Challenge Day 6: The Prize is Not Right

Since taking it on a few days ago, I’m learning that being alive in general challenges being peaceful.  I woke up feeling peaceful and simply high on life.  Nothing could bother me.  I was sure I had attained Nirvana in these few short days and it would be mine forever!

Then the day continued.  Someone said something and my good vibes crumbled into a pile of upset.  I panicked since that was so un-30-day-challenge of me.  I turned to the challenges themselves and applied them to this new development:

1. What can I be grateful about in this situation? Ok, I can’t be upset and grateful at the same time.
2. There is nothing wrong here. It’s not bad after all.
3. Can I request something that will make a difference for both of us? I did and then let it go.

Those few steps were enough to dissipate the frustration and leave me open to allowing it to resolve itself the way things normally do.  I had nothing to do after I cleared away my concern.

Going through those steps made me think of what other challenge would aid me in attaining the unrecognizable life in these 30 days.   What else could I practice? Today’s challenge loudly asserted itself in my mind and it was something I’d rather just not do.

Today’s challenge: Give up being right, especially when you know you are.

Come again?  I’m smart.  Very.   I know things.  A lot.  I’m right.  Often.  Now I have to give that up?  These challenges are asking for too much.

Then I thought about it.  No one ever wins arguments.  No one.  Being caught up in being right kills the very affinity I need to keep living.  I can be right and pissed off.  I can be right and isolated.  I can be the most right, miserable person I can be.  Or I can cast righteous rightness aside just be with people.  I don’t have to agree or discard my values.  I just don’t have to burst a blood vessel trying to convince them of the brilliance of my view.

If I stop being right, maybe I will learn new things.  If I humble myself, maybe someone will see the thing I was illustrating on their own.  When I pull back from that battle, people can relax and stop defending their viewpoints.  Then maybe, just maybe, we can contribute to each other.  That’s the real prize!

Today’s victory: During round two of the earlier upsetting conversation, I was able to stop myself and say I had no idea how I, you, this should be. In giving up being right in that conversation, I gave the other person space to breathe and stop fighting.  In turn, I was given the same gracious space and then some.

Gratitude: I am grateful for people and opportunities that sprout up, giving me exactly what I need when I need it.

On the horizon: Stay tuned