Our greatest and most powerful training in this life is letting go of everything we fear to lose. We fear losing our partner, money, fame, power, public image, career, friendship, beauty, health etc. All these fears arise from a need of wanting to feel relevant in this world.
Most of us want to give our best in this world, yet many of us are not living lives to our highest potential. We stop ourselves from loving and being loved fully and deeply because we fear getting hurt. We do not pursue our dreams because we fear failure. We never try public speaking because we fear embarrassment. And the list continues!
So how do we overcome these fears?
There is a concept in eastern spirituality known as “non-attachment”. In this concept, one trains the mind in overcoming the desires of this world. This concept is misunderstood by many as living passively where we stop caring about the world, do not have any dreams and become one of those monks or nuns who live in a cave. This is not the practice of non-attachment.
Non-attached living comes from the understanding of the true nature of existence and we live from our highest-selves in the present moment. It does not mean living a passive life. It means while one is responsible and active, one does not worry about the past or future. What we detach from is the results of our actions. If our minds are not attached to a certain result, there is nothing left to fear because we have already chosen to embrace reality as it is.
The secret of human freedom is to act well without attachment to the results. — Bhagavad Gita
It is not the world, it’s people or the actions that is at the root of our fears, it is our expectation of a certain outcome from someone or something. We fear reality may not be the same as our expectations. When we fear, we stop trying and continue to stay in our mind-made cages. When we embrace reality as it is and let go of expectations or fears of a certain outcome, in an instant we begin to soar and live life fully and deeply.
Practice living with non-attachment:
Do one loving act towards someone you love everyday or one action towards your dream everyday. Now let go of all expectations. After completing this act, do not expect anything in return including love, validation, gratitude, fame or affection. Continue this practice for a month. Now try it with strangers and several other situations. Notice how over time you become less and less concerned with the fruits of the labor and begin to enjoy the sweetness of a non-attached living.
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