Redefine ~ Let go ~ Become

While reading John Peterson's 12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos, I came across the following excerpt that I found eye-opening and worthy to write down in a post-it note (mind you, I have hundred of these on my wall):

"If the world you are seeing is not the world you want, therefore, it's time to examine your values.

It's time to get rid of your current presuppositions.

It's time to let go.

It might even be time to sacrifice what you love best,

so that you can become who you might become,

instead of staying who you are."

Let's dig a little deeper into what these statements mean for us,

Examine your values

When something does not feel right in your life, it is because who you are - your character, your principles, your aspirations - is not aligned with your everyday actions.

What are your top three values? How do you live up those top three values everyday of your life?

When your actions or habits are aligned with your values, the world becomes painted with an array of different colors. You start seeing the holes in the wall, the order among the chaos.

Because you are creating your reality by stepping up to meet your principles, the world does not seem so dark and lonely after all.

You create the light that you want to see.

Get rid of current presuppositions

This concept references the idea portrayed in last week's post: "What am I willing to be wrong about today?"

We are never finished in this trajectory we call life. We are a work in progress. As such, if we aspire to continue finding joy and fulfillment, our assumptions about what this or that is supposed to be should not be a static thing.

Instead, you need to build and think with a growth-mindset.

In order to expand on your beliefs, to envision realities you are capable of creating, to redefine your own success, to be a positive influence, and to become who you are to become, you need to let go of first impressions and have the curiosity to wonder, "What more can I learn?".

It's time to let go

Letting go is often viewed as a defeat, a weakness, and as something to be used as a last-resort.

But letting go is also about maturing.

For example, there is a reason why forgiveness is so powerful, why letting go of anger, frustration, fear and other consuming feelings can be liberating. When you forgive others (and yourself!), you take away a weight of thoughts that had continually consumed your mind and affected your behavior (often times, in negative ways) so as to open yourself up to new opportunities.

In a similar way, when you a prepared to let go of people, habits, or environments, you are responding in a way that tells the universe you are ready for something better.

This is a liberating. And it is also risky (it leaves you vulnerable). But it is worth it.

Sacrifice what you love best

Here, Jordan Peterson provides an excellent example of how to apply this idea in our lives.

A study was performed in order to observe the best way to catch monkeys. Various pieces of treats were put around a ring with the best treat put inside a bottle (a trap).

The monkeys collected the treats and then reached inside the bottle to collect the treasure. However, although you could put your hand inside the bottle without any trouble, you were not able to take your hand out if you were grabbing the treat (you had to let go of the object to be able to pull your hand out again).

And the monkeys did not let go. They continued to pull without success in order to get that treat at the risk of staying put and being caught. And they were caught.

In tandem with the idea of letting go, sometimes what we believe is most precious to us - something we can't live without and is very dear to our hearts - might actually be what we need to sacrifice in order to learn a lesson and become someone better.

Be brave.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, I would like to point out that all these suggestions addressed actions that YOU can take. It did not put the weight, responsibility, or fault on the other. The change required to be able to see the world that you want to see starts with YOU.

What are your thoughts? I would love to hear from you. Let's connect!

Leave a comment down below or reach out to me directly. Have you read or listened to John Peterson before? What do you like or not like about his ideas? What do you think about the excerpt above? Looking forward to hearing from you!

Trust the process. Live the commitment