Getting Out Of Your Own Way

[Lightkeeper]

It's amazing, when I get out of my own way I end up places I thought I would never be in doing things I never thought I would do. Have any of you had this experience? Do we hold ourselves back? Why?

 

[Quoth The Raven]

It's amazing, when I get out of my own way I end up places I thought I would never be in doing things I never thought I would do. Have any of you had this experience? Do we hold ourselves back? Why?

Fear of failure/fear of success.It's usually easier to stick to what is familiar to you than to do smething that you don't know.
And what happens if you ARE good at it? Will people's attitudes toward you change? Will they think you think less of them because of what you've done.Will they believe you've changed?
And if you're lousy then all you've managed to achieve is that you've made yourself look like an idiot, to yourself and everyone else.
Very few people can look at the idea of trying something new with the attitude that succeed or fail,at least you've tried and that's a success in itself.

 

[kreeden]

I'm not sure if I'm on the same wave lenght here , but I think that more important then other's opinions of us is how our opinions of ourselves can change .

 

[Quoth The Raven]

I'm not sure if I'm on the same wave lenght here , but I think that more important then other's opinions of us is how our opinions of ourselves can change .

Very true...unfortunately a lot of people see themselves through the opinions others have of them, and how what you do will change that opinion can stop you from doing. A lot of people stay in poisonous relationships with people who hold them back because they've been conditioned to value that persons opinion above all else.

 

[kreeden]

How very true M'Lady . We all do to some degree . But if we allow ourselves " to get out of our own way ", I'm thinking that we also should be at a point where we aren't allowing others to be in our way ? After all , those opinions have help develope our own opinions of our self . As I say , I may be off on another thought wave here .

Allow me to give am excample . I'm really not a very sociable person . About two years ago , when the first person from a forum asked me for my e-mail address , my reply was " No , I don't know you . Why would I give you my e-mail ? " { she still teases me about that } . Since then , I have met two people in person that I had met on-line , quite a feat for me . The first time , everyone I knew was telling me that there was no way that they would met someone they only had met on-line . Even my sister , who I had always thought of being very out-going . So , not only did I have to over come my own concerns , but those of people that were close to me .

Both people I have met are wonderfull people , and both experiences have been growing experinces are me . And no , I still haven't met the lady who first asked for my e-mail . We are very good penpals though , and perhaps one day ...

 

[Quoth The Raven]

I agree with you wholeheartedly on that score, when you get out of your own way then you're past worrying about other peoples opinions; or at the very least the prize is deemed worthy of the potential upset.
I think Lightkeeper asked if we hold ourselves back and why, so I offered some reasons why we do. It's better that we don't though.

 

[Engyo]

Much of Buddhist practice is learning how to get out of one's own way.

"A man should be the master of his mind, rather than allowing his mind to master him."

Nichiren

 

[kreeden]

Choas often breeds life , when Order breeds habit .