Friday, March 12, 2021
If there is one thing we know about the mind is that it loves a reward. In other words, if something is linked to pleasure, we thrive. What are you linked to, pain or pleasure? Suffering, worry, boredom, agitation, and fear are a result of associating the outer conditions with inner pain. This link is often automatic and done by the mind. People seem to associate inner pain with their outer reality as a default response, but they don’t have to.
Today, think about what you’ve chosen to make unpleasant in your life. Have you linked being stuck in traffic, for example, as “painful?” Have you linked up the evening news with anger and worry? Have you allowed someone’s bad behavior to smear your inner world? Have you linked the future to fear? Why not build a bridge to pleasure! Yes, you can find something pleasurable about being in traffic – even if it is to acknowledge that you are safe, comfortable, and in no physical harm. Simple things can become pleasurable, but you must create a more hospitable, internal environment to welcome what comes your way. Be a gracious host to your outer condition, and don’t allow yourself to engage in behaviors and situations that seem to agitate you. Be the gatekeeper to how the outer world is allowed into your awareness. Find more links to joy today; take more pathways to pleasure; and focus more on opportunities to practice being peaceful. The mind loves a reward – give it a treat everyday!