Applying the 20/80 Role Internally

We are in some pretty interesting times of change.  According to many, this week has particularly significant events and a chance perhaps  for  illumination and increased awareness.  Hm...

I felt I had such an "ah ha" illuminating moment the other day.  I wrote about the 20/80 rule before as a  change management concept and it has really stuck with me since then. http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/10/changing-world-2080-rule-and-walnut.html  It feels to me like a concept that needs to be expanded a bit, hence my "ah ha" flash. 

It occurred to me that we all spend a lot of time and effort (80%) trying to change external circumstances, forces, interactions, and perceptions. We spend lots of effort trying to explain our point of view to others to try and resolve conflict or join forces.  We keep trying to make our external environment different.  We decorate, and paint, and change things around  hoping to make, or allow, change to occur.  We spend a lot of time, effort and money (which represents time and effort) investing in things that might help us make this external transformation. We buy clothes, make-up, hair products, accessories, beautiful new shoes.... all in the name of changing that 80% outside ourselves. Maybe we're putting our effort into the 80% that doesn't really matter so much?

What if we applied the 20/80 rule and focused on the 20% inside ourselves. Maybe it's me that can change easier than I can change my environment.  Perhaps by changing myself I would only have to put in 20% effort for 80% results. Hmm...

That was pretty much my ah ha moment.  I realized that I could  apply the 20/80 rule by changing the way I thought about things, or did things ,or reacted to things instead of trying to change those "things".  I realized it really did take very little effort once I got over trying to convince myself to do it or not to do it. It might just be one of those Hundred Acre Wood saying that you are "smarter than you think"  http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/01/hunting-for-woozles-bach-flower-larch.html You might even find you are "stronger than you feel".

It was kind of a "Boss of Me" moment http://pixiedusthealing.blogspot.ca/2012/11/the-boss-of-me.html as well when I realized that the easiest way to make things change was not to focus on what was outside me, but instead to focus on me, change me, allow myself to change, and therefore, with minimal effort I really would have 80% difference. 

I'm not talking about changing external aspects of self- that's a lot of effort in my opinion. At least 80% on a good day!  I'm talking about changing my inner core.That sounds like a lot of effort- that's because we're conditioned to think that way.  I think it's a myth and a "make work project" that keeps us focusing on the really hard work- external stuff, when we instead , could be focusing a bit on the inside and making a world of change.

I guess all the Bach Flowers work on this 20/80 principle.  http://pixiedusthealing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/bach_flower_faq.pdf They work on helping your body get back in balance so your body can heal itself the way it's designed to.  By making ever so slight changes in vibration you can have huge benefits.  20/80 rule!!

When you work on your core you don't convince yourself that things are wonderful when they aren't.  You don't change your perspective so that you see the good thing in a bad situation. You don't focus on the outside at all!  It is neither good nor bad.  It's irrelevant.  All that really matters is your core, your inner knowing, your inner self.  When you find that connection you'll know what to do, the rest will be easy and you'll see huge change (80%) without even trying. In fact, because you didn't try.

Sorry to say, I'm not really sure what it is that you "do" in that 20% inner core fixing.  It's more a feeling and once you experience it, you know what I mean.  It's maybe "doing nothing" and letting go of trying to work on the 80% external stuff. For some it might be meditation.  For others it might be a good long walk.  It might be just sitting in silence, or watching the stars, painting a picture, or listening to music.  What it "isn't" is anything hard, uncomfortable, thought provoking,  work orientated, or "fix-orientated".  I guess it's just "being". 

I figured today's picture fits in to the 20/80 rule.  You don't put Christmas lights on 80% of the trees in the  forest so that you have a beautiful place in the center.  You put the lights in the one 20% of the forest in the centre. And that lights up a beautiful peaceful space and  the whole forest just becomes background.  The focus in on what's at the centre.  You....

Shine your light!