The foundation for a society that reveres the individual is the reliance on Natural Law. There are some rights that are undeniable to anyone in that they are deemed to have come from our creator, such as Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Similarly, there are some undeniable truths that the individual must comprehend and practice to leverage their ability to enjoy life and experience joy.
Zen said, “Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” What, on earth, does this mean?
Goals are essential; no goals, no growth. However, the benefit we gain by pursuing a worthy goal is not the goal itself but the process of getting there. “No matter where you go, there you are.” Alas, meaty quotes come from many sources. This one is from the 1984 movie “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension.” Its provenance may be more profound, but that’s what I first heard it. To me, this quote means that setting goals are what gets you on the path. Where you end up is simply the precursor to the next destination and the next. Joy is found in the mundane activities of our day. If you can find the pleasure in doing the little things, all the while knowing you are moving ever so slowly in the right direction, you will find peace.
If the source of your motivation is merely comparative; in other words, you are just trying to outdo someone else, then you will fail, and you will be miserable. We don’t do things because we have an unrelenting desire to correct the impossibility that we never are good enough. Any masters of anything will tell you; it’s not comparing themselves to the next person who excites them and brings them joy. It’s the joy they get from doing the hard work.
- Under pressure, you don’t rise to the challenge. You sink to the level of your practice. We all “rise to the level of our incompetence.” Thank you, Laurence J. Peter!
- Greatness isn’t sexy; It’s dirty work. And visualization is proper “fantasization.” Made up word alert!
- Everyone wants to be great until it’s time to do what needs to be done. And it’s the doing of that stuff that is life itself.
- Consistency and belief beat talent and resources. The greatest stories are from the humblest beginnings.
It is Sheldon Kopp who said, “All of the significant battles are waged within oneself.”
But, we are flawed creatures. How do we compensate for our flaws? I reference here two Frenchmen: one real, one fictitious.
Jean Valjean, the protagonist in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, declared, “It is nothing to die. It is an awful thing never to have lived.” When we bury our internal flaws and then try to pretend they don’t exist, we cannot be at peace Django Reinhardt, the great inventor of gypsy jazz, lost the majority control of his left hand in a caravan fire at 18 years. With this severe limitation, instead of devolving into obscurity, he created a playing style that guitarists the world over try to emulate to this day.
Chop wood and carry water. Here are four steps to help you face your flaws.
- See Yourself Clearly - Bishop Fulton Sheen offered this insight, “Most of us do not like to look inside ourselves for the same reason we don’t like to open a letter that has bad news.” To move on, you must see both sides of yourself equally.
- Admit Your Flaws, Honestly. Own up to what you cannot do. If you do, you will see the skills you must hone.
- Discover your Strengths Joyfully. To excel, do what you do well. Sometimes this takes a lifetime to discover. The discovery is where the fun and fulfillment await.
- Build on those Strengths with Passion. You can reach your potential tomorrow if you dedicate yourself to growth today.
I’ll leave you with this beautiful section from Milton Mayerhof’s book “On Caring.”
“… we may be required to give up certain things and activities, and may thus be said to include an element of submission. But this submission, like the voluntary submission of the craftsman to his discipline and the requirements of his materials, is liberating and affirming. It is like being liberated as the result of excepting some truth I have long tried to avoid; there is acceptance rather than resignation with lingering resentment, and in the end, I come to realize that I would not have it otherwise. This submission entails giving up pretensions and coming to accept myself as I am. I come to see the conditions of life as they are instead of as I wish them to be.”
When you find that path, nothing brings you more peace or builds your legacy than chopping wood and carrying water.
