The Pendulum Swings
By the end of this lesson, you can recognize the up and down seasons in your life and stay steady through both.
The big idea
Every high has a low. Every low has a high. The trick is not to be thrown by either.
The tide comes in and goes out. Day becomes night. Winter becomes spring. Markets go up and down; you can watch our paper-trading bots in BERLO City have good days and bad days. Freight has busy seasons and slow ones. The Kybalion calls this Rhythm: everything swings like a pendulum.
Most people get thrown by the swing. When things are up, they spend like the high will last forever. When things are down, they quit like the low will last forever. Both mistakes come from forgetting the pendulum.
Three ways to work with rhythm:
- In the high season, prepare for the low. Save some of the good month. Build while energy is high.
- In the low season, remember it swings back. Rest, learn, repair. Don't make permanent decisions about temporary feelings.
- Stand in the middle. The Kybalion teaches that you can rise above the swing instead of riding all the way to each end. In plain words: stay steady. Don't get too high on the wins or too low on the losses.
A good rule from this lesson: never make big decisions at the very top or the very bottom of the swing. At the top you feel invincible. At the bottom you feel hopeless. Neither feeling is telling you the truth. Wait until you're back near the middle.
Map your seasons
Think back over the last year. When were your high seasons and low seasons (money, energy, mood, work)? Look for a pattern.
| Area | High season | Low season | How I'll prepare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money | |||
| Energy | |||
| Work |
Bonus: Watch the bots
3 quick questions
Your real-life task
Write down one decision you've been tempted to make from a high or a low. Put a date on the calendar one week out. Decide then, not now.
Next: Cause & Effect
Nothing is luck. How to become a cause in your own life.