The universe has no secret for you
Success depends more on knowing how things work, than on working things out.
If you've ever seen any movie by aikido master Steven Seagal, you already intuitively understand that principle of success.
In aikido, the key is to understand how one can get in sync with and then leverage the opponent's force and momentum. The aikido master expends very little effort, for he knows how things work and has tested and practiced endlessly, at the physical level, the precise, delicate and effortless movements that lead to victory over the opponent.
In short, there are two ways to success:
1. understand and leverage the way things work
2. work things out by taking action
Let me make a bolder statement still. You can:
1. Succeed through knowing (mostly) or
2. Succeed through doing (mostly)
People who know often don't have to do much, and people who do often have insufficient knowledge.
Don't get me wrong: there's nothing wrong with action, for one can only learn through experience. Words, books, seminars, workshops, videos, etc. can only raise one's awareness. They do not truly teach. Only one's personal experience will open up all channels which then allows the person to "take in" the critical knowledge.
However, if you've taken actions consistently day after day, week after week, year after year, and you don't see any significant improvement in your life, then the correct conclusion is that you are acting too much and you know too little.
We live in an "action" culture and so, not surprisingly, we hear statements (often from motivational speakers) like "take action!", "be proactive!" or "focus on getting results."
We rarely hear "take knowledge!", "be still and meditate!' or "focus on your thoughts."
In fact, if your boss catches you doing too much meditation or being too "still" in your cubicle, he might have no choice but to fire you!
My point: knowledge is underrated while action is overrated.
The great hockey player Wayne Gretzky is an example of someone who thought more than he acted. He thought strategically by developing and refining his (uncanny) ability to predict where the puck will be. Unlike other players, he doesn't follow the puck with his eyes; he seems to follow it with his mind, and be able to make accurate forecasts about where the puck will likely be.
Let me put forward this bold idea for your consideration: Those who understand how the universe works, will get the universe to work for them and will be able to achieve amazing things that normal human beings will marvel at. Those who do not understand how the universe works, will have to work themselves. They often have to work very hard and this will exert negative pressure on their health.
I summarize it this way: Hard work is not smart, and smart work is not hard.
If you're working hard, please don't be insulted. It only means that there is "secret" knowledge that you do not have, which is why you are "forced" to work hard.
Here's another gem for your consideration as you ponder this post: In all (mental) work, effort defeats itself.
You may say, "Okay, Peter, I believe you. So how can I get this "secret" knowledge so I can work smart and not hard?"
Answer: Seek it. Ask people who have succeeded to point you in the right direction or give you hints. Please note that they will rarely give you the answer, for they know the power of searching for an answer and finding it on one's own.
They also know that the universe doesn't hide any secret from anybody. People who are serious about success, and search for it seriously, will eventually know all the secrets they need.
Someone who is not serious about success and is not searching for secret, powerful knowledge, can have the answers right in front of them and they would not be able to see it!
This is why they say, quite correctly, that when the learner is ready, the master appears.
If you've ever seen any movie by aikido master Steven Seagal, you already intuitively understand that principle of success.
In aikido, the key is to understand how one can get in sync with and then leverage the opponent's force and momentum. The aikido master expends very little effort, for he knows how things work and has tested and practiced endlessly, at the physical level, the precise, delicate and effortless movements that lead to victory over the opponent.
In short, there are two ways to success:
1. understand and leverage the way things work
2. work things out by taking action
Let me make a bolder statement still. You can:
1. Succeed through knowing (mostly) or
2. Succeed through doing (mostly)
People who know often don't have to do much, and people who do often have insufficient knowledge.
Don't get me wrong: there's nothing wrong with action, for one can only learn through experience. Words, books, seminars, workshops, videos, etc. can only raise one's awareness. They do not truly teach. Only one's personal experience will open up all channels which then allows the person to "take in" the critical knowledge.
However, if you've taken actions consistently day after day, week after week, year after year, and you don't see any significant improvement in your life, then the correct conclusion is that you are acting too much and you know too little.
We live in an "action" culture and so, not surprisingly, we hear statements (often from motivational speakers) like "take action!", "be proactive!" or "focus on getting results."
We rarely hear "take knowledge!", "be still and meditate!' or "focus on your thoughts."
In fact, if your boss catches you doing too much meditation or being too "still" in your cubicle, he might have no choice but to fire you!
My point: knowledge is underrated while action is overrated.
The great hockey player Wayne Gretzky is an example of someone who thought more than he acted. He thought strategically by developing and refining his (uncanny) ability to predict where the puck will be. Unlike other players, he doesn't follow the puck with his eyes; he seems to follow it with his mind, and be able to make accurate forecasts about where the puck will likely be.
Let me put forward this bold idea for your consideration: Those who understand how the universe works, will get the universe to work for them and will be able to achieve amazing things that normal human beings will marvel at. Those who do not understand how the universe works, will have to work themselves. They often have to work very hard and this will exert negative pressure on their health.
I summarize it this way: Hard work is not smart, and smart work is not hard.
If you're working hard, please don't be insulted. It only means that there is "secret" knowledge that you do not have, which is why you are "forced" to work hard.
Here's another gem for your consideration as you ponder this post: In all (mental) work, effort defeats itself.
You may say, "Okay, Peter, I believe you. So how can I get this "secret" knowledge so I can work smart and not hard?"
Answer: Seek it. Ask people who have succeeded to point you in the right direction or give you hints. Please note that they will rarely give you the answer, for they know the power of searching for an answer and finding it on one's own.
They also know that the universe doesn't hide any secret from anybody. People who are serious about success, and search for it seriously, will eventually know all the secrets they need.
Someone who is not serious about success and is not searching for secret, powerful knowledge, can have the answers right in front of them and they would not be able to see it!
This is why they say, quite correctly, that when the learner is ready, the master appears.
posted by Super Peter at 2:33 PM
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