22 May Will giving up create more happiness?
This is a very interesting and thought provoking article.
Although ostensibly about "success" I've no doubt the principles referred to are just as relevant to happiness so read on, enjoy and ponder…
by Tim Askew from Inc.com
Japanese samurai warriors had a unique practice that undergirded their phenomenal success as soldiers from the 12th century right up into the 20th century. That concept was called "dying before going into battle." This practice allowed a warrior to enter each combat event without fear of death. He did this by simply taking himself through the acceptance of his own death in advance. He psychologically became a "dead man walking" before the fight. Thus, the samurai was able to unconditionally commit to success in battle without worrying about survival. This freedom allowed him to fight with such berserk fierceness and focus that he was very hard to defeat. What did he have to lose? He was already dead.
That's how I like to begin my business days, too. By giving up. By dying before I go into battle. By having no expectations for controlling the results of the multifarious tasks that await me in the day. By being fully committed to my goals without feeling I have something to lose. By becoming a modern day samurai, if you will.
Do I succeed at this? Of course not. But it sure seems like a great way to try to begin each day–to let in creativity, spontaneity, luck, and God. To die before I go into battle.
Best-elling author Malcolm Gladwell claims he has found success by simply giving up on success, by just not worrying about it. Essentially Gladwell believes your rewards in life are inversely proportional to the time you spend trying to plan for success. Or, as Anthony Bourdain, author of Kitchen Confidential and the host of CNN's Parts Unknown, bluntly puts it, "I succeeded by not giving a shit."
…keep reading the full article HERE