Are you already the best version of yourself ? Are you already the radiant you ?
Basically, definitely and paradoxically : yes ... You have from the beginning all the cards within you, like the « Magician » in the Tarot Card who has all the tools available, and it’s more about allowing you to shine and open the pandora box than to get to that version. We have a game to play here in earth so it’s better to know the rules and play it well.
For illustrating the idea that we are already a « golden buddha », I proposed you a super nice parable from Alan Cohen who tells us a great story at the very beginning of the 80 minutes documentary Finding Joe. If you have not checked it out yet, you will love it : it’s full of great ideas from cool people as Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma, Sir Ken Robinson … and a great philosopher and teacher I know, Brian Johnson.
✅ The Golden Buddha parable
The story starts like a fairy tale …
A long time ago in a peaceful and radiant land far far far … away there was a huge 100% pure gold Buddha statue, bigger than anything else. The statue was shining radiantly like a guiding star and was the main attraction of the monastery (at this time no Disneyland and any outside notifications). But one day, peaceful time met challenging time pushing the land into the dark (we have always villains in a story). In fact, some outsiders were cruising into town ready to conquer and lead all the land. As the monks needed to flee, and knowing the army would destroy the « Golden Buddha », they decided to cover the statue with mud and whatever else in order to hide it.
Fortunately, the trick worked well … but to well ... and so well than after many years when new monks returned to the temple they noticed just a humble, old … not so nice Buddha statue. The shining statue was away unnoticed, unappreciated.
All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of one single candle.
- St. Francis of Assisi
But everything is able to shine again, by essence we are not static. We are always dancing on a tightrope. Then one day, almost 200 years later ... because monks needed to move the buddha a crack showed up, something was glimmering below the surface. So monks decided to look closer and chipped away more muds and splashed some water on it … Little by little they discovered another reality : a Golden Buddha was waiting. It was a 100% gold statue smiling to the world. Monks were speechless realizing that the most humble statue from the monastery was the guiding star ... the heartbeat of the land and their inner world.
... and they lived happily ever after with many children. End of story .... NO ... As a good fairy tale or myth the story is not ending totally here but we will see that later.
Every body can shine. By shipping away all the mud covering you, you can discover your origin and destination. I called this process the never ending renaissance.
✅ We have always the opportunity to shine from inside
Of course it’s a metaphor showing us that at the beginning we are a Golden Buddha. We were born golden, connected, knowing everything. We were one with the universe ready to learn from life by taking action and accepting what it is … we were ready to stand up and walk on purpose.
But as Alan Cohen underlines in “Finding Joe” then from age of 4 | 5 years old we have all gotten progressively covered in mud loosing our sense of self by being confronted with society telling us how to think, how to label people … not how to see, feel, and be our own light. So we were a stone, not a philosopher’s stone anymore.
But remember life is a game and we are not exonerated by challenges and surprises in our hero’s journey (the sleeper must be awaken ). And maybe it’s a professional challenge, a cancer, an accident, a divorce, a financial issue or living in another country … something that really scares us and knocks off a piece of our armor giving us the opportunity to realize that we are more than we think, that inside us a gem is waiting for flourishing.
At this tipping point if you accept the call of the adventure (like in Star War or Harry Potter moving from an ordinary world to extraordinary world), you will chip away little by little the stone for the rest of your life because the gold is the destination and the direction we are playing for everyday.
The hero’s JOURNEY
From the book Principles, Dalio speaks of why he feels it is important to pass on the accumulated knowledge of his life by alluding to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
We are all alchemist by nature … and alchemizing is a very nice process to transform every kind of internal or external challenge into « gold » aka « good ». Take every obstacles as fuel for your own fire making you growth : « Obstacles make me stronger ». It’s pure antifragile style and the best way to change your mindset from victim to creator. And we don’t need to make ourselves into that golden version … we just need, as Michael Angelo creating his statue from a block of marble, to chip away, moment to moment to moment all the stuff that’s getting in the way by being the best version of ourself and by closing the gap between who we are and who we are capable of being because second idea we need to keep in mind : it’s a never ending process.
A good life is, as every project and relationship, is an « endlessly evolving process ». Thanks Phil Stutz for this awesome phrase. On my point of view it’s like a dance : being in state of flow accepting to be independent (let it go) and interdependent from the music.
Endlessly : no exoneration for us. We will play moment to moment, day to day, week to week, year to year, life to life … it will never end.
Evolving : I like to say we are here to learn from life and to learn to others (sense of legacy) … Maslow as all great teachers as well as entrepreneur as Ray Dalio told us the same thing over and over : the whole point of life is to actualize our potential and it’s more an endlessly process than a destination.
A nice dancing soul I met recently told me in substance : « How can we bored in this life …? We have always something to learn » … Growth mindset style.
Process : we want to fall in love with the process of evolving and not to get attached to the outcome of the process. A competition is not about wining or not, is more about to show the best version of ourself step after step; for example a golf competition it’s 4 round of 18 holes ... so it's pure consistency.
Of course, as Athlete you are looking for the prize but you know that the game is about repeating your game day in day out and when you have a bad day you have the emotional stamina to play poorly well by demonstrating the worst you feel the more committed you are to your protocol. The outcome finally is not within your control, you are just here to create the best condition to make the miracle happens. You are the bulb where the light shines.
We are sons of light … Your universal purpose is to find it via our unique way.
➡️ Today’s exercise : Let’s shine together and be the change
What’s getting in the way to make you shine? What are the muddy tiny little things you’re doing that you know is covering up your golden essence?
What can you do today to eliminate one of those little things from your life?
Pro coaching tip
The fastest way to optimize your life and actualize your potential is simply to stop doing things that are not working. So get clear on those kryptonite and delete them.
💡 Conclusion
We’re all already perfect and that all we have to do is chip away all the plaster that’s gotten in the way. So my only advice don’t be conform to a sick society … make your own choice : Do you prefer entertainment or self actualizing? Do you prefer be a victim or the creator of your life? Do you prefer to stay inside your zone or go outside your zone? It’s all about. In my 101 coaching I like to quote John Maxwell.
You don’t choose your future, you choose your habits and they decide your future - John Maxwell
If you want to change your life, change something you do daily … by creating new algorithms and doing it consistently. It’s the best way to start shining again …
One more thing
The parable was real in fact. The buddha have been made around the 13th or 14th century, in what is now Thailand … 10 feet tall and weighing over 5.5 tons and the buddha was covered with some colored glass in 1767 against Burmese invaders. Then in 1955 the statue was being moved to a new location when some of the plaster chipped off … revealing another reality. Pure gold worth $250 million dollars.
Another cool gem from this story :
So in each woman and man instead of seeing vices we can see virtues in action : potential to optimize (instead of gossiping and criticizing it's a better game to play ...)
Let’s shine together and be the change …
When? Today is the day … High Five to your inner soul !!!
Romain Y.
Change Maker | Motivator
Renaissance
Express your best | Live your quest