January 19, 2013
Dear
Friends,
While
conducting a workshop a number of years ago, I was talking about the qualities
of perserverance and determination, and how they relate to the idea of a “divine
flow.” Lance Armstrong immediately came to mind. Lance had just won the Tour de France for the
seventh time, and although his successive triumphs were widely applauded, I
questioned whether his victories should really be celebrated.
I don’t
mean that I had an inkling that Armstrong was using performance-enhancing
drugs. I didn’t. And, like many people, when allegations about
doping were made against Armstrong, I believed his denials.
No, my
question about Armstrong’s achievements had to do with his relentless drive,
and his seemingly insatiable need to win and win and win again. I wondered if his victories were more about the
human ego, and less about the triumphs of the Inner Spirit. I wondered if Lance Armstrong was somehow forcing things to go the way he wanted
them to go, rather than co-creating with the divine flow.
Well,
Thursday night I got my answer. In his
revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong stated this: “I have controlled every outcome in my
life." And then he went on to
describe how he would vehemently—even viciously—attack anyone who threatened what
he had created. Wow! If that’s not a great example of rowing against the flow, I don’t know what is.
What I am
getting to, friends, is this: Whenever you are pursuing a goal or dream in life,
it is helpful—to a degree—to be determined and to persevere. But there is a
fine line between determination and being driven, and between perseverance and
being obsessed. I can’t tell you where that line is for you. All I can do is
remind you to continually ask yourself this question: “Am I taking the next
right step that I am being divinely
guided to take, or am I trying to control, manipulate, and force things to
go the way I think they should go?”
To live
life in the divine flow is to have the patience and the persistence to hold on to
your dream, but to allow that dream to unfold in a divinely guided way.
Otherwise, your achievement will only be the result of your ego’s activity. And
that kind of achievement is only briefly satisfying, and never in the best
interests of all. Or worse, it can lead
to a painful downfall with devastating and far-reaching consequences.
For his
own sake—and for his own peace of mind—I am happy that Lance Armstrong has finally
come clean about his past. For your sake—and for mine—I hope we never forget
one of the many valuable lessons that can be learned from this man’s vivid
example: That life is not about
achieving our goals and dreams “at all costs.”
It’s about cooperating with the divine flow of life . . . about letting
go of our rigid attachments to what we believe is best for us, and allowing the
divine flow to guide us to the fulfillment of our heart’s desires in a way that
is not only beneficial for us, but for everyone else as well.
Steven
© 2013 by
Steven Lane Taylor
Steven
Lane Taylor, LLC
