This Is What Matters
Here's what actually matters.
Jul 24, 2024
Self Growth
5 min
On hold with the rental car company, trying for the third or fourth time to fix a couple problems. What you expect 30% of the time when dealing with this necessary but painful part of travel.
My daughter was working to fall asleep, but restless. She was moving around and seemed uncomfortable and couldn’t quite fall asleep. At this point I’m on hold for 25m or more while trying to calm my baby to sleep.
I decided to pick her up while staying attentive to not miss when the agent answering. Immediately after picking her up, she became calm, she fell asleep.
“Shh sh sh sh” I quietly said to her as she dozed off, “This is what matters.”
This is what matters…. It just came out of me. It felt as if my father was sending me a message. I began to repeat this to make sure it was instilled within me. This is such a big realization but we lose it, way too often and for way too long. Meanwhile what actually matters flashes right by us. While we’re solving problems that don’t actually matter. In all future matters of BS, may I remember what matters most and quickly take care of it, which often means dropping it and just becoming present.
When all is said and done and I am leaving this life. The holding of my sleeping daughter, these moments of safety, comfort, rest - pure love between souls. That’s what I’ll want to take with me. Not some partial refund of x, assurance I won’t be charged for y, Or new drop off confirmation to z.
The only time you should be dealing with those minute, micro, and shallow odd jobs? In brief sprints with released attachment to them going your way. Especially when it comes to customer support, especially when it comes to something as notoriously (1/3 times = sub-par or terrible) as rental cars. Just let it go and flow past that, to get to the good stuff what actually matters, and be present with it.
So let’s get down to presence.
Presence - The act of having deep clarity on and doing exceedingly well at - what matters.
This is true productivity, and nothing beats it.
🖖 Be Happy, And At Ease,
Daniel Hanks
Student of Mastery
Teka: Center for Mastery
