What does it mean to do your best and go with the flow?
Does it mean to accept whatever is in front of you and deal with it?
Most of the time the answer is YES and sometimes the answer is NO!
Let me describe two scenarios that I experienced last week.
I had a plan to have a relaxing visit two places in the afternoon. Due to uncontrollable events, there was a delay in my start time. I decided to go with the flow, which meant accepting reality. I decide which of those two places I need to visit that gives me the most joy. I was not upset about the change of plans. I decided to make the best of the time I had.
Lately, I have been dealing with a tight upper back mainly due to weight lifting. This situation was impacting my posture in my dance. I was doing my best to be aware of my posture and that was a struggle during dance. I was going with the flow, tolerating the discomfort, because I thought this is the price I need to pay for getting fit.
The other day I was talking with a friend and I mentioned that I like to see if I can do anything to help with my tight back. He suggested that I do some breath work.
Not knowingly, with that conversation I challenged a paradigm that tolerating constant pain is “doing my best”. An hour later, a thought came to me to try a strengthening device I had in the corner of my apt to use it a bit differently. I tried it and the pain was reduced by 95% after two minutes!
That night, I had one of my best and relaxed dances!
A reminder, if doing your best is filled with pain and suffering, perhaps you need to challenge your paradigm that nothing can be changed. You may be surprised how quickly your paradigm shift may give you the desired results.
Copyright .2021 by Shervin Hojat
But I have an opposite response to your example. My growing physical paralysis and what it does to my body, along with aging, puts me in constant irritation, spasms and pain of various degrees. Relaxing tends to increase it and there is no ready cure, except, I've heard, something like marijuana. I do not take pain pills, only baclofen which is supposedly designed to reduce spasms. In my case, it doesn't really and I have thousands during the day and night.
But when I'm working hard on answering questions I receive or commenting on work like yours, my mind focuses on doing my best and all the pain and aggravation disappears the whole time my brain is focusing on writing my best words to you. Isn't that wonderful? A simple but overlooked way of reducing pain.
Ron