The point of doing the dishes is to have a clean kitchen. The point of mowing the lawn is to have shorter grass. The point of waiting in a line up is to get whatever they are selling at the end of the line up. The point of learning an instrument is so you can play a song. The point of doing a workout is so you can get stronger. The point of competing is usually to win or to achieve the very best result you can achieve. These are all external points. Everything has an easily identifiable external point. But sometimes when you are missing your external targets your ego will start finding it all rather pointless and you will end up missing the point entirely.
The point of everything you do is rooted in a few intrinsic truths that are universal. It doesn’t matter whether you are doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, waiting in line, learning an instrument, doing a workout or competing in a race. The point is to become fully engaged in the thing you are doing simply for the sake of doing the thing you are doing- even if it’s something that you would rather not be doing. The point is to learn to give your full attention to the thing you are doing. The point is to learn and practice an unwavering commitment to the present moment. Because when you do this you silence the part of you that will find something pointless especially if you don’t hit the external target you are aiming for. And when you silence that part of you, you can direct more of your attention and energy at the thing you are doing and you will usually end up doing it better….which, ironically, allows you to hit more external targets.
