Practice

We can pick up heavy weights if we practice. We can pass tests if we practice. We can learn a language if we practice. We can accomplish anything if we practice. Why then do we think that we can just choose peace of mind and it will happen?

We believe that we will have peace of mind if we have a nice vacation. Did you ever get upset on a nice vacation? Of course you have. We believe that if we have the right friends or lovers we will have peace of mind. Have you ever been upset with someone you love? Of course you have. 

The list of things and events that have the potential to upset us are infinite. The understanding that most people never grasp is that everything on that infinite list is outside of us.

There is no gene, bacteria or virus that devours our peace of mind. Our peace of mind is only devoured by what we have learned from our own experiences and others. When we saw people complain about the rain, we learned to do the same. Had we grown up with the desert people we would have learned to celebrate and dance when it rained. 

We are a product of our environment and the people in it and at some early stage in our life we accept our upsets as normal and we respond automatically to people and situations. We are on auto pilot and most of our conscious awareness goes into standby mode.

That’s not living! Living is choosing your emotions. Living is deciding which is more important your peace of mind or your critical comeback or revenge. Aware living is finding that calm, serene place within you to pause when that decision is about to be made.

Yes, your parents, teachers, bosses and assorted figures are a part of you and when something happens you will respond as one of them or a mixture of a couple of them BUT you don’t have to.

You can respond from a place of serenity and choose your own words and actions. Words and actions that expand your life with no regrets and not the ones that diminish it with regret and self criticism.

How do you do this? You practice. What do you practice? Mindfulness and meditation. The road to peace of mind starts there. 
 
Sundrops On Life -Better Thoughts. Better Days.