied to my life.
What do I obstruct in my life?
Hinder, thwart, block, impede. Why would I want to do anything like that to my life, or to my friends or in my work? I am not certain how I obstruct my own life because I never thought about it before. How do I hinder, thwart, block, impede my own life?
I obstruct my life through missed opportunities
I like that I’m a bit impulsive. It means I sign up for a course that peaks my interest rather than waiting until the deadline passes. It means I read three translations of the Taoist principle “wu-wei” and write a blog post series to figure out how I can apply them to my life. Sometimes my shy-nes kicks in and I miss an opportunity to connect. Sometime I have to get creative around money in order to take advantage of an opportunity. You can miss an opportunity by spending too much time debating its merits. You can miss an opportunity by organic mistiming. I was lucky to get in on the ground floor of two platforms I wanted and got the subsequent upgrades free. What kind of opportunities do you feel you are missing and what will you do to change that?
I obstruct my life by not learning what I need to break through
I don’t exactly obstruct my life by not learning, but I do slow myself down by not learning certain steps. It all has to do with technical stuff. There is a huge hesitation, a putting off, that comes when I need to figure out something new technically. I sometime put off the task. Invariably, it is nuch simpler to step up to the plate and learn what I need to learn. I will get more done if I don’t obstruct my next learning step through apprehension or dread of learning something i perceive is difficult..
I obstruct my life by not cultivation friendships
As the Deeper Song Community continues to gather, I am encouraging and engaging in 1:1 conversation and loving it. We are already connected though the community or an online class that we share. It gives me an opportunity to establish a personal relationship with someone new in some part of the world and Skiype makes it feel like we just had a cup of tea together. I had to change tribes in order to meet these like-minded and awesomely relevant people who are deeply in service. We support and encourage each other. Are you in the right tribe? Do you have an active plan to cultivate relationships?
I obstruct my life by not believing in myself
This is huge. Remember the little train “I think I can, I know I can!” You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe you deserve the good stuff and you have to believe it is possible. Otherwise, you are allowing those beliefs and self-doubts to obstruct you and your potential. Start an Acknowledgment List. Write down the nice things people say about you along with their name and date. When you feel uncertain go read your list. Tracking your feedback is not egotistical, it is a way to chose to change. It is a barometer of how you are or are not impacting the world around you. Look at the good stuff you are doing and go do more. Believe you can and you will.
Why do I obstruct?
The first thing that comes to mind is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of not doing it “right.” Fear of being different. Fear of being loved. I have a feeling that fear is the major reason we set up any sort of obstructions. Give some thought to that and see what shows up. I have to watch the barriers I put up as I get older and things get a bit more physicaly challenging. My response is to reverse this aging process by more exercise and healthier eating. Identify your obstruction and see what steps you can take to remove it.
Wu-Wei is not just “non-doing” it is “not-obstructing.” See how that awareness changes your life.
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
Unfolding an the Wu Wei of Not-Forcing
Unfolding an the Wu Wei of Not-Interfering
