Have you ever played the ‘Hotter/Colder’ game with a child? It goes like this, you hide something and as they walk around the room you say:
“You’re getting warmer, warmer, colder, warmer, hotter, boiling hot – Yay! There It IS!”
I still play this game with my son when he asks me where something is, like the TV remote, that’s usually hiding in plain view (a symptom called ‘Boy Vision’).
You can use this hotter/colder approach for plotting your life path.
I’ve worked with 100’s of Qigong students helping them to get clear on their aims (long term) and objectives (short term) for their Qigong training and for their life. If there is one thing I am certain of, it is that very few of us are born with a clear purpose or are driven to fulfill a particular destiny.
I have noticed though, and I once ‘suffered‘ from it myself, that we’re led to believe that if we don’t have a clear destiny, purpose or mission then we’re never going to amount to much in life.
This simply isn’t true.
Sure, it’s great if you do know why you are here and what your destiny on this great planet is, but it’s not essential.
If, like I used to be, you are frustrated by your own lack of certainty about your destiny or life path then I suggest you use the ‘Hotter/Colder’ approach.
If one day the God of your choice whispers your destiny into your ear. Fantastic. Until then you get to choose your own path, your own destiny.
It works like this:
I look at two possible options (or more).
- Wash dishes for a living in a local hotel
- Teach Qigong
Option 2 feels much ‘Hotter’ for me than option 1.
Here’s another one:
- Focus my time on getting to the USA to teach Qigong
- Focus my time on writing my second Qigong book
Option 1 is ‘Hot’ but option 2 feels ‘Hotter’.
Obviously these examples are simplistic, there are a lot of other variables to consider and life is rarely this clear cut. But when faced with a lack of certainty about what to do or what path to take – you get to choose.
You never need to know what the end destination is, you’re not expected to know what lies around the next corner. You just need to decide whether one course of action feels hotter or colder than another.
And then the real challenge begins – following the ‘Hotter’ course of action. Because I have to tell you it’s not always going to be easy – sorry about that. Just do your best and show yourself compassion at all times.
Here’s to living your life ‘On Purpose‘.
Marcus James Santer
PS. When faced with uncertainty, you get to choose. Which choice feels ‘Hotter’ for you?