Someone once pointed out the obvious. “I said it was simple, not easy.”
We know how relationships work. It’s simple. Be kind, generous, patient, trustworthy. Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Be honorable.
We know what brings success. It’s simple. Put in the work. Build relationships. Become the expert. Expect the best: plan for the worst. Don’t be afraid of risks but don’t be foolhardy. Aristotle’s golden mean.
We know how to grow in spirit. It’s simple. Slow down. Listen to the still, small voice. Connect with God Within. Trust. Know that nothing can separate you from the good. Allow the Divine to well up within you and flow freely.
But it’s not easy. We’re slow to get started. We give up too soon. We listen to negative people. We entertain doubts and give audience to anxieties and fears. We lose our cool. We say and do things we regret. We convince ourselves it’s not worth the effort and that we are not good enough. Our assaultive thoughts wear us down and paralyze us.
However, there is one mental location or spiritual attitude where simple and easy coexist: Do the right thing and do not be obsessed with outcomes.
We live in a society obsessed with outcomes – financial portfolios, promotions, all kinds of material signs of wealth, winning, and having things our way. These outcomes are not bad. In fact, they can bring pleasure and security. But they mean nothing if ill-gained.
Likewise, we can have very few things or very little power, and yet have everything if we have retained our honor and integrity and can look in the mirror each morning and respect the person we see.
It is at these spiritual coordinates of striving to do the right thing and not obsessing with results where I am learning to find peace and stay motivated. When I do the right thing I have peace, regardless of outcomes.
I have discovered along the way what Emerson called the Law of Compensation. Doing the right thing is always the right thing to do, because the right thing always produces the right result. It may not be immediately evident, but with enough cycles of the moon, the Good eventually always shines through the clouds.
Do the right thing. It’s simple and easy, if you’re willing to live with the results. And the results are always worth it.