Natural Freedom

This was shared with me and I thought to share it here. It doesn't resonate with me, but maybe it does with someone else. There's some good questions in there.

Thoroughly recommend this process or a variant of it.

I tend to do this at the end of December, before new years eve, for a couple of weeks or so.

it is also related to : viewtopic.php?p=43562#p43562

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In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject.He keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Perfection is not when there is no more to add,but no more to take away.

Did them both.

I like your linked process better.

Either way, knowing where you want to be going is essential.

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You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean.

It's about getting intentional with what we want to do.

I've had a few uncles tell me before to not waste my time, because I won't have the same energy I have when I'm young compared to when I'm older. That's been a big eye-opener for me.

I've been thinking about this today - working it through. There's something that hasn't sat right with me with Purpose as a destination.

You are right that the importance is on what we want to do. Not where to go exactly.

The one is controllable, the other isn't.

The form of doing can also serve different functions, different intentions can drive the same behaviour. This works the other way around too; our intentions or principles can drive different forms of behaviours. Another way to think of this is how Patrice referred to do it righteous.

I can only control how I attend, and relate to, the present. That choice of how to relate (call them values, principles, qualities of being) is the only real controllable we have. Everything else (achievements, destination, material) is not in our control.


This relates to indifference.


I've noticed in myself subtle ways in my behaviour - that have been attuned to trying to control the outcome, 'to get something'. One of the most striking / interesting was how even in my thinking I've tried to convince myself of things I haven't really thought, or 'magical' thinking (if I think like x, y will happen), to try and control the outcome.

In both of these, I'm recognising a lack of integrity - of my principles/values with my actions. I see that as directly proportional to my intention to try 'gain the world but lose my soul'.

Again, this relates to indifference, and I am beginning to think that female choosiness is not so shallow from this angle.

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You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean.

TheDude, they are right, its a lesson worth learning imho.

Forgive the link Hineini, I was going to write something, stopped, then thought of something else, then realised they were both quotes.. a bit of googling later and this page sums up well: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/destination-quotes

The first one to cross my mind: There's no destination. The journey is all that there is, and it can be very, very joyful.

For some reason splines and interpolation cross my mind at this point.

very related to indifference imho

a thought.. if purpose is a destination, when the destination is reached what happens to purpose

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In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject.He keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Perfection is not when there is no more to add,but no more to take away.

The ebbs and flows of projects and purposes?
Precisely! And one further; if your life is organised around this purpose, and knowing that achievement leaves your purposeless.. what will that do to motivation?

you will find ways to undermine its achievement and getting close to it would fill you with anxiety.
Making purpose present.. purpose being the experience and way of relating to the journey itself.. I start to lose words here.. something to keep feeling out.

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You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean.

This post goes nicely with this subject - Waypoints and not Goals

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Yes, I resonate with this. It's like another end goal - I want to find my purpose so I can finally be comfortable. I'm being harsh - it's another form of mental masturbation.

In simpler terms, my purpose maybe is to do what I enjoy (on a deeper level) and maybe that changes at a later time.

On a side note, I really like the list of references in this thread! Here's another golden one I'm going through now (I need it).

LET IT GO

Thinking of a curve through points, ala beizer or cubic curve. with the control points as your intermediate goals (or waypoints).

How the path is influenced by them, how it may pass through some points, come close to others, or seemingly be a distance from others. All part of the curve or path along the way.

The path is constantly having control points added and removed as things change, all along its path. Some bigger with larger influence, some smaller with smaller influence, all with some influence on the path.

There may be detours that seem far from the overall path that later rejoin and smooth out
I will hold my hands up here.. I have done that exact thing when younger, the closer I got the more I got in my own way, I could not see past the achievement or my impression of it. Have seen this in others as well.

Also where you achieve it and then basically sit on that point, neither moving forward or backward. fearful of losing that seat or that the achievement may diminish (esp if one that needs upkeep - eg sports)
Perceiving the value in that point being more than moving on, though it rarely is.

which brings up this: Not being harsh at all imho. Accurate AF


Being present during the journey, rather than looking to the past or future too much.

If you are too focused on the future, are you ignoring now? missing things happening now? that are relevant?
same with the past

both can blind you to the present imho

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a thought that came to me as I write this, say you are in a situation in the present, you have various experiences of a similar situation in the past, due to that you have preconceptions about how it would play out in the future and the present (by inference).
Is it possible that the current situation may have some lessons to teach you about how it may turn out differently to your preconceptions, which may then influence how you would view future events and possibly also re-evaluate your views of the past events.
If you are not present, you may not even realise those lessons are being presented to you, much less grasp them and benefit from them. possibly for the rest of your life.
You may also influence the current situation to become more like the one in your preconceptions and memories, thus re-inforcing your thoughts and actions, by hanging onto the past and also your predictions as to the future. (in essence, refusing the chance of a lesson)


I see the yearbook/lists thing as freeing you up during the present, as you have already decided on a direction, on those things that in sync with your values and where you want to go (roughly) and also where you do not. so in the moment, seeing how something fits with them is a lot quicker/easier/seamless, as you've already spent time examining things away from the scene so to speak, you have your baselines for your current direction and alignments.

So a smaller comparison/check is needed at the scene, in the moment. You are not having two discussions at the scene (one with yourself and the past/future and one with the present) in yourself.

Hence letting you stay more in the present.
- Stunning post/thread

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In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject.He keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Perfection is not when there is no more to add,but no more to take away.

I didn't get this at first, but I see what you mean now. Thank you - and that is exactly what it has been, a distraction from my life, here, now, where I am.
I really like this image, as a way of imagining it.

You've reminded me of another mathematical metaphor that is relevant, that of gradient ascent - where the journey to reach the highest point, is done by progressively tacking the next steepest thing you see in front of you each time.


Makes me think of ego, and over-identifying / becoming your story.
Yes, and asking myself this helps me to look at it with fresh eyes.
Yes, agree. That clarification needs to happen - to give direction so that you can let go. STILL I have a tendency to get lost in it, and it can become mental masturbation as the dude rightly pointed out. The flexibility processes http://naturalfreedom.info/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5033 (and this thread - thank you) have helped with letting that go, recentering, and coming back if needed.
I was reading through this forum like mad before, been slowing down and savouring these topics, giving them their due to be thought and felt through properly. Looking forward to this one.

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You may follow one stream. Know that it leads to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean.

I can understand this. It's like focusing on the finger and not seeing everything after it.

This resonates right now with me, on some level, because what stuck out to me last week was, "learn to get out of my own way".

It's frustrating and interesting on some level how much I'm my own worst enemy. I've asked a lot of people before, out of curiosity, if they're hard on theirselves. Many of them said yes on some level. It's like a disease in this day in age!

So I've shifted my focus to paying attention when I'm getting in my own way over the rest of the year (of course will probably continue it next year too), but just start noticing when it's happening.

Long-term there's so much value from taking care of this.

Fuck Energy and Time.
Whatever it takes.

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