Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
Confucius
551 – 479 B.C.
I would like to introduce you to a word that was used by the ancient Aztecs. The word is “Ollin” (pronounced ALL-in). You can find the word used in many of the activities of the Aztecs. When some major event occurred, they used the word to signal that it was time to move and act with full purpose. It was time for Ollin. But Ollin was not just a word to the Aztecs; it was a philosophy, a way of living.
They believed that everyone has a purpose in life, and once you find your purpose, you should follow it with all your heart: you should go All-in. No matter what you do, you should be fully engaged. If you would not or could not fully commit to a course of action, they felt it was better not to do it at all.
If you look around today, you’ll see many people who are tentative about life. They go through the motions but aren’t fully invested in their work. Their job provides the means for food and shelter but rarely offers emotional satisfaction; they endure the work week and live for the weekend.
Likewise, many people enter into relationships with the attitude that “maybe it’ll work out.” They’re not fully committed and often hold back, not fully sharing their thoughts, feelings and dreams with their partners. And we wonder why so many relationships fail.
Once you’ve chosen a path in life, you should commit to it with all your heart. You should go Ollin.
We often fail to go Ollin because we want to keep our options open. We’re afraid to fully commit to a particular course of action. But doing something half-heartedly is a sure path to mediocre results.
I learned this word from a little book called Aspire
In the book, Kevin tells us, “When we decide what it is that we are willing to suffer for, and what we are equally willing to act on, the world opens up.” When we truly go Ollin, there’s nothing that can stop us.
At the end of each chapter in the book is a journal. Here’s a question from this chapter. “What would happen if I committed to get ‘Ollin’ with my relationships? My health? My career? My education? My finances?” I’m sure they would all improve.
If you want to lead a truly meaningful life, then stop holding back. You need to go Ollin.
To do anything truly worth doing, I must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in with gusto and scramble through as well as I can.
Og Mandino
1923 – 1996
Copyright © 2016 John Chancellor
It’s Amazing the simplicity that this value on life can apply anyone , with commitment and determination
Well say
John, I’m “ollin” with you until I get to the end. I don’t see how you can get ollin with work, family, finances, and everything else all at once. To me, there’s an inherent contradiction here.
-d
Diana,
Thanks for your comment. Obviously if a person has been less than “ollin” in all areas of their life, it would not be wise to try to fix everything at once. When making changes, it is necessary to set priorities and work on the changes in a manner that is sustainable.
Please note that the suggestion was from the book and I do not believe the author was suggesting tackling all those at once, just listing all the areas that should be considered.
John
Very timely John. Just thinking how much simpler to think of being “Ollin” in life rather than trying to be half in at work, or really only a third in our relationships. What’s the rest of you doing in the mean time?