A callous is a hardening or insensitivity to something
through repetition. When a guitarist first places his fingers on the cords, it
is foreign and painful. Through repetition and practice, the skin on the
guitarists finger’s become hardened and he develops a callous, or pachydermatous.
This allows the guitarist to play with more freedom and grace.
When we are in a predicament,
everything we have built for ourselves is put to the test. It is an intense
situation and all our energies may not be focused on preforming our best. For
example, if someone is dedicated to remaining positive and optimistic but they
are faced with something seemingly unbearable, they may slip into negativity
and despair. What they don’t realize is if they can maintain their positive
feelings in these conditions, at the peak of their capacity, they can do it
anytime, anywhere, and in any mind-state. Through pursuing one’s philosophy, in
rigorous conditions, immunity to those conditions develops. If we go through an
unpleasant experience, while holding on to our dreams and goals, we grow with
them, driving them deeper into our psyche.
I was once at the home of a
musician who was recording and working on an album. During a break, he was
explaining to me how he has terrible anxiety/anger issues and takes
prescription medication (on top of other remedies) to help manage it. At that
moment, a pencil rolled off the table and landed on the floor. “I’m relaxed now
and with friends and good company.” He said. “Usually, that would really get at
me and I’d flip out.” I had a thought. I explained that if he were to try and
hold on to his other therapeutic tools (other than meds) and break on through
the event, he would prevail. Having beaten the challenge, despite all the triggers,
he would build a type of immunity to it. The next time a situation came up,
with circumstances of the same caliber, it would be insignificant.
When we are faced with a challenge we
should view it as if we are paving the way for bigger and better things. By
holding on to our values, regardless of the situation, we build immunity and a
callous to the challenge. This builds stamina, endurance and helps us grow. It
leads to higher capacity and more opportunities which, in turn, lead to more
experiences, pleasure, and happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment