Tapas

November 2, 2012 — #3BD, books, Chris Brogan, mental-health, Tapas

The discipline to finish, to study and to sweat out the details is the path of tapas. Yoga’s mandates for a balanced life, yamas and niyamas regulate the ease with which we find enlightenment.  Tapas is right effort, or dedication. All our efforts are subject to the energy we exert and the commitment we create within our minds.  Belief alone will not bring the rewards that confidence combined with focused work can yield. Self discipline often involves forsaking some addictive or wasteful pursuit for another more admirable one.

As a library freak one can proudly wave the flag of how many books one reads.  I have been enchanted with libraries all my life, and consume content (as it is now known) like there is no tomorrow.  Although I say health is my real wealth, the truth is that the Pima County Library is the only thing that ever actually makes me feel super rich.  I free range browse,  check out certain books many times for recipes and pictures, and mindlessly and greedily reserve every single book on my current  obsession.  I have exhausted the cookbook section in several of the local branches.  I am attached like crazy fire to the idea of never ending books.  The price is right, so what could possibly be wrong with this picture?

Suddenly, a pop quiz about books from my author/ally:

Chris Brogan, who is a favorite author as well as a sometime correspondent/ally issued a challenge to join him in a year of restricting oneself to reading only three books.  It is called the Three Book Diet or #3BD for those who speak hashtag. When the idea was mentioned I quickly found ways to cheat and not really do it, but do it as an experiment.  I was planning to make my third book a revolving cookbook from the library.  After all, I could never be away from the library for an entire year.  This mental rebellion itself was a strong clue to the real motives active here.  When confronted with the idea that we may flit through book after book while never digesting or using any of the valuable methods or ideas acquired I did not need to ask for whom this challenge tolls.  It tolls for me.  My picture is in the cosmic dictionary under dilettante who has read almost every book in the world……not to mention all the various training ad infinitum….(please, not to mention).  I have done my best to choose the three books with integrity, and as little cheating as possible.

The first one already has a notebook with it so I get a two for one..How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb is a great book I have read once and then some.  Sacred Contracts is a book I am studying thoroughly with the tutelage of the author, Caroline Myss.  The ever brilliant Mr Brogan has taken the third with his new book, The Impact Equation.   The challenge involves journaling and making use of the books chosen in an interactive way.  Since Leonardo and Carolyn are already in the workbook homework format, and Brother Brogan is tweeting about it, it seems like a cohesive package.  Yesterday I drove a route that ALWAYS includes a visit to the library.  I thought very carefully about what a year would do to my feelings of abundance.  It is not an easy decision, but I believe that  tapas will become my new source of abundance.