🌜🌛 TREE 679: Are you certain?

In ancient times when energy companies sent salespeople door-to-door, a salesman came to my door. He wanted me to switch my energy supplier to EDF (or E.ON or npower – it was in ancient times and I’m old now). He was a good, friendly salesman but he could not overcome my good, friendly sales resistance.

The next week he came back and this time he wanted me to switch to npower (or E.ON or EDF). I pointed out that he had been working for a different team the week before. He said that actually last week’s company was rubbish and I should definitely switch to his new company. My sales resistance was suddenly stronger.

Have you even seen people doing this with things that matter more than energy suppliers? They go from vegan to full carnivore and loudly declare that anyone foolish enough to not eat animals all day is an idiot sheep on the way to slaughter. Or vice versa. They leave their religion and declare that atheism is the only way for sane people. Or vice versa. Ditto for politics, medicine, business, relationships. Especially relationships.

At first it looks like a radical conversion. But when you spend time with the person, you start to notice their energy is exactly the same.

New drawing, same chalkboard.

If you ever find yourself leaving one thing then quickly latching onto its opposite because the old thing is 1,000% awful and the new opposite is 1,000,000% great, pay attention. Almost nothing is that awful. Its opposite is never that great, and it’s often not even that opposite. You might be rushing past an invitation to do some slower, deeper internal work. You might be rushing past because the invitation promises uncertainty.

1. This song is worth listening to with your headphones turned up loud

2. The video is a bit grim, not gruesome, but grim.

Grow slowly
Jeff