Serendipitious Reminders & Moving one ‘nth’
No matter how hard we exert ourselves to live our best lives, there’s often something that trips us up. I’m always in awe when the message comes, exactly at the time, after, I needed it! lessons in hindsight right?
Yesterday at my local BNI meeting our speaker was sharing her secrets to success and said …”Often what’s blocking the way is the way”. She then shared the story of the two monks, you may have heard it before …
A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her cross to the other side. The two monks glanced at one another because they had taken vows not to touch a woman.
Then, without a word, the senior monk picked up the woman, carried her across the river, placed her gently on the other side, and carried on his journey.
The younger monk couldn’t believe what had just happened. After re-joining his companion, he was speechless, and an hour passed without a word between them.
Two more hours passed, then three, finally the younger monk could contain himself any longer, and blurted out “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”
The older monk looked at him and replied, “Brother, I set her down on the other side of the river, why are you still carrying her?”
Both of these insights landed right where they needed to, providing me with the insight and perspective I needed to move me out of my ‘stuck groove’ I’d been in for the previous 12 hours. Timely and deeply appreciated, it was.
This morning, reading my favourite newsletter, James Clears’ 3-2-1 Thursday revealed another pearl of wisdom I could have benefitted immensely from just 48 hours earlier. Once again, the benefit of hindsight! I’ll share it with you here as I consider it to be a lesson you may resonate with too.
“Whatever you’re doing, a sense of superiority will make you worse at it. Humility, on the other hand, will make you better. The moment you think you’ve got it all figured out, your progress stops. Instead, continue to advance and improve by reminding yourself how much more there will always be to discover.
Confidence is positive and empowering, but arrogance is deadly. Be confident, but not at the expense of your respect for others.
Don’t burn up all your energy proving how great you are. Invest your time and energy being thoughtful and helpful. See the victories not as proof of your supremacy, but as opportunities to offer more value to life. See the defeats not as personal affronts, but as chances to learn and grow stronger.
Take care not to waste your time in delusions of grandeur. Embrace the power of confident humility, and live well.”
– Taken from writer Ralph Marston on the power of confident humility.
Serendipities happen for a reason and sometimes we miss them. When we do notice them they can be timely reminders or maybe stunning revelations. Sometimes the lesson appears after the experience. As we learn the lessons designed specifically for our individual selves, we may be moved a little (or a lot), creating a new trajectory for this journey we call life.
Yesterday I was moved one ‘nth’ of a degree and today another which pivots me 2nths of a degree into a new flow and a slightly different direction with a changed perspective.