Isn't it true, that most of us do things with the expectation of an outcome. We see an opportunity that will give us something in return and we allocate time to pursue that opportunity. These are only the things we can see and imagine. As humans, we are so naturally attached to outcome from a young age. Our universe is an ocean of endless possibilities. Most of us only pursue opportunities where we can see the outcome. What if we went a step further to pursue things we can't see or imagine right in front of us?
This got me thinking. What if, instead, I treated everything that showed up in front of me as an opportunity. An avenue for me to learn, grow, think, reflect & better myself, even if the outcome is bad. What if I replace "What's the worst that could happen?" with "I'll come out of it with something good."
There's 2 things that got me thinking this way.
The first was a theory from a book I read called The Surrender Experiment
1. THE VOICE INSIDE MY HEAD
We all have a voice inside our head. Some of us put it on a pedestal and some of us consider it noise. Either way, it's how we think. It could be an inner critic, fuelled by our fears and incorrect paradigms. Wayne Dyer says in one of his videos, "We do not know enough about life to be a pessimist". If that is the case, every time we want to say NO to an opportunity we are presented with, we should actually be saying YES. Perhaps this is me exercising my destiny? Or is it me exercising my innate desire for growth? Either way, a risk worth taking; a road less travelled.
If we fail, we could come out of that experience with a new skill/perspective or having learnt something to apply in decision making in the future, but that is not in our control. If we do not learn that lesson this way, life will keep throwing it our way till we learn from it.
It was this part that blew my mind -- if we succeed, we could come out of it the same way. Perhaps we could have met someone who becomes a valuable contact for us, or we get better at something we already knew. Either ways it became apparent to me that I had to surrender, life is at play, it always is.
The second was a theory I stumbled upon in a podcast
2. WINDOW-OPENERS VS DOOR-KNOCKERS
This theory basically states that we can be 1 of 2 kinds of people. Window-openers are those who look through the window of an opportunity, see the outcome they like and open the window. Door-knockers on the other hand, are those who see an opportunity but not the outcome. The outcome could be one that is not of short-term gain. But the truth about life is that most good things often don't have a clear outcome or path from the beginning.
This is where SARAL came into my life. I had thought of creating a platform to share my journey but I could not see the outcome. But I did it anyway. As I am trying to detach myself from outcomes, I see myself becoming more of a door-knocker than a window-opener. The more doors I open the higher the possibility that I will succeed. If we open 10 doors, all may not give us a "good" outcome, but we increase our chances of positive outcomes.
These techniques have changed the way I think and altered my perspective on decision-making.
The universe is going to give us what it's going to give us, we might as well do it without resistance.
Give it some thought. Are you a door-knocker?
In the upcoming posts I will discuss more in-depth about these theories and ideologies and the truth is, they are all interconnected. For me, it's not just about following one theory, but rather all of them together and I live in constant excitement, waiting to see what life sends my way.
All be blessed,
Rahil Dave
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