Killer Instinct

Self-possessed, resolute, act
without any thought of results,
open to success or failure,
This equanimity is yoga.
(Bhagavad Gita)

A colleague had a training session with a former tennis star - who actually turned out to be quite nice. When my colleague asked him afterwards what exactly separates the top ranked players from the rest he replied, "the killer instinct"!

How sad, but probably true. The question only is why would anyone become a professional sports player. All these rules are man-made. If you put two professionals against each other, one has to win and the other lose. Those are the rules. But life doesn't have to be that way at all. Life is creative. When you walk the Tao you know that everyone wins - that's the Way.

The message of the Gita sounds like it is the opposite of professional sports, but then, in some dimension, it is the same. Yes, you can be "successful" without rooting for it. You are lost in the moment along the Way just as the athlete. Instincts are kicking in along the Way, yet it is hardly a killer instinct. You act as you receive an invite to act. You act without any pressure and without expectation. It is an act of freedom, of creativity and love. It is the most obvious and natural thing in the world. You aren't rooting against anyone, you are showing up along the Way.