Playing Above The Line
What does it mean to be “playing above the line”? To me it means having a responsiveness to all the events that occur in my world – behaving as if I can do something about it, even if I choose to do nothing. It gives me a choice in my reactions and ownership of that choice.
So you may ask “What is the line, and why is it important?” The line in my world is the line separating cause from effect. If I believe I am at cause for everything in my life, I can at least have the option to either do something about it, or if it is impossible to do anything about it, I can choose how I respond to that event or situation.
I can choose to feel sorry for myself or I can choose to empathise with others who are perhaps caught in the same circumstance. I have learnt that, for me, the more above the line I am the better quality of life and relationships I attract. If, on the other hand, I believe I am at effect for those circumstances, then it will always be someone else's fault for the things that happen to me.
To use an example that many will relate to, if someone cuts me off in traffic, instead of cursing them and being upset, I find it helps me to ask myself – “How am I being impatient today?”.
This has the effect of taking the focus off the event and the possible motivations of the ‘cutter' – which, lets face it, I will never know accurately because I don't read minds – and focussing on the energy that I am putting out into the world that may have attracted this event to me.
Perhaps I have been driving a little too fast or a little too distractedly? Hmm, whether this is true or not, it helps me to think that I can improve myself and my focus.
Which side of the line do you play on?
About the author
Estelle is the Editor & Founder of Smart Healthy Women Mag. She is an expert Coach, Author and Speaker. She is passionate about providing her readers with successful strategies for realising a life of purpose, meaning and fulfilment using the best in change tools and believes that by reaching their potential, everyone can make the world a better place.
