While I was studying athletic training at Temple University, one of my mother’s friends came up to me and asked, “Hey Rob, what can I do to get rid of this?”, flicking her triceps fat, while eating a donut. Hmm. Very attractive. As I got into the real answer, she interrupted me with, “No, I just want to get rid of this”. Again, with the flicking of the fat.
She wanted the result; the destination without the journey. I couldn’t help her, because well … I’m not a warlock. And even if I was able to do magic, there was much more to it than flabby triceps. She would have looked very odd. Funny though.
The thing is … there’s very little value in the result without the journey. Fantasy is a cheap sell and after its purchased, whatever little value it had, is quickly diminished.
Three questions:
Why is the buying and selling of the fantasy so easy?
Because, reality is not easy. It’s hard to sell hard.
The fantasy is wearing $90 yoga pants at the mall, while drinking a smoothie with a wrist full of mala beads. It’s six-minute abs, how to become a millionaire in three easy steps, and a guaranteed black belt with payment in full. Easy money.
Why is reality such a hard sell?
Because its packaged wrong; focusing on the destination, instead of the journey.
Sell the journey, not the destination and package difficulty as something desirable. The real rewards are in the climb, even if we don’t reach the summit. Through effort, pain, strife, focus, determination, introspection, practice, training, breathing, and going inside ourselves, seeing who we are, we’re rewarded with some very rare knowledge. We gained wisdom, we didn’t die, we’re fitter and more flexible, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And as a byproduct; yeah, maybe we summited that mountain. Maybe we became a martial artist, became a yogi, and even uncovered those abs.
Should either one be sold at all?
No.
When the value of the journey is presented well enough, people will buy. No one likes to be sold, but we all love to buy.
Buying reality takes acknowledgment of the truth. The truth of what is. Reality is freedom, self-awareness, and empowering. It can hurt and it can abolish pain. It can bring us through the sadness to true happiness. Its not always easy, but the rewards are real. It’s an amazing place, but it’s not for everyone.
Don’t try to sell everyone. But, for those who are ready to take the journey, let them buy.
Photo by Michael Clarke on Unsplash
I Am No Yogi 