Let yourself go

Life has many things to offer: health, money, power, fame, love, etc., but the most important of all of those things is how we respond to what has been thrust upon us. It is almost impossible not to take everything that happens to us, personal. Buddhism encourages to let go of ourselves to live and exploit life. To become aware that not everything is related to me, we must live asking these questions to help us let go of ourselves:

What is wrong with me?

For any change to happen in your life, you must be wrong about something. Life is always changing, there is no way we can always be right because we are constantly moving. If you’re sitting there, miserable day after day, then that means you’re already wrong about something major in your life, and until you’re able to question yourself to find it, nothing will change.

What would it mean if I were wrong?

When we ask this question, pain certainly shows up because when we know we are wrong and we accept it, it hurts. When we are wrong, we question our own values but this forces us to consider what it looks like to have the wrong value. «Aristotle wrote: It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.» That is, nothing is personal, and because of it, we can think of an idea and not taking it for personal truth. 

Would I be wrong creating a better or a worse problem than my current problem, for both myself and others?   

When we are at a crossroad, we must look at which scenario is better: if we decide to solve the problem, will it be the best option for everyone or just for myself? If we let go of ourselves and trust the decisions others are making, we will earn their trust and it hurts because we are now responsible for our actions.

«That’s simply reality: if it feels like it’s you versus the world, chances are it’s really just you versus yourself.»  Manson, The subtle art of not giving a Fuck.