Shaving can be a dangerous enterprise. If you don't watch what you are doing you could get nicks or cuts all over your face.
Shaving is Life
Most things are similar in shaving and in life. Your attention is your most valuable resource. Where you choose to spend your time, and who you choose to spend it with.
I remember my mum and big sister would get these huge cuts on their legs because they were shaving so aggressively. It was amazing how long they were. I always wondered how they could do that to their bodies when a tiny cut on my face would be painful.
I have been working on being more present. When I am talking with someone or engaged in an activity, to try to keep my present, focused on them, not letting my mind wander to any other thought. It is hard.
The world is full of distractions. Thoughts flow into other thoughts. Something the other person ignites a memory and now you haven't listened to the last 30 seconds of the conversation.
The same goes for shaving, you want to be present and purposeful. Concentrating on how the blade feels, are you keeping the skin taut? Make sure you are letting the weight of the blade do the work rather than pushing it into your skin, going with the grain.
Shaving can be used as a meditative ritual to help center and steady your thoughts if you approach it as an art form, and of course, it is, your face is a thing of beauty.
Where your attention goes, so do you, make sure it is going to a worthy place.
Moment of Gratitude
It can be very hard to put in a lot of effort and have things not work out. It feels demoralizing and like a waste of time. It can often feel like you have more losses than victories.
However, a loss or a victory can change depending on your point of view.
Learning from losses can be a great source of improvement if you let yourself be ok with accepting that maybe you need to and can improve.
I have been working on trying to say something first. I get really shy with new people so I hide, as easy as it can be for a 6'6" person to hide, but the truth is, everyone is shy.
I have been working on saying something first. And it feels awful. It feels me with anxiety and dread. But in those uncomfortable places is where you grow.
The key is to try to have no expectation of an outcome just an attempt at a connection. At the gym yesterday there was a couple who left a group class looking shattered, I thought I should try to say something to them but then that normal fear cycle of
- they will think I am weird
- they don't want to be talked to
- why do you think you should say anything
- you're not interesting
Any excuse my mind could come up with to get me to not say something.
But to get better at anything you have to practice so knowing the feeling of a tough work out, there is a pleasure in the pain of a good effort so I joked.
"that looks horrific"
She smiled and said it was.
Shave well, be awesome, be purposeful where you put your attention.
Luke
