Flow like a river; believe like a rock

Look, I’ve been experiencing a bit of emotional instability, to put it mildly.
This morning I discovered something I quoted from a book by Paulo Coelho (Like the flowing river) which I find consoling:

The more we plan our steps, the more chance there is that we will go wrong, because we are failing to take into consideration four things:

• Other people
• Life’s teachings
• Passion
• Calm

and

The more we feel we are in control of things, the farther off we are from controlling anything.

I must be on the right track then, not feeling in control :-).

Another interesting phenomenon, which Coelho calls the Law of Jante, explains why we watch celebrities with hawk eyes to see when they’ll screw up:

”You are worthless; no one is interested in what you think, therefore you had better opt for mediocrity and anonymity. Do this, and you will never face any major problems in life.”

The Anti-Law of Jante would imply the following:

“You are worth much more than you think. Your work and your presence on this earth are important, even though you may not believe it. Of course, such ideas could land you in a lot of trouble for breaking the Law of Jante, but don’t be intimidated, continue to live without fear, and you will triumph in the end.”

How different would life not be if we all subscribed to the anti-law!

The lesson: Do not confuse asking for help with insecurity!

Just yesterday I had a big emotional not-quite-a-crisis, not-quite-a-breakdown, but something to that effect because I had to ask for help. I did it in the end, but the process was not an easy one. (I did not handle the situation with love, joy and ease, Louise Hay!)

 The Universe must really want me to learn this lesson. In the aftermath of my “battle” and my purging here with you guys, I found Ria’s comment about no warrior being able to win the war by herself, soothing. This morning, while waiting in the car for the library to open (I pack books away on Thursday mornings as a Friend of Strand Library), I read this:

A warrior balances solitude and dependence.

and then, a few pages further:

The warrior knows that no man is an island.

He cannot fight alone, whatever his plan, he depends on other people. He needs to discuss his strategy, to ask for help, 🙂 and – in moments of relaxation – to have someone with whom he can sit by the fire, someone he can regale with tales of battle.

But he does not allow people to confuse this camaraderie with insecurity. He is transparent in his actions and secretive in his plans.

A warrior of light dances with his companions, but does not place the responsibility for his actions on anyone else.

Obviously, Paulo Coelho wrote his Manual of the Warrior of Light with me in mind. I should let him/his translator know about gender-inclusive language, though. 🙂