While we were on the mat yesterday, our coach talked about how there is an answer to every “what if”… BUT you might not like it. In Jiu Jitsu, one move or technique is not enough. You must, like in the game of chess, not only strategize but also know how to react. Such is life… no?!
In my life, I have had a lot of experiences that have later deserved THE question.
What if…?
I almost just listed some of the biggies… but stopped myself. What’s the point? Why even give the question and the search behind it any energy by writing it down? Why do we lose so much hope and feed our doubts by asking a question like, “WHAT IF?????”
Let me expand on the Jiu Jitsu analogy. Our coach did not mean to dissuade us from asking what to do next or how to question what has already occurred, but to prepare ourselves that not every question has a positive and productive answer! You might just land yourself in situation you can only tap out of…
Now, apply to life: When you ask the universe, “WHAT IF…?” you must prepare that the response will not help. It may not promote positivity and it may just make you wish you had never asked in the first place! What’s the saying about how anxiety and fear are about living in the past and future? So, why do we still ask?
I think we are just testing the RULES and are afraid of WHAT IF’s mean older cousin… WHY. If you thought “what if” was a downer, just ask “why” enough times without getting an answer. Buzz. Kill.
Maybe we should stop asking so many damn questions and concentrate on what we CAN control. Right. Now.
Let us start with one last question:
What the hell are the rules, anyway?!
Without laying out the definition of RULE, some of the synonyms provided by our dear Google were: Regulations, Statute, and Order…
Laaaaame. I mean, I work with federal regulations every day and am happy for them! They keep people safe and healthy! BUT those words really only portray the heavy handed rules of organizations in place to keep us worker bees all in order, right? OK OK… before you start to think this is the start of my Anarchist’s Manifesto, think again! That doesn’t hit bookshelves for at least another 8-12 months!
Its just that I have been thinking about life’s rules lately and my coach’s pep talk put a new spin on the jumble in my head. These “rules” to which I refer govern every aspect of our lives outside of speed limits, food safety, and terms of office (I’ve been watching House of Cards lately). These are the rules that are passed between us old school style… through social promotion or seclusion, by pleasantries or a cold-shoulder, or in ways kinder than charity or those more painful than water-boarding (I can only assume… seems that the last one might really suck).
What I mean is this: we live our lives by a code that has been rolling around like water in the oceans for centuries, ebbing and flowing but always rolling, always washing over us and either refreshing our souls or stinging our wounds with salt. The rules have always been there and we either learn them and prosper or challenge them and feel the wrath of the multitudes. But haven’t you ever wondered what the rules actually were? Because, for the life of me, I keep coming up with or being told or hearing others spout some RULE that either doesn’t make sense or I can find 50 examples to prove the contrary! WHAT?!
Mind. Blown.
I know I’m digging pretty deep today and that you might be a bit disappointed that this rant isn’t full of inspiration to go out and run an extra five miles or push your body a bit harder. YET I challenge you to use it as such. How?
Do this: Next time you hear, feel, see, smell a “rule” coming your way that doesn’t sit right within your own gut DO NOT WAIT until it’s down the road and now you are having to ask
WHAT IF?!
or worse yet
WHY?????
Challenge the “rules”. Challenge someone who says you are too old or too young, not the right body type, or not the right “material” to do something that in your GUT you know you are meant to do. Challenge the mass view of a type of person or a way of life which you know in your GUT is so good it should be supported and not brought down by fear. Challenge the idea of “waiting for it” by ASKING for what you WANT from the UNIVERSE! And most importantly, challenge the rules of love because the beauty of love is that is has no limits, no roadmap, no ultimate destination. Love is what we make it and we are made by love.
We should live by a very simple book of rules and sadly it has yet to be written. The only way for this book to exist is for us to open our hearts and get our egos out of the way. I won’t pretend that I have all of the answers because this blog has done nothing but give me a good place to prove how many questions I still have to ask… least of which are a few more “what ifs” and a handful of “whys.”
A few of my suggestions:
Love yourself.
Love each other.
Wish for the freedom from suffering of all.
Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
Be bold.
Ask the universe for what you want, with a pure heart, and gracefully accept its answer.
Live your life. Let others live theirs.
AND if you MUST ask, ask “WHAT IF we could change the world so that the only answer to WHY is LOVE?”
OK. Crazy ramble over. Good luck and may the force be with you.
Anya out.
365 Runs 