In the movie Matrix Morpheus tells Neo – “Sooner or later you are going to realise, there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path”.
A very powerful reminder of how to live an aligned life. An aligned life means, becoming what you seek and as a results attracting what ever you seek.
Big Gap between knowing and walking
We know we should look after our environment. But we still get in our cars and add endless miles to it and continue to damage the environment.
We know eating healthy food and doing regular exercise will keep us fit and healthy. But we tend to indulge in over eating and avoid exercising.
Knowing the path is not the same as walking the path.
Why we like this illusion?
‘Knowing’ gives us the illusion that we are living it. Here is an example. You may know that you are an honest person. But when a cashier in a checkout gives you the wrong change in your favour, how often have you given it back? How often have you felt justified that you should keep quite about it?
We attend workshops or seminars and switch off easily because we ‘know’ the subject matter. But in reality we have not reached our potential in that area because we have NOT practiced what we know.
Why we don’t do what we know?
Knowing is like a comfort blanket. It keeps us warm and cosy and prevents us taking action. It is like reading instructions on how to swim and believing you know how to swim.
Walking the path means leaving the comfort of knowing and getting in to an uncomfortable path that is new to us. Walking the path brings us new experiences that could make us uncomfortable and uneasy.
Walk anyway
- Walking takes courage. Courage to take the first step. Courage to face the unknown and courage to keep going.
- Walking takes alignment. Unless we are aligned with the end result there is less incentive to walk the path. Take the example of becoming a swimmer. Your alignment could be about becoming a competent swimmer or may be to compete in the Olympics. Each goal has its own path. So the more you are clearly aligned to your goal your walk becomes meaningful to you.
- Walking takes persistence. Unless you persist resistance will kill you in its track. Just as Mohammed Ali said, “It isn’t the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it’s the pebble in your shoe.”
- Walking will demand you learn new skills. To continue to walk, new skills will be necessary. Being open to learning these skills will make your journey much smoother.
- Walking the path means trusting each and every step. Each step in to the unknown demands trust. Without trust – trust that everything is going to be okay and the next steps will be shown, we will be paralysed by fear.
- Walking the path means you grow. You grow as a person. You grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This priceless growth is what you eventually become.
- Walking the path brings opportunities. The courage to walk ones path also brings opportunities. Opportunities that never presented itself before will suddenly show up.
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