Odds
Back in September of 2005, The Grasshopper gave me a one-two punch. He communicated:
“Reality is perfect.”
“Reality always wins.”
I enjoy professional football and I would probably take up betting if I could always place my bet on reality. The Grasshopper is accurate. Reality always does win. Who wins in the football pool? Reality! Who wins their party’s nomination? Reality! The odds makers would be out of business if we could bet on reality.
Reality has a more perfect record than the New England Patriots.
Some people are better prognosticators than others but they can’t come close the winning percentage of reality.
Did you ever notice how we duck or deny reality? It reminds me of a Jerry Stocking quote:
“If you in any way seek to avoid the downside, you will miss at least half of life.”
Isn’t that what people who are numbing themselves with alcohol or ingesting mood altering drugs attempting to do? The same is true with the person who is trying to satiate an emotional hunger by eating past the point of fullness. They are looking to hide from reality.
As I say in my HYPNOSIS FOR GOLF MASTERY CD, golf is a simple game, but it’s not easy. Life (Reality) is also a simple game but not necessarily easy. It gets easier when you condition yourself to respond vs. react. Reminds me of a story . . .
20 some years ago I was conducting a seminar for Digital Equipment Corporation in Augusta, Maine. I was discussing the difference between a reaction and a response. I asked a young strapping lad of 28 what he would do if someone called him a derogatory name. He said, “I’d whack them.” I then asked him if he knew who Billy Martin was. He said, “He’s the former manager of the New York Yankees.” I asked if he knew how old Billy was. He said, “Late 50’s.” I further probed if he knew anything else about Billy. He said, “Yea, he gets in fights in bars.” I then asked him if he would be getting in fights in bars when he was 58. He said, “no way.” I then asked, “What magical metamorphosis is going to happen between now and then to keep you from whacking people who call you names?” I then added, “What if when someone calls you a name, you pause and then say, “if you knew me a little better, you may like me more’.” He smiled and he got it.
There is a stimulus (Reality) and there is a conditioned response (what you normally do). When you take time to choose a response, you are making life easier. You acknowledge reality but you choose not to fight with it because you will always lose.
Cooperating with reality seems to be the thing that people who have the most warm fuzzies* do. (*see my December 17, 2007 blog post). They don’t have any less rain falling in their life, they just make sure to have a slicker and an umbrella handy rather than cursing the weather.
Reality happens! Responding is a choice. It’s the only time you get to exercise free will. Bet on it!
All the best,
John
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