This is one of the biggest traps human beings encounters.
I'm hearing the phrase "I do what I feel" or "I don't feel like doing this" more frequently.
A successful businesswoman, wife, and mother of two shared with me in a recent powerful work session that she feels like her relationship with her older daughter was beginning to fray. To address this, she offered her an amazing trip to Africa, but her daughter declined, saying she didn't feel like going. Despite her daughter's claims on social media, of loving to travel and explore, this rejection demonstrates the gap between what people say and what they do when relying solely on "feelings." This leads to a disorganized approach to life and an avoidance of commitments. People who always act on their feelings often don't understand the meaning of commitment.
The mother, who also bases her decision on her emotions rather than taking a committed approach, compounds the paradox. Despite her daughter's cries for a better relationship with her, the mother chooses to buy her a gift instead of maintaining a commitment to her daughter and being more present in her life.
Are you aware of the situation where someone makes a resolution to start going to the gym on Monday or the first of the month, but then skips it because they don't feel like going in that morning? It stems from the same mindset: "I act based on my emotions."
Individuals who base their actions solely on emotions, or "what they feel," are not free and in doing so, they diminish their spirit.
People often say or do things they regret during arguments with loved ones, coworkers, or in traffic, due to emotions like anger and fury guiding their actions. This causes them to act chaotically and become unfree, as they lose their individuality by basing their actions on emotions, whether they are positive or negative.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We are not our emotions. We are not what we feel.
Imagine you are about to walk into a room full of people waiting for you. Just before you enter, you accidentally bump your knee. When you enter the room, you are experiencing a strong pain in your knee. Yet, when you greet everyone, you might say, "Hello everyone, I'm here," and continue the conversation without mentioning the pain. You may acknowledge the pain by saying, "I hit my knee and it hurts," but you don't identify yourself as the pain.
Pain is reduced by enthusiastic action.
www.olympics.com headlined: “Marathon man Akhwari demonstrates superhuman spirit”.
Tanzania's John Akhwari became a legend in the 1968 Olympics for his superhuman spirit in the marathon despite injuries. He said, "My country sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race, not just to start."
Akhwari fell during the race, injuring his knee and dislocating a joint. Despite expectations to withdraw, he returned to the track to finish the race.
Akhwari's determination and bravery will always be remembered in sports history.
Akhwari accomplishes beyond his perceived limitations.
Akhwari transcends his feelings. He accomplished much more than what he felt.
Relive the moment through the video link below:
Similarly, you can detach yourself from your emotions. You may feel them, but they don't define who you are.
Imagine a person arrives at the office and says, "I'm feeling depressed today." They spend the day acting in line with that statement, with little engagement in work tasks, appearing socially awkward, quiet, and even crying at times.
Imagine if some "depressed" persons saw a child in danger of drowning in a pool. Would they tell the paramedics or the child's family that they didn't jump in to save the child because they're feeling depressed and uninterested in taking action? No, they would jump in to save the child, disregarding their "depressed" state and the lack of motivation they previously felt.
The feeling empties us of the spirit!
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