Last week, my client achieved enlightenment
Last week, my client achieved enlightenment.
Well — a moment of it, at least.
When he told me about it, I felt a shadow of the peace he must have felt — it was glorious.
He’d been walking the dog after work on a trail. His family was at home, life buzzing along in the background. And suddenly, it hit him:
“There’s ALWAYS something to worry about.
And right now, I don’t need to worry about any of it.”
And just like that — he stopped worrying.
A deep peace came over him. The stress and tension melted. The worries were reserved for later, when they’d actually need to be worried about.
And in that moment, he felt so alive. 🧡💙
He was living.
Not worrying about the future.
Not ruminating on the past.
Just here. Now. He felt love for the beauty of life — and for himself.
Many of us understand this idea intellectually. But few of us feel it.
There’s an old Zen riddle:
A man is walking in the woods carrying water when he achieves enlightenment. What happens next?
He keeps walking in the woods, carrying water.
In these emails, I mostly talk about practical things — how to be more productive, reduce anxiety, build a career, strengthen relationships. And I love that work.
And I love the deep work.
My client may never say he “achieved enlightenment” — there’s a certain hubris to the claim. But I’ll say it for him: he’s showing up differently. He’s more alive.
This work can change everything, sometimes without changing anything. Sometimes, that's exactly what we need.
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