CONTROL
"The stability we cannot find in the world, we must create within our own persons." - Nathaniel Branden
We each have a need to control ourselves and our lives. In spite of this, it is important to recognize that some things are out of our control. If we can see the difference between the aspects of our lives that are in our control and those that are not, we can keep up motivation and growth.
As creatures of action and perception our control is generally mediated by thought. When thought is unconscious, we are controlling the world around us through instincts and habit, generally working on assumptions laid down in the past.
Sometimes these mechanisms of control can become obsessive, leading us on to irrational trajectories of perception and action. It is therefore essential to be conscious of our thoughts, especially as they are created on instinct and habit, to unlock the hidden freedom we have in each encounter with the environment and others around us.
Perhaps the most pernicious and all-encompassing thoughts are associated with the ego or sense of self, which always has an agenda to control new information in a particular way. We can generally see this in others, when suddenly they become defensive and irrational to a simple question, and yet, where are we when this happens to us?
It is therefore important to keep a keen awareness of our own outlook and character in everyday situations, to remain free from the unconscious agenda of our own ego or sense of self.
In general it can be difficult to give ourselves a space to be free. Everywhere we are judged not only by others but by ourselves, and the instinct to control can get overaggressive. When this happens, instead of meeting new challenges that might push us out of our comfort zone, we instead minimize the external uncertainty to remain in control, often leading to isolation and in turn depression.
It is therefore important to be conscious of introducing new and challenging information into your life, to prevent your lower self and the pitiful agenda of the ego to downplay the richness of experience, instead of facing up to humility.
With that being said, it is extremely important to have some measure of control over the things you work with on a day to day basis. Without getting feedback that your contributions matter, as in a 9-5 office job, it is easy to become discouraged and apathetic.
In the near future, when cryptocurrencies and cryptostocks becomes the norm, we can all have shares in the projects we help contribute to, and I think as a consequence we will see a dramatic increase in people of all stripes participating in and being engaged and enthusiastic about a wide range of such projects.
People working on such projects will be more motivated and feel that their work is more meaningful as they have a stake in its success.
Topic: Motivation Monday #3 (Read 1513 times)
