Our life is all based upon what is going on in our minds and we are structuring the thoughts and the mindset. I can say ‘I’m active not ‘I’m busy’.
Keeping busy can be a way of avoiding one’s inner world because I don’t know how to manage my thoughts and feelings. We didn’t have this education. It takes courage to go into our inner world. Life is about what we ‘attain’ not what we ‘achieve’. To focus on achieving is a trap, I put my sense of identity into external things.
What do I base my self respect on?
Actions are about how I feel inside and how I bring that feeling out. Stop to see how caught up you are in activity. Take time out to see what life is about.
A. Redefine what success is for ’you’. Is it based on your internal world?
Internal world: feelings, thoughts, perceptions and beliefs. Thoughts connect this internal world with the external world. In our original state we all are peaceful, joyful, loving, wise and powerful beings. Simply because I exist I am worthy. In meditation, practice letting go of the activity and experience in this inner state and build-up your self esteem based on the qualities of your inner world. Then, the dependency of the feedback of other people diminishes. Enjoy the sense of being you: ‘I don’t have to do anything and I can still feel good about myself’. Sit and enjoy this. It is a process of stripping off my ‘doings’ and getting to who I really am. It is going inside and considering myself to be a peaceful being. This is the starting and ending point of this journey of life. The rest of my life is to see if I am in that state.
B. Find your purpose: You have to spend time and find it for yourself. It can be tricky sometimes as people around us might be dictating something on us. Our common aim in life is to experience our inner qualities and manifest them in action.
How practical are these qualities in life?
1st step: ‘Experience’ is essential. Feel that peace is the core of your being.
2nd: I am able to love and appreciate myself.
3rd: My aim becomes more about the quality of my action and how I feel whilst performing those actions. Am I acting with love, care, joy, etc?
4th: The quality of my actions will be higher.
How long can we not be active for? It is a part of our life. By doing the right activity at the right time you accumulate energy and aren’t drained. In between every action there is a space, if I use that to go inside my whole life will change. If I get tired, I am over-emphasising on the activity that I am doing.
It’s not so much about what I am doing, but what I am thinking. My thoughts create my state of consciousness, then so are my actions. How many of my thoughts are loving thoughts to myself and towards others; are about growing or are they about the outside world and not myself?
– I have to consciously ‘create’ thoughts to create a meaningful life; this is the whole effort of a spiritual life. Be more disciplined about what is going on in your mind.
– Thoughts will lead to feelings which become my experience – my life. The quality of my life is determined by the quality of my thoughts.
– Actions will be good if my thought patterns are good. I just need to respond to what is in front of me, then there is power is in that response. If I don’t respond at the time I miss a chance to grow. Once that moment is gone the chance is gone. Our whole journey of life is about response. You will be left with the resonance of the energy of your response, positive or negative. I take it with me, carry that energy to another relationship.
