Anywhere but here

We’ve all said it at one time or another…

I would be rather be anywhere but here.

Regardless of how long we ruminated upon this feeling, there is someone who thought about it much longer whan we did: our mind.
When did it lose its taste for the sweetness of the present? Always running to the future to chase how things could be; or dragging us into the past to obsess over just how great things once were. As a passenger, it feels more like being dragged along side of a train trying to reach its illusory and imaginary destination, then any nice sort of ride up in first class with a cup of chai and a fruit tart.
Teaching our mind to serve us, to listen to the real source of wisdom, within, is the single most important thing that any of us may every strive to accomplish.

Musical indigestion

Ever get a song stuck in your head that just won’t get out of it? Ever suffer the frustration that comes with it?
We all have. Just like when our stomaches haven’t been given the right thing to help them to digest what we eat, when we fail to give our mind the right kind of attention then it can’t do its job digesting music, either.
The solution is simple: grab a copy of the song and the lyrics for it, find the right page, hit play, and start singing along from start to finish with total concentration on the song and its lyrics.
Your mind will be very happy that you did the right thing for it, and so will you.

Motion and emotion, action and reaction

Every action that you take sets a standard from which you may pull from to justify how to move forward in life. Take every opportunity that you have to move, and to act, in a virtuous, kind, and cheerful manner. At the very least, do it when it is easy. At the very worst of times, it will serve you both as an example, and as an excuse, to behave in the same manner. In our North American culture today, some people may become quite insulted when you don’t react to their misery with meanness, cruelty, and gloom with matching feelings. Know though, that you are doing the right thing in staying virtuous, kind, and cheerful.

Training and practice

The onus of responsibility to better oneself lies entirely upon the individual. Her efforts must be applied in a disciplined, perseverant, and self-controlled manner. Laziness must be banished, and cheerfulness welcomed. When you are new to a topic, train smart and well. When you become an expert on a topic, practice daily. Set high, high standards and expectations for yourself and others; and be forgiving when they are failed to be met. If you never fail reach them, then you are setting your goals too low. Take joy and satisfaction from your effort, alone, and let go of anything else that it yields (bad or good).