Yayyy!

It’s so surreal that you have already accomplished all the missions. Here, in the Level 1 of the Fountain of Freedom, as you integrated new habits into your life, you have mastered:

  1. The peace of Nirvana in every breath,

  2. The discipline for long-term goals with gratitude, and

  3. A contract with self to cut out distractions.

Another way to look at it is that you are mastering your choices: The choice to breathe and just be in the moment, the choice to not be blinded by a short-sighted vision, and the choice to define your boundaries.

All these choices are about slowing down. Not trying to do a lot by jumping from one thing to another, but just being in the present moment, with your breath. Living slow is not about performing at a lower level. It is about pouring yourself into the task at hand, be it a project, talking to friends, or taking a nap. You are choosing to be here, now.

Humans learn by following others. In different domains of life, you might have some idols you look up to, and, consciously or unconsciously, you start doing things they do. But this goes the other way as well. How you live your life sets an example for many others, especially the ones you are close to. There is a good short story on this:

Once upon a time, a mommy crab lived her baby crab on a white sand beach. The mom had great expectations from her son, so whenever they would go on a walk, she would scold her son for walking sideways, telling him, “Son! Look ahead and walk straight!” Sadly, no matter how much the poor baby tried, he always failed.

All this while, as is natural to crabs, the mother herself kept on walking sideways. It never occurred to her that she was blind to her own faults. If she had set a bad example for her son, how could she expect him to learn otherwise?

For lasting habit change, you must realize that not only are you transforming yourself, but also making an impact on the lives of everyone else that interacts with you. The degree of impact may vary, but whether it’s positive or negative depends on you. What will you choose?