Hey all! Right, just before I enter this week’s post proper, I would like to say that I have created a Facebook page where I post higher perspective stuff daily. It’s called Daimon, Eudaimonia Practitioner, so do take a look, like and/or follow if you’re interested! Thanks!
And so now, I’ll enter the article proper.
This article is about growth. Aka expansion. I want to go delve deep into it today.
So basically, when you think of growth, a very easy example to follow would be the life of an athlete. Let’s take a swimmer for example. A swimmer first starts off with say, a lap time of 2 minutes. Then it decreases gradually over time, in correspondence to the effort invested by the swimmer.
The way I would describe it is: The physical vessel of the swimmer expands over time such that what used to be the very limit for it organically becomes something that is relatively effortless.
Oftentimes, it’s also related to muscle memory. See, if a football player practises kicking everyday, how can the body NOT memorise the right technique to kick with? How can kicking not gravitate towards becoming a walk in the park for them eventually, yeah?
Also learning songs when playing instruments. Being able to sing along to the lyrics of a song you’ve heard quite a lot and rather like. The same!
So what I want to say is, rather than just hobbies alone, this is something which applies to life as well!
See, the more you have done something before, the more it falls within the realm of normalcy for you, and the more your nervous system sees it as well that’s only natural isn’t it!!! In contrast, if you haven’t actually done something before, you will tend to be on tenterhooks. Even excepting nervousness, you might still tend towards emotions like excitement or lack of ease or at least focus much more attention in!
I’ll just use playing a song on a public piano as an example, okay. It’s your first time, and you surely won’t feel completely confident and at ease doing it! That’s because it’s out of your comfort zone!! Still, what about someone who does it monthly, huh? Well, they’ll be thoroughly in their element, like a fish in water!! Their nervous system thoroughly accomodates it so to speak, and it’s utterly natural for them truly!
So basically, what I’d like to propose is we expand, duly, ok.
Yeah, I know. For many people out there, venturing out of their comfort zones and expanding will bring fear into their nervous systems and net them lots of unease. They really don’t like it.
Still, why don’t you consider the perspective where you do venture a little into unfamiliar realms?
See. the thing is that over time, as you do something more and more and your nervous system grows used to it, it ceases to be something that stretches it like a rubber band, so to speak. Rather your vessel wholeheartedly has integrated it as your norm! It can become your daily even! Like a status quo that you take for granted as an everyday way of being!
So now let’s use the example of integrating multiple disciplines together, yeah. That’s actually also a nervous system expansion thing!!
See, for instance, people acting in musicals or idols actually dance and sing together as their daily. How do you think they grew to the point of being able to do that? Well, isn’t it because their nervous system nicely! encompasses these individual acts now such that it doesn’t fully draw in every single ounce of energy and attention from them! Such that they even got spare space to be able to artfully do them together now!
And the same surely goes for things like, for instance, being able to play the piano and sing at the same time, yeah. I mean, if it’s a full score, the person’s surely got to concentrate their full attention on playing all the notes right initially! But then it becomes easier and easier for them, to the point where soon they’ve got enough room in their nervous system, consciousness and such that they can add in the lyrics too!
So basically, what I’m suggesting is that if there is something that right now seems a bit far away for you to be at ease in, peace be with you! It isn’t that you are simply not cut out for it, utterly, wholly, so. Rather, the way of being in question is simply something that your nervous system isn’t used to, and that’s why it’s giving you so much trouble as you try desperately to embody it!
Now consider that you’ve done it a few times already. Won’t that be many, many times more like a piece of cake to you compared to initially, considering? A perfect example to use would be yoga, like stretching! Try to touch your toes without being your knee. Can someone like you who doesn’t usually do flexible stuff achieve it? I mean, let’s assume no. But if you do it everyday for one month!
So please, don’t immediately assume that you’re not cut out for something, yeah. Sometimes it’s simply that your nervous system ain’t ready for it yet!
Though of course, I must emphasise that people have different things that they are either aligned with more or thoroughly have no aptitude for!! at all. In that sense, don’t do what you thoroughly aren’t drawn! anyhow to doing at all!
No, rather, I’m actually alluding to the scenarios where internally you know you want to try to do something at least but have a lack of self-belief in your ability to do so. Or at least, you’re not there right now…
Just give it time. Perhaps just a year later, you’ll look back at your past self and find that what once rather significantly exhausted you, you’re now able to perform with simply one hand! Serious!!!
To be honest, as a rule of thumb, I would recommend that you at least try and put in the effort before ruling out that you simply can’t do A, or B! Possibilities are a magical realm of quantum potentiality, people!!!
Over time, watch as what was once tentative and uncomfortable, a step out of the comfort zone grows into unquestioned normalcy for you.
And this applies to ways of being too, by the way!
For instance… okay, I don’t know whether if this is mainstream knowledge, but let me refer to the Marilyn Monroe effect (or MM effect) for short. So basically, it’s like MM had this kind of switch within her that she could just flick on, and once she did that, bam! Hoho, into red carpet mode she went.
For instance, let’s use the example of someone who is a math teacher by day but performer at night. So usually, they have this thoroughly innocuous persona. But once night falls, heh! Switch on!
And so they thoroughly transform and enter performance mode, and thusly wow the crowd with their electrifying performances. Oh!
So I would suggest that we try to integrate such differing ways of being or modes into our life too as is necessary! With the corresponding expansion of our nervous system too, of course! Naturally!
I’ll just give a very mainstream example of social anxiety. Say someone is very socially anxious and doesn’t dare to talk to anyone else at all. Rather, they shyly hover about in a corner waiting for someone to come to speak to them. And they will never ever make the first move. Aw.
Now consider what I’ve been writing about in this article. What if the person expands their nervous system to the point where socialising is something they can perform with utter ease, without the inhibitions??
So I’m not encouraging this, but let me give y’all a real life example, okay. Of someone I know. So this person used to be very socially awkward. But one day he noticed that when he drank alcohol, somehow… he’d lose all his inhibitions!! And so somehow, with effort of course, he brought that elevated nervous system state of his into normalcy where now, by default he’s a charismatic guy.
So such real-life examples exist too!!!
What I want to say is basically, states of being. Normalise these states of being that you desire for your nervous system. Expand. And I really kind of feel, you’ll never regret it.
Oh and also! What I want to say is, everyone has their own highest state of being that is most natural for them. It isn’t the case that everyone behaves in the same way at their peak. However!
Why not try to make it such that it is a choice, by intention, that you’re doing it, as opposed to something that you are trapped in in the sense that there is no alternative for you?
Alright let me give you a quick example of myself. Yep.
I am someone who is perfectly fine even on my lonesome, even in solitude. However, what if I mastered this ability such that being retained in such a state was merely a choice? And if I wanted, completely yeah, I could technically go switch on the social butterfly mode, MM effect-ish, and bam! suddenly become the life of the party? Now wouldn’t that be a wholesome sight, hahah!
Alright, with that I have come to the end of the article. I hope I have brought you people some food for thought. To summarise, grow!! Rather than only ever stay in your comfort zone, expand, such that your repertoire or arsenal of can-dos increases alongside yer comfort zone.
Now doesn’t that kinda sound amazing, huh! Ok bye! Till next week! 🙂