RULE YOUR LIFE

The reason why the Tao Te Ching makes so many references to the ruler is to remind you that you are the ruler of your life. You alone have the authority in your world to determine how you feel.

All too often, we forget this basic truth and give up the authority without knowing it. We point to others as the cause of our negative feelings. Perhaps the boss is a control freak; perhaps a coworker is an arrogant idiot; perhaps the neighbor is a rumormongering busybody. We talk about how they make us feel annoyed or angry.

The truth is people cannot make you feel anything against your will. You have to allow it to happen. Negative feelings that others send your way have no potency until you invest emotional energy in them. It is only because you do not understand your role in this process that you imagine other people as the source of your suffering. This is another one of the grand illusions in life.

The Tao Today

Hold on to your power to rule yourself. Look at the people who you thought were responsible for your misery. Examine their interactions with you, and zero in to the point where you grant them permission to make you feel a certain way. Then, remind yourself that you also have the power to revoke the permission. Exercise that power and go through your day with your ruling authority firmly in your grasp.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin