Great Things Stem From Nothing
It’s time to throw away your old ways of doing things.
“Each morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” ― Buddha
Through the past years of my life, I’ve come to realise one train of thought that has had a profound effect on my happiness and how I interpret my personal life. This concept has helped me shift away from a mindset of recycling old materials, embracing ‘stuck’ energy, to a mindset of growth, opportunity and renewed energy.
A New Start
Rooted in Zen, this mindset roughly translates to the principle of approaching everything with a fresh, clear mind.
You’ll often hear people talk about the importance of ‘letting go of the past.’ But what is less talked about is how discarding old and repetitive thought patterns opens up space for new ideas. Often, the sense of feeling stuck in life is a direct effect of having a full mind. But by learning to clear your mind, you will create a new open space for opportunities to grow rather than trying to keep pouring tea in a cup that is already full.
For me, the times I have embraced this mindset are the ones where I have found the most opportunities in the day. Opportunities that come in the form of simple solutions to problems I’ve been dwelling on or realisations of the simplicity of a situation I’ve been overthinking.
Times like this are indeed blissful and are often where we make the most progress in life. Old systems of thought are forgotten about. Outdated methods of doing things are washed away.
All In Good Time
Adopting this mindset correlates with an important fact of life: success does not happen instantaneously. This applies on both a larger and smaller scale, but here I’ll be focusing on the type of success that occurs in a short time frame of about an hour or so.
This best applies when you’re working on something you are passionate about. For me as a graduating student, the context is often a study session. However, this can easily apply to anything that holds some purpose in your life, whether that be working on a project or picking an exciting new place to live.
The key to remember is this: great ideas don’t spurt upon first starting something. The pinnacle moments of progress within a studying or working session rarely occur within the first 2 minutes. Ironically, it is these 2 minutes that are often the most difficult. As said by Simon Sinek:
“The hardest part is starting. Once you get that out of the way, you’ll find the rest of the journey much easier.”
Major shifts in thought, meaning and motivation almost always occur during or after a given session. It is whilst we are working on something when the great ideas flow out, or we realise the true intent of why we are doing something.
We seldom receive these rewarding and purposeful feelings on the very first steps we take, which explains why it can be so hard to get going on such projects at times. Our rational brains often defy logic when it comes to finding meaning in what we do — the way it sees things is: ‘If the satisfying results aren’t here now, then what’s the point of doing it in the first place?’ This is the challenge to overcome.
Here, the importance of the Zen concept returns: be skilled in starting things with a fresh mind and you’ll soar through this challenging stage of the process with ease.
Work Now, Benefit Later
This brings us to the concept of delayed gratification, moreover, pursuing disciplines that embrace a delayed gratification nature.
Modern society is constructed around things that provide instant satisfaction. From getting likes on social media to the ease of tapping a few buttons to get fast food, all of these adopt an alarmingly easy strategy to gain rewarding feelings.
Why pick up a book when you can easily scroll through social media for half an hour? This presents one of the key major issues of modern society. We are collectively losing the ability to discipline ourselves to work on more important, purposeful projects, instead substituting our time with such frivolous matters.
The most purposeful of days are those where we focus on non-instant results. Whether it’s writing a book, learning a new skill or assessing your goals, such things can hold great potential. The challenge is that this potential is often hidden from view at first.
Some things just require the hard work now and the results to seep later. Exercise demonstrates this concept brilliantly. As said by Muhammad Ali:
“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion”
There are certain things that require a stubborn kind of effort for us to succeed. And I’m not just referring to gaining a heavyweight boxing title. The smaller elements of our days are filled with opportunities for us to approach things in an intentional manner — one whereby there is no grasping for results, seeking immediate satisfaction. Rather, one in which we proceed strictly forwards without hesitation, knowing in the back of our minds that what we are doing does indeed have great purpose.
Committing to this type of practice with the correct mindset (described in the first part of this blog) will position you perfectly in a life full of passion, reasoning and success. You’ll find extra credit out of seemingly ordinary things and open yourself to new opportunities that stretch far beyond where you’re currently at.
