What am I really doing?
I have a friend in India who has been involved in Yogic coaching for more than two decades. In a conversation one day, he said that he tries to maintain mindfulness of the question, “In doing what I am doing, what am I really doing?” In my life, I have heard questions like, “What are you really doing in this instance?” But for some reason, those words never caused me to think as my friend’s question did.
The What are you really doing question was usually applied only in certain circumstances, often in those where the outcome or motive was somehow questionable. The question was usually asked by someone other than me, as if I were unaware of my real intention. My friend’s question, on the other hand, is one that I ask of myself. No one need be around to inquire about my intention or to consider the other things and potential "collateral damage" that my actions might cause.
Reflecting on the previous blog post on power, you might be able to see opportunities for asking questions like, “In misusing (abusing) my power in this situation, what am I really doing?” “In saying what I am saying to my significant other, what am I really saying or causing?” “When I say, ‘how could you hand me a report like this!?’, what am I really saying?” “In saying to my child in anger, ‘you know better than this’, what am I really saying?”
Perhaps, consider how your life would change if you held this in mind throughout your day at work and at home.