"After Enlightenment, the Laundry"
At the recent Professional Photographers of Iowa Conference I attended, I came across four words: "After Enlightenment, the Laundry." At first, the phrase confused me, so in an effort to keep up with the speaker, I wrote it down, and quickly moved on.
But upon arriving back at home, I couldn't get it out of my head. So I did some research and came across the below blog post.
These words hit very close to home. In today's world, it is so easy to get brainwashed with society's definition of success. It's so easy to fall into the trend of over consumption, working yourself to exhaustion, and falling into a trap of [I have no choice].
Today, I encourage you to take a quiet moment, read the below, and ask yourself [what would enlightenment look like for me]? Next, ask yourself....what is KEEPING me from that?
The average Joe will stop there and make excuses. [It's not the right time. I don't have enough money. It is too risky. I am too young. I am too old. I don't have enough experience. What if I fail]?
And the elite few.....once enlightenment has been found, WILL BUCKLE UP AND DO THE LAUNDRY.
Today I encourage you to march to the beat of your own drum, NOT fearing that work that is ahead of you in chasing your dream. We have been given one life. What are you spending yours days working towards?
"When I first chanced upon this Zen proverb, it puzzled me. I began to think what laundry could possibly have to do with enlightenment. But as I reflected upon it further, the meaning started becoming clear. The message that this proverb tries to convey is that we shouldn’t put off those things for later, which bring a deep sense of joy and contentment in us. We must do them at the first opportunity available to us. We often tend to go on postponing things indefinitely and before we know it, we find that our entire life has already gone by. How many times have you found yourself worrying about something superficial that would hold little or no importance in the larger picture? Don’t we find ourselves obsessing about appearances when, in fact, we should be looking deeper? We get so engaged in the embellishments of a story that we miss its essence completely. Peter F Ducker, an American educator and writer, once said, “There is nothing so useless as efficiently doing that which should not be done at all.” But the irony is that we spend most of our time perfecting the periphery. We get so deeply involved in the trivial matters of life that we end up ignoring the deeper concerns, things which would make us truly happy and give meaning to our lives. It needn’t be something other worldly or spiritual; it could be anything that gives us a sense of fulfillment. Whatever it is that you may be seeking, be it enlightenment or a material possession, it is imperative to realize that now is the time to follow your dreams. You can always do the laundry later; the trivial things can wait. It is up to you to identify your purpose in life and give it all that you’ve got before it’s too late. Things will not line up in the fashion you’ve imagined. Don’t wait for the appropriate time or for your mind to be in the right place. Act now. There is never going to be a more opportune moment. If you aspire to live a life of totality, then don’t get lost in the small things. Keep a steady focus on your goal instead of getting distracted by the unnecessary details. Don’t waste your time in doing things that wouldn’t matter in the long run. They might give you temporary relief but won’t quench your thirst for good. Thus, the proverb points to us that time is fleeting and stresses on the power of being fully present in this moment. Identify your calling and devote yourself completely to it. As the great Buddha once said, “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart, give yourself to it”
