Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share #43: Surrounded by enlightened life coaches
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
#43: Surrounded by enlightened life coaches
There is an interesting self-improvement practice that harnesses one of the most powerful tools available to us: humility. It has to do with imagining that everyone around you is playing an important role in your life as a coach or instructor. Some may even go as far as to say that one way to take this little exercise up a notch is to imagine that everyone around you is enlightened while you're the one in need of their teaching or guidance in some way. It's not about thinking poorly of yourself or engaging in negative self-talk, but highlighting the importance of viewing everyone you encounter as a potential helper in terms of seeing the world more clearly, which includes what we can do to improve in ways that make our lives better and us better at life.
For example, the most obnoxious driver cutting you off has a role to teach you about things such as situational awareness, patience, and self-control. The most ridiculously-dressed person (whatever that is to your sensibilities) is there to coach you into being less judgmental. It's true that other people do some weird things (who doesn't?), but we're the ones getting upset about it, so we are the ones who need to change. We're not talking about accommodating, approving, ignoring, or advocating behavior that is dangerous, violent, mean-spirited, or destructive (to self or others). It's about learning to be less bothered by the actions of people. After all, one of the cardinal rules of joyful living is to avoid wasting usable energy on judging others or allowing what they do or say to become tyrannical rulers of your own conscience.
Make it one of your new goals to try to determine what the people in your life, including those you only interact with in a single brief moment, are trying to teach you. What is he trying to coach me up on? What practical and valuable instruction is she laying down for me? This leads to being far less annoyed, bothered, and frustrated by the actions and imperfections of other people (just like we are and can be to others). Give it a try. You might find yourself being a bit more tranquil and joyous if you do.
---
Attributions:
"Sleepy Quest for Coffee" by Plastik Joy.
https://soundcloud.com/plastik-joy
View all episodes
By Johnny Armstrong
5
1717 ratings
There is an interesting self-improvement practice that harnesses one of the most powerful tools available to us: humility. It has to do with imagining that everyone around you is playing an important role in your life as a coach or instructor. Some may even go as far as to say that one way to take this little exercise up a notch is to imagine that everyone around you is enlightened while you're the one in need of their teaching or guidance in some way. It's not about thinking poorly of yourself or engaging in negative self-talk, but highlighting the importance of viewing everyone you encounter as a potential helper in terms of seeing the world more clearly, which includes what we can do to improve in ways that make our lives better and us better at life.
For example, the most obnoxious driver cutting you off has a role to teach you about things such as situational awareness, patience, and self-control. The most ridiculously-dressed person (whatever that is to your sensibilities) is there to coach you into being less judgmental. It's true that other people do some weird things (who doesn't?), but we're the ones getting upset about it, so we are the ones who need to change. We're not talking about accommodating, approving, ignoring, or advocating behavior that is dangerous, violent, mean-spirited, or destructive (to self or others). It's about learning to be less bothered by the actions of people. After all, one of the cardinal rules of joyful living is to avoid wasting usable energy on judging others or allowing what they do or say to become tyrannical rulers of your own conscience.
Make it one of your new goals to try to determine what the people in your life, including those you only interact with in a single brief moment, are trying to teach you. What is he trying to coach me up on? What practical and valuable instruction is she laying down for me? This leads to being far less annoyed, bothered, and frustrated by the actions and imperfections of other people (just like we are and can be to others). Give it a try. You might find yourself being a bit more tranquil and joyous if you do.
---
Attributions:
"Sleepy Quest for Coffee" by Plastik Joy.
https://soundcloud.com/plastik-joy