X-Factors in Life

This is my twenty-fourth post in a series, where each Monday (if possible) I will post about a point of reflection or insight that I will use to reflect and meditate on during the week. In order to make it a bit more focused and interesting, I will attempt to do this with topics beginning with letters from A to Z. I have often found that having a specific topic to reflect and/or meditate on during the week really lends itself to interesting insights and growth, because you not only have several days to reflect and meditate on the topic, but you have several days to put any lessons and insights that you discover to work in your every day life. For those that follow me on Twitter (@JasonLivingNow) I will try to write updates as the weekly topics come up during meditations, moments of reflection, or just during everyday life. To view the current and previous entries in this series, please visit the: Reflections and Insights A Through Z section.

(c) Shelby Hurst Photography 2010

X= X-Factors in Life: Life is full of X-Factors, which are circumstances and events that seem to arise out of nowhere, yet have the ability to dramatically change outcomes in our lives, for good or for ill. As discussed in the previous installment of this series, Welcoming Change, life is full of unexpected events, and twists and turns. X-Factors are the unexpected events in life, that present forks in the road of life. In order to realize when an X-Factor has presented itself, one must not be so attached to the ways things “seem to be”, or “should be”, that they lose sight of the way things truly are.

X-Factors may be something as simple as randomly meeting someone, whom if you would get to know could have a dramatic impact on your future career, spiritual path, and/or become a lifelong friend. An X-Factor may be a career opportunity, perhaps one that may seem negative at first (laid off, demotion at work, etc.), but ends up opening new doors and opportunities. Perhaps it is the end of a friendship or a relationship, where you rediscover your own strength and self-worth. In one of my own cases, perhaps it is a health issue, which reminds you to take better care of yourself physically.

While learning to roll with the waves of life is an essential skill to learn, learning to harness the power of those waves, and use them to your benefit, can be an extremely useful skill. In some of the aforementioned examples, an X-Factor may present itself, yet if you were stuck in an artificial or negative view of the present, you may interpret them as useless/meaningless, or even as a wholly negative experience. However, if you have learned to harness X-Factors, even ones that appear negative at first, you can turn them into powerful life changing experiences.

I think this principle is beautifully represented in the martial art of T’ai Chi, where in combat the strength and force of an opponent’s attack is almost effortlessly deflected and used against them. Therefore, in T’ai Chi, just as in life, a seemingly negative force can be deflected and used for your benefit with practice and attention.

“Embrace the unexpected. The things we never saw coming often take us to the places we never imagined we could go.”- Unknown

Practical Tip: When faced with new or unexpected events, try and harness them to your advantage, even ones that may seem negative at first. If events at first seem to be negative, try to find the “silver lining in the cloud”, or learn to try and make “lemonade out of lemons”.

I would love to see your thoughts and comments on what you have done, or plan to do, in order to welcome and embrace X-Factors in your life. I would also love for you to share any thoughts or insights that come up.

Please come back next week for the next installment of this series, and as always if you enjoyed what you read, please share on social network sites, subscribe to this site, and share this site with others!

Also please check out my book, “The Path: Using the Religions of the World as a Guide to Personal and Spiritual Development.” (Click on the book cover to view on Amazon.com)