Self-Forgetfulness: The State of Grace.

Self-forgetfulness

liberates 

people 

from 

mediocrity

to 

excellence.

*

In neurobiology terms,

the state that describes

a human being

 at his peak 

of

performing or doing something

is called,

'Flow'.

This is the tipping point 

where a person

outdo 

himself.

He breaks through 

from 

a former limitation 

into 

a new level of

ability.

World-class musicians, 

chess champions, 

surgeons, 

football players,

engineers,

even filing clerks 

all gave similar descriptions about the time they 

outdid 

themselves.

Daniel Goleman of the number one bestseller,

'Emotional Intelligence'

wrote:

'Athletes know this state of grace

as 

'the zone', 

where 

excellence becomes effortless,

crowd and competitors 

disappearing into a 

blissful, steady absorption in the moment...

It is a state in which 

people become

 utterly absorbed 

in what they are doing,

paying

 undivided attention

to the task,

their 

awareness merged 

with their 

actions.

[I would describe as a zone where the

Body, soul and spirit 

unite]

A surgeon, 

for example,

was in a flow

during

a challenging operation.

When he completed the surgery,

he noticed some rubble on the floor

of the operating room

and asked what had happened.

He was amazed to her

that while he was 

so 

focused 

on the surgery

part of the ceiling had caved in -

he hadn't noticed at all!

 *

Self-forgetfulness 

is the 

opposite 

of

worry.

When you worry,

it's not possible to 

excel

in almost anything 

you try to do.

Have you ever

worried

to the point

you could not seem to do

anything right

that day?

I once 

left my debit card at an ATM

and 

forgot 

about getting a 

$40 change at the train control station 

one minute after that.

I shampooed my hair twice 

in a row 

because I couldn't remember if I shampooed at all

moments ago.

During a traumatic period in primary school, 

I often found myself

wondering if I just had a phone conversation with 

somebody or not

right after hanging up!

I even called back and asked

'Hey, sorry 

but, did we just talk!?'

In class time, 

my teacher's lips were moving

but

 I could hardly hear

anything coming out from it.

All these 

because I was 

worrying -

When you worry,

physically

[body], 

you are present in time

but

mentally and emotionally

[soul],

you are lost 

in another 

time and place 

-

your 

mind and heart

are 

locked inside the frame 

of a particular picture

[that depicts what you're 

afraid would happen].

Your

 thoughts and emotions

are all about

the particular picture 

you're worrying about.

When you are worrying,

you are 

only sensitive to your

own feelings;

you can't really 

show care 

for people who 

really need your concern

because 

you can't feel for others -

you're too busy and tired 

from

feeling for yourself.

When you are worrying,

your beliefs and opinions 

matter more than anybody else's

and 

usually,

they could

even matter more than 

truth and logic.

In real time,

many things could be 

happening 

in your surroundings

but

you're missing 

everything out

because you 

are 

mostly disconnected

from your present.

You are 

stuck 

in that

picture in your head

and

you don't really want  

or know how to 

get out of it.

All you seem to 

understand and feel

is

your 

nervousness

and

everything you're 

so busy fussing about 

is

yourself.

And by the time

your 

soul

[mind and heart]

connects back 

to your 

body

[or return to real time],

it's the

 end of the day.

You realize 

you

 didn't really achieve anything

that day.

If you did anything at all,

it was usually 

poorly or averagely 

done.

*

Without 

your 

complete being

[body, soul and spirit]

'put into'

a task,

it's impossible to 

excel in it -

even in the simplest daily chores.

And we wonder

why we keep 

failing 

in school, relationships, friendships

or anything we attempt to do.

Motivating worrisome people

to
think, believe and live out
big

is 

as hard-going as
bull-dozing concrete ground.

*

Enough about 

worry.

Let's cross over

to 

Self-Forgetfulness.

This is a state where

people excel

and

perform a task at their

peak.

They are so absorbed 

in the task

they

 lose all

self-consciousness,

dropping

 all the little concerns and petty issues of life -

bills, food, that sarcastic comment,

 wondering what that 'look' on somebody's face meant.

In this 'zone',

although they are performing the task at its prime,

they are

 unconcerned with 

how they are doing -

they don't think about 

success or failure.

There's 

no wondering or rather,

worrying.

They are

 enjoying

the 

sheer pleasure

of the act itself.

And this pleasure

motivates them.

Intriguing! 

I've felt this way 

before.

And those moments 

were the times I was assured

of what my destiny was about.

*

Want to experience 

the 'zone',

the state of grace?

 Embrace 

the challenge

Don't run away

when are 

given an opportunity 

to do something 

you've 

never done before.

Run towards 

the challenge 

and

SEIZE IT.

Change your mind

about 

challenges.

Realize and believe

challenges 

aren't your

 enemies

but

your 

friends 

who are here to

grow you!

Instead of dreading or fearing 

unfamiliar tasks,

recognize it with,

'Ooh!

It's time to 

stretch beyond 

my former limits.

It's time to 

learn something 

new.

This is going to help me 

bigger and better.'

2. Discipline yourself

to focus on possibilities

Forget a little bit

about 

what 

you don't have

and 

what 

you can't do.

Spend more time

thinking about

and 

acting upon

what you have
and
what you can do.

What you focus on
only gets
stronger.

Possibilities 
[positive or negative possibilities]
will happen
when you
repeatedly think about
and
believe in 
them.

When you pay attention to the
possibility,
you are actually
paying with your time
and
buying that possibility 
into your life.

If you spend most of your time
on
negative possibilities
[ie. worrying]
you will fumble in that very thing
you are afraid of not doing well in.

The more self-conscious 
you are,
the more you mess up!

But
if you spend most of your time
on
positive possibilities,
you break away from
fear 
to
faith

and
step into 
a state of grace

where you
stretch beyond 
your former limits

and
begin to
do 
what you have
 never done
-

ultimately,
you become who
you never were.

You just keep
transforming,

from
strength to strength

and
your path just gets
brighter and brighter.

*
Forget a little more about 
yourself
today.

Remember more
about
what's stronger and bigger than 
you
and
the world.

Experience
being in its presence.
Allow it to
fill you,


mold you,


and 
carry you into 
the 'zone',
the state of grace.

Experience living life
on a new level.

*