“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
- S. Clemens
Two distinct parts to this post: ignorance and confidence.
Ignorance - I believe I have this part down. I do not know nearly enough.
Do you ever have that thing where you read posts on social media by friends and acquaintances and you just know, you just KNOW, they're talking about (or even to) you? You know the thing: you read someone's post and immediately take it to heart?
I was - against my better judgement - scrolling through Facebook the other day and read a post by a young yogini that I've become friends with over the years. She's smart and intuitive and lovely and caring. She's one of those people who feels the world around her somehow more acutely than most. I respect this young lady a great deal.
She included one sentence in a long string of sentences in her post that addressed the idea that practicing yoga every day isn't necessarily the point. It was something along the lines of, "... yoga isn't about fancy poses or practicing every day." I can't remember the exact quote, but I took it to heart.
Now I'm certain that this sentence wasn't actually directed AT me. But I am certain that it applies. I am trying to maintain a daily practice. I am trying to build it into my daily routine. I have, in fact, developed a daily ritual that allows for at least an hour of yoga each day. But, the act of moving through poses is not necessarily yoga and the prideful attitude of "I have a daily practice," (said with a degree of - unintentional - condescension) is absolutely missing the point.
Showing up each day without intention is not the thing. Showing up to breathe and be present, I'm learning, is more like it. I'm still learning.
I love the fact that yoga is an ongoing process. It's a way to breathe and be present. It's a practice. I also love the fact that I am, and will continue to be, ignorant.
"You gotta play this game with fear and arrogance."
- C. Daivs
Confidence - It seems that I have some degree of confidence in this life. I like my work. I like my life. I am proud of the work our team does at the office. I am proud of my accomplishments. I am proud of my family and my friends and all the amazing things they do.
I like the idea of fear and arrogance. The concept is actually perfect for baseball, whence the quote. It could also be perfect for business and school and any other sport, or game.
Which brings me to the final thought for today. It occasionally occurs to me that most of the things in this life that people take so seriously are, in the end, a form of game. Life, at times, seems like one big game.
In the book Siddhartha, the main character approaches his business dealings with the detached attitude of someone who stands apart from the actual dealings and sees the big picture a little clearer than others.
I often find myself working with people who take things so very seriously. They are what I would call earnest in their work. Everything they do has deep and important meaning. Anyone who doesn't step in line with that idea is seen by the earnest among us as aloof, less committed.
I suggest that there may be a happy place somewhere in the middle. Yes, the work is important. Yes it's a game.
I'm searching for balance. I am ignorant. I am trying to learn.
I think I'll just start right here, where I am - with at least a degree of confidence.