Master Your Mind

Our mind is the most spectacular thing we are given at birth. The mind is an incredible tool, however can be very difficult to deal with at times. Our mind is our own personal best friend or sidekick, good or bad, constantly throwing out ideas, stressors, thoughts, and beliefs in hopes to grab your attention. Like a little sibling, it will stop at nothing until you are fully engaged in order for them to be satisfied. This is however, unless you take a moment to simply talk to your mind, sit with your mind. Going back to the sibling reference, you will find once you sit with your sibling and play with them for a little every day that they will enjoy your presence and not constantly bother you for the slightest bit of attention. This relationship with your sibling has now become peaceful, instead of a burden or a daily annoyance. The same is true for you mind, if you notice we speak of our mind as something separate from our being, this is because that is exactly what it is. If you can hear your thoughts, that is mere proof that you are not your thoughts nor your mind (the creator of these thoughts). Sit with your mind for just a little bit each day, and you will see the relationship become more peaceful and less of a constant stressor of worries piling up, weighing down your entire being. When you take time to see and understand your mind, it won't feel like it needs your constant attention to be satisfied.

A younger sibling seeks this kind of constant attention, constantly watching their older sibling, observing, and following what they do and how they are doing it. It can go unnoticed how much the older sibling’s actions influence those of the younger. For example, if your younger sibling wants to play baseball just as you do, they will watch you and seek you instruction on how to play. Your mind does the same. By this I mean, the way you think, depends on how you act, and vise versa. Your body does not truly know the difference between imagining yourself doing something, and physically doing it. Why do we get incredibly nervous when we think of the huge exam coming up, or become sad when we recall a certain memory? This is because your body experiences these emotions as if the event you are thinking about is currently happening. This can burden us with unnecessary stress or sadness as we live through or worry about negative past or future endeavors. These thoughts do not have to be only negative, we can use this to our advantage. When you begin to train your mind to positively believe you will succeed, get that score, complete the race, finish the paper, and achieve anything you ever imagined, you will do just that. When seeking motivation we commonly hear the phrase, “you can do anything you put your mind to”. If you notice, it is usually said by people who have trained their mind, and have had endless success by changing the way they thinking, and creating a beautiful relationship with their treasured sidekick, the mind. This isn’t easy for anyone. Training your little brother to believe he can hit a baseball can become extremely frustrating, just as training your mind to believe anything is possible can, but the outcome is truly extraordinary. It all begins with taking that short time to sit with your mind each day, treat it as a younger sibling, because it will follow you just as a sibling would. It is up to you to lead your mind in the direction that you want, take it down the unpaved bumpy road if you believe that is the way for you. Just as your little sibling would, the mind will trust you and follow you straight to your true aspirations and success.