Set Higher Standards by YogiRavi

I think we all know people who are great at coming up with excuses. Reasons for not going for a run. Reasons for not eating properly. Reasons why this person isn’t cool or why this other person is. Expert justifier. Fantastic arguer. Outstanding rationalizer.These people can be captivating to listen to and this is the problem. Excuse-making is a disease and it spreads.

Hearing someone justify stuff brings out an empathetic response in most people. This makes the person feel good and makes others on some subtle level feel relieved that they aren’t pushing themselves either. Someone who is good at justifying stuff can also hone the skill of conversation into an art. Their arguments can be entertaining and the more involved and elaborate they are, the more people tend to listen and empathize.

The problem is that excuses just take you off the hook. Instead of making up reasons why something isn’t possible, just say that you didn’t do it or don’t want to do it because you didn’t do it or don’t want to do it and leave it at that. Saying you are too busy, too tired, too stressed, too young, too old, too hungry or whatever isn’t going to help. It just feeds the negative thought pattern you don’t need in the first place.

"Denali" - a friend's black lab....does what he wants, when he wants...no excuses for him!

Everything we do can either be seen in a positive manner or negative manner. There are obvious things that happen that people see as positive. Spending time with friends. Getting a big raise or kudos at work. Having fun doing a hobby you like. These are all totally obvious positive experiences. It’s easy to see the “cup as being half full” in these situations. In other situations, it is easy to see things as negative – that is to say – as the “cup being half empty.” Losing a job, losing a relationship, getting injured, etc.

What is striking to me is that seeing the cup as half full is a conscious choice regardless of the situation, and relative to each person. One person might be elated to get kudos for a job well-done at work in front of their employees, whereas another person might actually greatly dislike the public recognition and not feel comfortable with it (I’ve seen this happen before).

I was in yoga class yesterday and we spent a lot of time upside-down, doing handstands and other inversions. These poses can be terrifying for some people, but can also be incredibly fun and rewarding for those that are willing to give it a try (we were working with partners, so there was little risk of falling!). This was a recent example of how the same exact situation could be seen as a total bummer for some people and a totally uplifting and fun experience for others.

The trick is to realize that every situation is like this, and that we have a choice to interpret the situation as a great opportunity to learn, try something new, grow and maybe have some fun….or as an excuse to retreat into some story about how the world is out to get us or how things aren’t working out the way they should. The choice is ours every time. What choice do you tend to make?

Tomorrow evening I head off to start my Level 1 Teacher Training in Baptiste Power Yoga. I’ll be away for about 9 days, in the Catskills (upstate New York, near Albany) with no access to a computer. This means no blogging.

I’m looking forward to this training and whatever may come from it.

Talk to everyone when I return!

Namaste,

Ravi