Are you a referee or a wrestler?

image from learnmeditationonline.org

I sat with my Teacher early this morning.

I didn't tell Him what happened yesterday.  He instinctively knew what to say- as always.   

"Heaviness comes from sorrow", he explained.

"Sorrow comes from the vices of anger, lust, greed, attachment and ego",  he continued.

Now, I understand why I cannot stand the courtroom.  I still don't know why I had to be there though.

I did not raise my concern out loud.  Sensing my next question, He said, "How do you interact with people?  What do you give them?"

Then, it clicked in my head, in an atmosphere filled with sorrow, being irritated doesn't help.  If I remain stable in my peace though, then I help ease the heaviness.

Oopsie, I should have donated peace instead of ranting yesterday!

I think donating peace is like being a referee in a fight.  When the game becomes too intense and the rules are being bent, he intercedes and gives the two contenders some breathing space.

On the other hand, becoming influenced by the atmosphere is like participating in wrestling's royal rumble.

Next time, I encounter a similar scenario, I will remind myself that I have two choices: either be a referee or be part of the mess.





    

I am what I think

image from http://www.learnmeditationonline.org

I watched an amateur hockey game between 8 year old JJ and 6 year old Ravi today.  Both were very competitive and determined to win.  JJ was psyching himself the whole time during the game.  He was talking to himself very loudly.  He was saying, "I will win this thing" over and over.  Ravi on the other hand was very focused on the defense.  He tried to score but most of the time he was simply blocking JJ from hitting the goal.  His chant was "no, no, no" the whole time.

Can you guess who won?

It was the boy who kept saying "I will win this thing."  

I feel that it's the same thing in the game of life.  The one who has a positive self-talk wins.

Watching these two kids play served as a checkpoint for me.    

I asked myself, " What do you think during crunch time?  Do you say 'I can do this!' or 'It's too big a task for little old me?'  Do you believe that you can actually make things happen or do you still doubt yourself?"

I realized that what I tell myself repeatedly matters a LOT.  

It's the one determining factor which will clinch if I will be in the winning or losing end.