Attachment: Intentions, goals, and objectives
Goals and objectives are important. They motivate and provide a benchmark for assessing whether the action is working or not. Yet, when attached to the outcome (unhealthily clinging to achievement) there is unnecessary stress and a loss of the adaptability required to adjust to current conditions and manage uncertainty. Attachment to goals gets in the way of achieving them.
Aversion
Attachment is clinging. Aversion is pushing things away, avoiding. Aversion gets in the way when dislike for effort causes procrastination or avoiding the work required to achieve goals and objectives. Fear is another cause of aversion. Some are afraid of not meeting objectives and others are afraid of meeting them.
Recognize, accept, and acknowledge aversion. Reflect on what is motivating it and what its message is. What is aversion trying to tell you? No need for deep psychological analysis (though it can be helpful). Bring awareness to the aversion and then decide what you want to do about it. You can indulge it by continuing to avoid what you dislike. Or you can decide to put forth the effort to cut through and take skillful action.
Ignorance - Not Knowing
Ignorance is the third poison. It is the root cause of the other two. Ignorance is tough to address. The word is loaded with charge, it carries with it judgement. Say to someone that they are ignorant, and you will stir up feelings of shame and inadequacy. Ignorance of ignorance – not knowing that you don’t know - makes addressing it virtually impossible.
Paradoxically, knowing that you do not know something gives you a great advantage. When you know what you don’t know you can learn it. Learning cures ignorance.
What is There to Learn?
You may not know specific facts and concepts. For example, rules or formulas. More importantly, you may not know the way things are.
On a psychological and spiritual level, know where you fit in the big picture, how your mind works, and the basic realities of life. Those realities are that 1) everything is impermanent, 2) you will face uncertainty, loss, and disappointment, 3) what you think, say, and do matters, and 4) you may be overly ego-centric.
In organizations, families, and communities, know what the environment is like. What are its processes, mission, values, beliefs, goals, intentions? Who are the people (including yourself?) What are their roles? How do they interrelate? What languages do they speak and understand? What cultures are at play?
Fail to consider the way things are – your nature and the nature of your environment and you risk avoidable failures and conflicts.
How Do You Learn?
Open-mindedly acknowledge your ignorance, never stop learning, and test what you learn in experience. Question everything to avoid unfounded, unskillful beliefs. Cultivate mindful awareness using formal and informal mindfulness meditation practices. Realize that you are one part of a complex system – your organization, family, team, community, environment.
Transform Knowledge to Wisdom
Knowledge is a foundation for wisdom - the blending of knowledge, experience, values, and good judgment into skillful action. With wisdom ignorance dissolves.
As wisdom emerges, attachment and aversion dissolve. They are replaced by acceptance and the flow it brings. With flow comes optimal performance to achieve goals and objectives and fulfill intentions.
In short, get out of the way and let your wisdom drive.
