Remember The Primary Objective
When we wake up, depending on the day or month of the year one usually finds themselves going through a mental or physical checklist of what they need or want to accomplish for the day. This list spans from: chores, errands to run, tasks to complete for a project, childcare, exercise, meditation, phone calls to make, appointments to attend, etc. In the busy-ness of getting all the things done we forget what the original Primary Objective is.
When I learned to scuba dive there was a lot of theory that needed to be read in order to have the technical reference to apply what was needed in my confined water practice. It was the experiential experience (bridging the gap) from the mind (book study) to the body. The physical application of all I read in a book while submerged underwater at 15-20 feet left me in a state of sensorial overload. What was the most important thing I was supposed to remember? Was it the time needed for a safety stop? Or how the volume and density of air is impacted by the depth of a dive?
As the open water exercises and dives completed I was officially open water certified, but I was hungry for more. Next up was getting certified for advanced open water, which entailed compass navigation, peak performance buoyancy, a deep dive (up to 100 feet), night dive, and a wreck dive where one sees a shipwreck underwater. The book work and theory increased, and amidst the various warnings around gas narcosis, decompression sickness, lung expansion, and the obvious one of drowning they gave a beautiful reminder of what the primary objective is. The primary objective on any dive – is to have a safe dive. Breathe in. Breathe out. Enjoy.
It’s not about getting to that specific depth you were striving for. It’s not about having to see the whole shipwreck when you are running low on air and still need to have enough air to return for your safety stop and ascent. It’s not about having to find and photograph a specific fish that you know lives in that area. All of these are secondary objectives to one’s dive.
This is a simple, yet powerful truth that becomes obvious when we engage in activities that are life or death. It brings forth pristine clarity and cuts through the bullsh*t and noise of what is important.
So what is your Primary Objective?
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When we are clear on this, it releases us from the unnecessary drag, resistance, and heaviness that can come from criticizing ourselves harshly when we weren’t able to complete a secondary or tertiary objective. We can relish and celebrate instead the accomplishment of our primary objective.
Many times in the field of mental health, individuals share their primary objective of: being happy, having work-life balance, or better relationships with loved ones. Yet when we look closer, all of the behaviors, actions, and choices are being generated to fulfill secondary objectives. It’s no wonder why one’s primary objective can seem so illusive.
As we come to the closing of another year take a moment to identify what your Primary Objective is so that your choices and actions are in support of what is truly important to you and your wellbeing. With each ending there is another beginning, an opening that if we haven’t prioritized our primary objective appropriately we have the opportunity to make adjustments to course correct ourselves.
This is a beautiful thing in life. Each moment is new and if we treat it as such then we maximize the gifts and resources already here.
We will be wrapping up this year with a meditation workshop on Navigating the Heart System Tuesday, Dec 7 at 6pm (PST). The Heart is part of the Body-Mind system that aligns us to our highest purpose and our greatest work.
Online meditation classes continue to being offered through Dharma Center where you can join in from wherever you are. I look forward to sitting with you.
Winter Light,
Hui (Hathor)