Row Your Boat

Do you seem to be constantly fighting the current and rowing upstream? Find out how to smooth out your ride in this mini podcast from John Morgan.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Row Your Boat

The opening stanza of an English nursery rhyme can serve as a mantra for life.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, Life is but a dream.

Life is not a race although we seem to be rushing to get somewhere. The purpose of a dance is not to get to the end of the song (unless you don’t like your dance partner), but to enjoy the flow of the movements.

There are a lot of mantras out there for living our daily life – “Seize The Day,” “Just Do It,” “Buy Low; Sell High” and “Show Me The Money” to name a few. They have their place but seem to come out of the "take the bull by the horns" energy equation. The ancient Chinese labeled that energy "Yang." These modern mottos keep the yielding, Yin energy buried in the dirt. But the gentle energy of Yin is always there ready to sprout when provided with the light of day.

The stream of life is going to move at its pace – not yours. It'll range from a canoe ride on placid pond to a white water rafting adventure. Seems like we get focused on what we have the least control over – making the river run faster or slower. It’s our human attempt at being God.

The Buddhist proverb, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” is the Yin energy at work, as is the Chinese expression, “Wu Wei” which loosely means "do not force." These ancient messages recommend to let life come to you.

There are times when forcing the action works, but they are rare. We have the tendency to take those infrequent occasions and extrapolate them across our life and convince ourselves this is the only way. Action is always taken in the present moment and it’s always best when it comes out of a state of presence, which is yielding to the gentle stream of Yin within.

When you marry your Yin with your Yang, you have actions that are born out of peace of mind. They aren’t manufactured actions that have us frenetically paddling upstream, but actions that are in the flow of life.

Enjoy your boat ride. Take in all the merriness it has to offer. Just stop trying to control the current. Take actions born from gentle Yin energy and let the dream come to you.

And sing this rhyme everyday even if it's not in the Month of May.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream.

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,

Life is but a dream.

All the best,

John