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JOIN UP DOTS - GET RICH & LIVE FREE (Business Coaching With A Touch Of Life Coaching Too)

Allan Watts And The Backwards Law

JOIN UP DOTS - GET RICH & LIVE FREE (Business Coaching With A Touch Of Life Coaching Too)

David Ralph of Join Up Dots

Education, Business

5.01.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2022

⏱️ 18 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Allan Watts And The Backwards Law The backwards Law is a very interesting concept brought to the world by the late philosopher Allan Watts. Now you may not have heard of the backwards law, but in its simplest form its a focus on what we haven't got in our lives which brings more of the same into our lives. You see we all have positions where we would like to move to something better and so focus in what we need to do to get that thing. You can call this goal setting, ambition, dream chasing.....whatever you wish to call it. Which is all totally acceptable as this is what humans do in life and should be encouraged by all means. However, when we carry a sense of unhappiness with ourselves whilst working towards the goal we get rooted to the spot and lose track of what we need to be doing. Allan Watts, the late modern philosopher described this feeling of staying where we are when he made his famous backwards law speech. Allan Watts The Backwards Law The modern philosopher Alan Watts referred to this as "the backwards law" which is "the idea that the more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place. As he says "The more you desperately want to be rich, the more poor and unworthy you feel, regardless of how much money you actually make. The more desperately you want to be sexy and desired, the uglier you come to see yourself, regardless of your actual physical appearance. The more you desperately want to be happy and loved, the lonelier and more afraid you become, regardless of those who surround you." Its a fine line to walk at the best of times. What he is saying is "be grateful for what you already have, but also feel free to want more" which of course goes against many of the rules set in todays self-development age. Be better, be slimmer, be more focused, be more, be more, be more. Im not personally sure that its a path that i can walk all the time, as the backwards law i'm sure will hold me back from my goals. Do You Feel You Are In A World Of Lacking? If you do feel that more often than not the world is dealing you a bad set of cards then perhaps a change of outlook is required. Perhaps you are operating 100% within the rules of the backwards law and focusing in on the wrong things. Its funny when you think that life is giving you everything you need but you are missing it as you are looking the wrong way. And the right way isnt where you think you should be looking at all. The right way is always within yourself and accepting the gifts that you already have in your life. Thats the backwards law for you in its backwards glory.....you already have what you need and truly require. So now its time to accept and build from that point.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Life shouldn't be hard. Life should be a fun-filled adventure every day.

0:05.0

So now start joining up dots.

0:07.0

Tap into your talents, your skills, your God-given gifts,

0:11.0

and tell your boss, you don't deserve me.

0:14.0

I'm out of here.

0:16.0

It's time for you to smash that alarm clock.

0:20.0

And start getting the dream business and life you will, of course, are dreaming of.

0:26.0

Let's join your host, David Ralph, from the back of his garden in the UK.

0:31.0

Or wherever he might be today.

0:33.0

With another jammed pack episode of the number one hit podcast, Join Up Dots.

0:41.0

Yes, I'm a big morning to you.

0:43.0

Good morning to you and welcome to Join Up Dots.

0:46.0

I tell you what, it's a funny old life being a podcast up.

0:49.0

Because, especially with a show like Join Up Dots,

0:52.0

because back from the very beginning, I wanted to share the walks and all.

0:57.0

Because, you know, and I say this all the time, and I know, yeah, probably getting bored of it.

1:03.0

But life is not what people make it, and I'll make it seem like it is.

1:09.0

No matter how well it is, you know, you get the highest achievers out there.

1:15.0

I was watching a documentary about Paul McCartney the other day,

1:19.0

and he was talking about how depressed he was once the Beatles split up,

1:23.0

and how he just sat at home drinking.

1:25.0

And then when his marriage went wrong, he did the same,

...

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