My new friend, and recent Bliss Champs graduate Justin Gold, gave me this bouncy red ball as a gift last week before departing Bliss Island. Why did he think I would appreciate it? A rather strange gift for a 51 year old don’t you think?
Some context. Earlier in the retreat, I went off script while I gave my keynote speech on risk & commitment. I proclaimed that a person has to unlearn desire.
To prove my point, I asked everyone to think back to their childhood to remember a time when a parent introduced a new toy to a group of children at a party or on a playground. To make it easier for everyone, I suggested that the introduced item was a shiny red bouncy ball.
You saw that beautiful red ball and thought one thing - mine! You practically jumped out of your shoes head first into the fray of ten other little children with the exact same thought.
If you had to throw a few elbows, headbutt someone, poke an eye out or even bite a body part in the resulting scrum to get your hands on that ball, so be it. Didn’t even matter if those receiving the battle scars were boys or girls. That ball was going to be yours. End of story.
If you didn’t end up with the ball, you would likely throw a temper tantrum. Or, you might attempt to steal the ball away from the lucky kid who got it. In either scenario, a parent likely had to intervene.
Tell me you never witnessed or participated in a scene like this as a child and I’ll call B.S. on you!
While we can all agree that’s it’s a good thing that children mature and learn, we need to be careful that we don’t unlearn the good stuff too - like desire.
When I see a bouncy red ball that I desire, I go for it. I don’t headbutt, eye gouge or bite anymore. I learned integrity and how to fight fair as I matured. But I never lost my childlike enthusiasm of desire for that ball.
If you no longer pursue your desires, I invite you to examine the reasons you have done so. And then, unlearn them.
What’s your bouncy red ball?
