We are put on this Earth for a purpose just like all other creatures of nature yet with the everyday pressure of living we lose sight of what we are here for.
"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still", Lao Tzu quotes.
In order to find happiness and peace we have to reshape ourselves and find the will power to change all our negative patterns into new healthy positive ones. Having will power is the key to success with anything we do, including taking control of our lives, fears and doubts, so knowing your true self is where true wisdom comes from. Self awareness must be practised. It's a switch in the brain you have to switch on. Focus enables you to explore areas of your life and activate self realisation and desires. Honest communication with yourself is where you start and taking responsibility for the mess you find yourself in, instead of projecting blame on others, may sound impossible but in reality is quite simple and really empowering. By focusing on core values in your meditation like empathy, compassion, humility, courage, gratitude and bringing them into your life through acts of expression we begin to change the person we actually are into the person we like to see ourselves as, for real and when we do this happiness follows us and sticks like glue.
We all have a good voice and a bad voice in our heads every time we make a choice, one being your true spirit, the other your ego or darkside, which sadly always wants you to be in turmoil and failing. Your ego will always make you eat the cream cake, "Go on, one won't hurt" even though you have decided to give them up, causing massive anxiety inside when you realize you have failed yet again in mastering your goals, losing weight, giving up an addiction or reaching a personal goal.
Self mastery can only ever be achieved by spending time alone for a while tuning into what you think and tuning out the opinions, thoughts, views and advise of others. Mastering your self to bring your thoughts, words and deeds into alignment can only begin with serious reflection and taking personal responsibility for the past action that brought you to this present place. If you struggle to spend time alone you must learn to like yourself and your own company. Liking yourself for real comes with making different choices, choices more in line with the pure and good side of your nature.
The truth is brutal for the ego but with time only listening to the good voice will bring you peace and all the willpower you need to be the best you can be, always.
And when you've got your high standards, standards you know are right for you and you are happy to defend, defined in humility and grace (not piety), and your thoughts, words and deeds in alignment you'll feel absolutely fantastic. And that's a fact.
Time to stop competing with other people and start recognising the only person to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
Photo by: Alexis Fauvet Unsplash