Finishing Well

In the 1972 Summer Olympics, Jim Ryun carried America’s hope for a gold medal in the 1500-meter run. He had trained hard and sacrificed much.  His qualifying race started well, but with less than 500 meters to go, he was fouled by another runner and fell.  All hope for Ryun’s victory was dashed.  But still he got up. Bruised, in pain and with no chance of winning, he finished the race. No prize, no glory, no medal.  He didn’t win—but he didn’t quit. He finished, and he finished well.  Finishing well does not always mean winning.  It means enduring to the end.

So where are you at….I mean where are you right now in life? ARE you satisfied? Have you thought about what kind of legacy you will leave behind? How people will remember you?  I met with a friend last week and we got to talking on a deeper level than usual.  Both of us are embarking on a new territory in life and both are experiencing some deeply emotional family situations.  Both of us are facing situations where a loved one is sick and death is approaching.  This begs a deeper look within and a profound change of priorities. Each day is precious and we both are now more in touch with that than ever before. One thing my friend said to me was, “ How will people remember me? Will they say I was a hard worker?  I am just not about work and I want to make a difference. My priorities have changed through this journey I am on.” 

Wise words for sure.  Being type A and Pitta (oh my!) has wonderful pros and exquisite cons.  My default is to lock and load into task mode and rock them out.  I am a work horse.  I see things strategically and am extremely efficient. I think about how when I walk through the house I can grab something and put it somewhere where I will later use it in a task. It is all about efficiency! I used to have this side of me front and center.  I was on corporate purpose and moving up the chain and finding new financial zip coeds to belong to. I got a day care bill for twelve grand and about lost it, thinking is it really worth it? 

Have you ever stopped to be grateful for these fork-in-the-road-defining-moments?  A hero’s journey.  After my conversation with my friend I reflected back on my defining moments and became so overwhelmed with gratitude for them I thought I would burst.  Here are some of those moments which may surprise you:

• My brother being killed
• Believing in Christ,
• My mother having brain surgery
• Divorce
• My son being born on my bother’s death date
• Two friends being killed while doing things they loved
• Watching a friend pass on from this life

This list may be surprising to you as it, on the surface, does not look as though it contains much joy.  These moments were filled with extreme pain but also grace, joy, and true contentment.  Each one has brought me to a better place, shifted my priorities, and softened me.  The hard and soft of life is the same as the hard and soft our yoga practice provides.  We learn grace for ourselves and others on our mat and we can apply it to when the shit-storms happen.  There is something wildly encouraging about facing something huge, whether exciting, or saddening, or maddening that brings about true contentment and inner peace.  That inner knowing of the strength of who we truly are and beginning to recognize others around you being the same and on the same path to being brilliant.  So there it is…we are all on this path to being more brilliant each and every moment.  So how then do we know if we are finishing well?  Below you will find some quotes on what people thought was meant by finishing well.  Do any of these resonate with you?

 Some thoughts on Finishing well:

• I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith (2Timothy 4:7)
• "If people see their best years behind them, they're probably not going to finish very well, because you can't finish well when you're going backwards."
• "We can retire from our jobs but we can never retire from our calling."
• "We live pale and empty lives here on earth because we're ignorant about what lies ahead, and we need to see that the dimensions of life are so much greater than what we can see, hear, and touch today."
• "We are made to work; and to maintain meaning in our lives, we need to be engaged in work that has meaning and purpose."
• “People who achieve have a habit of achievement that begs for sustaining."
• "As long as you're able to do something meaningful, why would you want to go into some kind of holding pattern?"

We are called to love one another.  That means everyone….even our You-push-my-buttons-not-my-favorite people. We are called to see each person as an extension of ourselves for we are ONE. When you see a person, whether it is in your workplace, on the street, at home or anywhere else, the nature of human intellect is such, the moment it sees, it will make a judgment – “this is okay in that person, this is not okay in that person. He is good, he is not good, he is beautiful, he is ugly” – all kinds of things. You don’t even have to consciously think all this. In a moment, these assessments and judgments are made. And your judgments may be completely wrong because they all are coming from your past experiences of life. They will not allow you to experience something or someone the way they are right now, which is very important.

If you want to work effectively in any field, one thing is, if someone comes in front of you, to be able to grasp them the way they are right now is most important. How they were yesterday does not matter. How they are this moment is important. So, the first thing is you bow down. Once you bow down, your likes and dislikes become mild, not strong, because you recognize the source of creation within them….God’s divine spark.

The word "Namaste" (pronounced "Naa-Maa-Stay") is an ancient Sanskrit word with no literal translation, but the heart of its meaning is this: ”The Spirit within me honors and respects the Spirit within you.” The word ‘Spirit’ in this context has no particular religious connotation. You could substitute the word ‘Heart’ or ‘Soul’ if you like. The essence of the phrase is simply the best part of me wishes you well – in every way.….NAMA means bow, as means I, and TE means you. Therefore, namaste literally means “bow me you” or “I bow to you.” Namaste allows two individuals to come together energetically to a place of connection and timelessness, free from the bonds of ego-connection. If it is done with deep feeling in the heart and with the mind surrendered, a deep union of spirits can blossom.

There is no piece of creation without the hand of the Creator operating in it. The source of creation is operating within every cell and atom. This is why yogic philosophy teaches, if you look up at the sky, you bow down. If you look down at the earth, you bow down. If you see a man, a woman, a child, a cow, a tree or whatever, you bow down. And it is a constant reminder that the source of creation is within you too.  Each interaction we have is a chance to make a difference……all of them….the cars around us……the person checking your groceries……the person serving you coffee…..the person you pass along the sidewalk…..all of it.  Be present. Be aware of what God is asking you to join Him on (remember He is already at work all around you, all the time).  You saying hello or smiling at a stranger may make all the difference.   Be aware that a defining moment may be happening and it may be YOUR moment or you are involved in THAT moment for someone else.

If you recognize this, you are paving the way towards your ultimate nature every time you adhere to the meaning of namaste.  Can you imagine the impact this would have if each of us practices this?  Would we not be finishing well??

Onward. Upward.
NAMASTE!