FACT CHECK - TRUE OR FALSE
If you build it, they will come. - Field of Dreams*
This week I read an article on Medium by Scott Gese based around this very quote and it got me thinking. The article itself carried the persuasive argument that this is in fact ‘bullshit’ to quote the author. I actually agree in the context it was written as Scott was pushing those same 3 magic words that I use regularly…”Do the Work!”
Absolutely! No argument here. However, it is also a good example of how all quotes and ideas can be interpreted and filtered through our own perceptions to mean whatever we want and this very truth can be dangerous in itself. It is why two seemingly, equally ‘woke’ individuals can agree in principle on an idea, yet embody that belief in opposing fashions. It is why I believe, in this esoteric of world of personal development it is important to understand that, just as in professional sport for example, where you will often hear the phrase, “there are levels to this shit” the same applies to levels of consciousness and the resulting opportunities this brings. (For more on this topic I would recommend checking out Ken Wilber’s Integral Theory if you haven’t already.)
With regards to the filter/context I am applying to this idea, it is still an important concept when relating it to recovery and growth. No matter how hard we try, if we don’t lay the foundations, our house will always be built on sand. Therefore, succumbing to resistance, to fear, to impatience, to peer pressure will always result in failure, and not the good type of failure that teaches us things we didn’t know so we can be better next time around. No, this is the failure that keeps us stranded and stuck.
I know because I did it too. I see clients do it, I see prospective clients do it, I see it all around, particularly at this time of year as we enter the final weeks of January, leading into February and the time when lots of folk who were ill prepared will start to see their New Year’s Resolutions fall by the wayside. This is because we make the mistake of trying to build willpower instead of habits. Forcing change, instead of building it organically, making ascetic, head-based choices instead of lifestyle, heart-based choices.
You'll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine. - John C. Maxwell
Therefore, I do not see this concept and the idea of 'doing the work' as mutually exclusive. Instead they go hand in hand. As in all things there is a balance, a sweet spot to be found. Do the work, make the changes, switch your diet, strengthen your mindset, but most importantly of all, keep walking that path. Have patience, callus the wound, create the muscle memory that you can then lean into when the weather turns and it becomes difficult to stay the course. When you create the correct environment for change and believe in the process, those good things will come, not when you want them but when you are READY for them. Transformation takes time, slow and steady stays the course. Heed the lessons, love the learning, live the life you were supposed to…
Take Aim, Transform, Transcend…
Skywards…
* the quote is actually 'he' will come, but has become widely quoted as 'they'.
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