Slow and Steady Wins the Race
I was cleaning the toilet today, as we do pretty much every day. And I realized that the calcium buildup that had been so bad last summer was gone.
Ironically, I hadn’t done much of anything. I didn’t make removing the calcium scale into a big project last summer. I didn’t try to chip it away. I didn’t use chemicals. All I had been doing for the past six months was just cleaning the toilet every every day with a porcelain-safe scrub sponge.
At the very beginning, I had tried scrubbing a little harder with the sponge, but it didn’t make much difference. So I soon forgot about getting rid of the scale and just cleaned every day because that’s what we do.
Then, without any major fight, the scale is gone. In fact, I think the scale was gone for a while before I noticed.
That’s How The Work Works for Me
Sure, I notice plenty of “calcium buildup” in my thinking that I would like to get rid of. But thinking about it as a big project makes me more stressed. It actually creates more “buildup” in my mind.
So, instead of making a project out of cleaning my thinking, I don’t worry about it. I can live with a little scale in my thinking, just like I can live with a little scale in my toilet. This takes the pressure off. I’m no longer doing The Work to fix myself.
As a result, The Work is not stressful for me. And when the The Work is not stressful, there’s no resistance in me to doing it.
I just do The Work because that’s what I like to do. I like cleaning my mind every day—just a little bit. I’m not trying to make everything perfect in there. That’s probably not possible anyway. I’m just questioning my thoughts a little here and there because it feels good to do so.
But Over Time a Little Questioning Goes a Long Way
Every once in a while I realize that something that was a big issue for me is no longer an issue. I don’t even know when it fell away. I don’t know which worksheet, or which one-liner, that I questioned was the one that made the difference.
I’m not even thinking about it. It’s like doing The Work without caring. When I do The Work that way, I hardly notice that my thinking is getting clearer. There’s no big celebration. It’s just a growing feeling of being on the right track.
And that Reinforces my Desire to Keep up the Steady Pace
I’m not looking for miracles when I do The Work.
Slow, steady growth of clarity is enough for me.
Have a great weekend,
Todd
“You can’t force this process; you can only inquire and find out what’s true.” Byron Katie, I Need Your Love Is That True?
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