Why do we stress?
Because we care. Right?
Why do we care?
Because the thing is important to us. Right?
The outcome of the game,
landing that client,
making that sale,
winning that championship.
We care about these things,
they are important to us.
But that is why we stress about them.
The only difference between a 3-foot putt on the 18th green with a group of friends, and a 3-foot putt on the 18th green on Sunday at the Masters, is importance.
One induces no stress at all, one induces fight or flight, hands shaking levels of stress.
All because we care,
all because to us, it has importance.
But importance is subjective.
You may say the 3-foot putt on the 18th on Sunday at the Masters is objectively important,
but it’s not.
Society has conditioned us to view these things as important.
But they’re not really.
Every time you feel stressed, or anxious, it’s because you are either;
giving too much importance to whatever you are stressed or anxious about,
or giving too much importance to yourself.
When we inflate importance, emotions get involved.
Thoughts get involved.
Our Mind gets involved.
When we inflate our own importance,
our ego gets involved.
And how fragile our ego can be.
The only difference between a three foot putt on a Friday afternoon with friends,
and a three foot putt on a Sunday afternoon to win the masters,
is the importance we ascribe to it.
Because if you miss, you could lose.
You could lose the championship,
you could lose the money,
you could lose the sense of pride.
Your ego could be hurt,
your confidence could be shot,
your love for the game may be broken.
All because it ‘means’ something to you.
The problem is not the importance of the thing you seek.
The problem is that no one has ever thought to question it.
This is why people who chase wins, and chase championships, and chase achievements,
always end up failing.
Because they attribute so much importance to the thing they seek,
that when it’s finally time to step up and execute,
their hands shake,
their mind races,
their heart skips a beat.
And all those hours on the practice arena suddenly disappear.
All that accumulated skill is suddenly beyond reach.
The worldwide phenomenon of getting in our own way.
So you’re probably thinking ‘so if I just don’t care, I’ll perform at my best?’
No.
That’s too prescriptive, that’s too ingenuine.
You may say you don’t care, but you would just be lying to yourself.
The only true path is through Understanding.
Understand why you attribute so much importance to the thing you chase.
Is it really what you want?
Or is it because society has told you to want it?
Understand that in 1000 years, the importance of your achievements will fade away and become meaningless.
And all the 1000’s of people who say it’s the most important thing in the world, will also fade away.
Understand the Truth. The true perspective, which I will tell you directly right now:
Nothing Lasts. Everything Fades.
All the trophies become meaningless.
All the money becomes meaningless.
All the ‘good’ things you do in this world will become meaningless.
Nothing Lasts. Everything Fades.
This is why I say there is no intrinsic importance to anything. Only the meaning and importance we ascribe to it. It’s the Truth.
If nothing lasts, how can anything have significance?
Now, you may be wondering ‘well, what’s the point of anything then?’
And that’s a great question.
What is the point?
I am only writing this to share the understanding that nothing lasts. Nothing is intrinsically important.
And the reason we do not perform at our best,
and get in our own way,
and feel stressed and anxious about the things we desire, is because of the importance we ascribe to them.
I am not giving you any instruction, or anything to do.
Understanding is the key, not doing.
Understanding is enough.
A True Understanding will lead to a genuine transformation of your perspective.
This will allow you to disintegrate the importance of anything you desire, instantly.
The fact that nothing lasts, and everything fades, is not to tell you to never strive for anything.
It is realise that importance is entirely up to you.
If nothing lasts, and everything fades,
why would you spend your life chasing victories and trophies that don’t give you the feeling you Truly desire?
If nothing lasts, and everything fades,
why would you pursue goals you don’t Truly want?
If nothing lasts, and everything fades,
why would you do anything that you did not Truly want to do?
I am giving you the insight, and the permission, that no one has ever given you before:
Nothing Lasts, Everything Fades.
So give yourself permission to pursue ONLY that which fulfills you.
Not what you think you should want,
Not what society tells you to want,
Not what your parents tell you to do,
But ONLY that which you TRULY desire.
As for my final word on importance as it relates to peak performance, I offer you a simple question;
If one were pursuing mastery of their craft, rather than victory, would the victories carry any importance?
Or would they simply be a by-product?
The inevitable evidence of such a pursuit?
And which would be more fulfilling to the human being?