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How to Make Your Heart and Your Mind Work Together

Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead, follow him on twitter.

The same voice in your mind that told you to act, is the same voice that ridicules you later for making that choice.

Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous?

I want to show you how I’ve learned to make my heart and mind get along.

Because unfortunately…

It’s typical in our society to feel a conflict between what we want to do (our heart) and what we feel is practical (our mind).

We end up living 1/3 of our lives in a cubicle for the “benefits.” We stay friends with people we only kind of like. We do and say things to fit in and seem cool that really go against what we feel is right in our hearts.

Because it’s caused so much heartache in my life, I’ve spend a lot of time trying to diagnose the source of this problem.

Is my heart at fault? Are my feelings just silly and frivolous? Or maybe it’s my mind that’s to blame. It seems like it’s always coming up with conflicting messages anyway.

And on it goes and we never really seem to get to it. There’s a lot of social conditioning that covers up and obscures things too. Even if you really feel like that’s the right choice, how do you know for sure? How do you know it’s not just what you think you should do?

All of this might sound a little over the top, but it’s a real problem. It ruins lives because people can’t make up their minds about whether or not the path of their heart is valid or not. They end up living a shadow of the possibility that they could. All because they couldn’t make up their mind.

There’s a simple answer to this problem. It might seem even a little too simple. But most things are. Bruce Lee once said “The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” I believe this.

First… let’s take a look at where this problem starts.

Confusing the purpose of the heart and mind

The main reason we suffer from this illness of indecision, is that we’ve mistaken the purpose of heart and mind. The heart is like a compass, it’s purpose is to guide the direction our lives should take. Our heart takes a birds eye view on our life and says “this is where you’re at and this is the direction you need to go.”

Our mind on the other hand isn’t made for making purpose driven decisions. The nature of the mind is that it conceptualizes, organizes and compares information. It does this as best it can and says “here are the facts, here’s both sides of the story.”

If we compare our mind and heart to a courtroom, our mind would be the defendant and the plaintiff (both stories) and our heart would be justice or the judge (the right direction).

The reason we’re so troubled by this conflict of head vs heart is that the mind is not only playing the prosecutor and the defense, but has take over the role of the judge as well.

The mind should never be the judge. The minds job is to compare and contrast. To sort things out and say “this is what I’ve got, do what you want with it.”

But more often than not, our mind isn’t doing that. Our mind is making our choices. What’s worse, is even when we don’t need our mind to be at work, it’s still going. Comparing and contrasting everything. Brooding, mostly.

Have you ever noticed that even when it’s completely unnecessary to think about anything, your mind is still going? Have noticed that when this is happening, your mind is getting in the way of your experience? Just a few examples of this that come to mind for me are; sex, watching a sunset, or taking a shower. My mind really doesn’t need to be thinking while doing these things. There’s no point. At all.

Taming the mind

Before we can get the mind to take a break when we don’t need to be incessantly thinking, we have to make friends with it first. If we try to tell our mind to go away, or that we don’t need it, we’ll just encourage it all the more. Instead of a retreat we’ll get a resurgence. We don’t want that.

So if we want to end the conflict of head and heart, we’ve got to figure out a way to marry this disparate pair.

Remember when I told you the answer to this problem is simple? Well, it is. But it won’t be easy at first, because we’ve been doing it all wrong for so long.

What we have to do is only use our mind to go with ourselves. The Latin root for sin means “to go against.” So we have to learn to be without sin.

We have to learn to constantly realigning our decisions to be “with ourselves.”

Have you ever wondered how to tell whether a decision is right? It seems so difficult, doesn’t it? But it becomes so easy when you think “Is this choice going with me, or against me?” You’ll find that the right choice is immediately evident.

If you can learn to practice this every time you make a choice, you’ll start to regain your personal power.

You’ll create a marriage of your heart and mind. Maybe then their child (you) won’t have permanent emotional damage from the divorce it’s been suffering from for so long.

Make the choice today. Just try it out. I think you’ll like it.

Go with yourself.

PS: This is one of the concepts I talk about in my upcoming eBook, Reclaim Your Life, set to help you start living the life you dream of on January 1st. Stay tuned and follow me on twitter for information about a special offer in the next few weeks…

This article was written by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind. To learn more about how to reclaim your life, grab a subscription to Illuminated MInd.

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How to Make Your Heart and Your Mind Work Together

Article by Zen Habits contributor Jonathan Mead, follow him on twitter.

The same voice in your mind that told you to act, is the same voice that ridicules you later for making that choice.

Am I the only one that thinks this is ridiculous?

I want to show you how I’ve learned to make my heart and mind get along.

Because unfortunately…

It’s typical in our society to feel a conflict between what we want to do (our heart) and what we feel is practical (our mind).

Because it’s caused so much heartache in my life, I’ve spend a lot of time trying to diagnose the source of this problem.

Is my heart at fault? Are my feelings just silly and frivolous? Or maybe it’s my mind that’s to blame. It seems like it’s always coming up with conflicting messages anyway.

There’s a simple answer to this problem. It might seem even a little too simple. But most things are. Bruce Lee once said “The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” I believe this.

First… let’s take a look at where this problem starts.

Confusing the purpose of the heart and mind

If we compare our mind and heart to a courtroom, our mind would be the defendant and the plaintiff (both stories) and our heart would be justice or the judge (the right direction).

The reason we’re so troubled by this conflict of head vs heart is that the mind is not only playing the prosecutor and the defense, but has take over the role of the judge as well.

The mind should never be the judge. The minds job is to compare and contrast. To sort things out and say “this is what I’ve got, do what you want with it.”

Taming the mind

So if we want to end the conflict of head and heart, we’ve got to figure out a way to marry this disparate pair.

Remember when I told you the answer to this problem is simple? Well, it is. But it won’t be easy at first, because we’ve been doing it all wrong for so long.

What we have to do is only use our mind to go with ourselves. The Latin root for sin means “to go against.” So we have to learn to be without sin.

We have to learn to constantly realigning our decisions to be “with ourselves.”

If you can learn to practice this every time you make a choice, you’ll start to regain your personal power.

You’ll create a marriage of your heart and mind. Maybe then their child (you) won’t have permanent emotional damage from the divorce it’s been suffering from for so long.

Make the choice today. Just try it out. I think you’ll like it.

Go with yourself.

Spewed into the world on 10 December 2008 in Habits, Happiness, Simplicity |
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Brilliant comments (60)

Bri Says:

December 10th, 2008, 19:09 pm

Thanks a lot for this inspiring post. It’s actually what I’ve been struggling with every day for the past couple of months, so it’s always helpful to get some fresh input and know we’re not the only ones!

jessica Says:

December 10th, 2008, 19:32 pm

Hey Jon,

Thanks for an inspiring article. It actually made me a bit emotional, because its so relevant to where I am in my life.

It made me think about my job, which really isn’t the right fit for me. It made me think about my dream of finishing my novel. That’s what my heart feels is the path for me. I just have to stop all these distractions that my mind throws up.

Fit Bottomed Girls Says:

December 10th, 2008, 19:54 pm

Great post. I think it’s really hard to stand up and do what you feel is right in your heart. Sometimes being happy and making the right decisions isn’t easy, but it’s worth it!

Donnie Darko Says:

December 10th, 2008, 20:06 pm

Great Post. Thanks!

Out of Shell Says:

December 10th, 2008, 21:17 pm

We end up living 1/3 of our lives in a cubicle for the “benefits.”

That line sure hit home. I work in a cubicle, for the benefits (good income, good health care benefits, job stability). Right now while I’m still working to finish my graduate degree (and not accumulate student debt), I think the benefits outweigh the spiritual discomfort. But it certainly weighs on my mind a lot…what comes next…do I leave and follow another path…will that be any more useful than working in a cubicle? But I’ve been ‘practising’ insane-seeming leaps of faith over the years, so I think I will be able to do it when the time comes.

Also, when I need to make a decision that is driving me nuts, I often will just do the on-paper comparison. Draw a line down the centre of a page, dividing into pros & cons. Then start listing them. The benefit is not in having some objective way to say “x number of benefits vs. y number of negatives”, rather, I find that making that list lets me see what I really want, because if I pay attention I will notice that I’m trying to list more things in one of the columns.

Eric Hamm Says:

December 10th, 2008, 21:29 pm

Hey Jonathan, you’re a great teacher! :-) Your analogies are excellent!

I like the concept of the idea, but my only qualm with ‘going with yourself’ is that we, as humans, tend to be naturally selfish and self-centered and this means that going with ourselves would sometimes result and neglect of others. And I know that we need to take care of ourselves and there’s a reason we are ’self serving’ (survival), but I think that a lot of the great things in life happen when we go AGAINST our own desires to serve others.

I’m sure this was an assumed point, but it’s just the thought that came to mind.

On the other side of the coin, I think there’s a lot to be said about what you’re saying here. Our mind and heart DO tend to be in turmoil and this is rarely a good thing. I think your points are well thought out and should be put into practice to try and ‘marry’ these two dysfunctional vessels. :-)

I think your book sounds AWESOME and I look forward to it’s release! Eric.

K Says:

December 10th, 2008, 21:31 pm

Sorry to be so negative, but this post was so annoying to read that I couldn’t finish it. Perhaps someone should proof their articles for grammar and spelling before posting them.

Tabitha (From Single to Married) Says:

December 10th, 2008, 21:34 pm

I appreciate the message in your post. I’m also a big believer that in addition to your heart and your mind, you should listen to your intuition or “gut” feeling.

JosefB Says:

December 10th, 2008, 21:54 pm

Like everyone else that has posted, I have been struggling with this in: life, work and my relationships. Your timing is ridiculous and ideas welcomed.

Kelly Says:

December 10th, 2008, 22:01 pm

I think you have to be true to your nature - whatever that may be. I am an artist in not just my heart but my soul, the very essence of my being.

But I am also practical realizing my family’s need for health benefits for one. It only takes realizing what my cancer last year could have cost us if I had not had medical coverage (one vial of one medication - a single use vial cost 3K - I used 7 of those every month)

But also following our nature and our need for more simplicity and following the heart we are putting our home on the market and choosing to downsize dramatically. Very little of our accumulated stuff will make the transition with us.

Thanks for the great article

Greg K Nicholson Says:

December 10th, 2008, 23:08 pm

“What we have to do is only use our mind to go with ourselves.”

So…what does that mean?

Derek Says:

December 10th, 2008, 23:35 pm

I love this post for several reasons, but mainly because if you align both your heart and your mind, you can accomplish anything.

Mac Says:

December 10th, 2008, 23:41 pm

Thank you. You put the right words for my dilemma. Yes, its on my delicious !

Islamic directory Says:

December 11th, 2008, 0:22 am

great post; I like the similitude of HEART as a judge in the court room and MIND as defendant and the plaintiff.

Chris Says:

December 11th, 2008, 0:30 am

Hi Jonathan, thank you for that inspiration. I have been diliberating over the thought of moving from the job that I have just for the benefits and I wouldn’t really call the people I work with friends anyway. I think I might make the jump into a different career. My heart was never really in it while working where I work now. And my heart has been telling me to go elsewhere while my mind keeps telling me to stay. I will now follow my heart now.

tzumeister Says:

December 11th, 2008, 0:53 am

Jon,

well done and thanks.

i think ‘mind’ is an interesting word to begin with. you might want to define that for them/me/us, the readership. is the mind the brain? don’t think so. can you find it? is it your conscience?
btw: re: conscience
[you are practicing your ethics – your true right vs wrong (your scrupples) when you are conning – science]

science is a crutch for those who don’t trust their intuition. there isn’t a scientist alive who can show me a ‘mind’. yet, we all agree we have a mind. science is based upon theory. theory is only as good as it’s last validation. Intuition and the character ethic are timeless.

thanks again.

Goal Geek Says:

December 11th, 2008, 0:54 am

A bold perspective for sure. My heart wants to believe it, but my head says, “Don’t.”

I think there may be a third party involved as well: my spirit.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Tom Says:

December 11th, 2008, 0:59 am

Well-written article with good analysis. But as Greg suggested above, “What we have to do is only use our mind to go with ourselves” is a bit vague. An example of doing this would be most helpful.

Jonathan Mead Says:

December 11th, 2008, 1:12 am

@ Greg and Tom: Using your mind to go with yourself means making decisions and keeping thoughts that serve you. A practical example might be that you want to go to school to be a chef. Your mind tells you that it’s a good idea and that you could do it. But on the other hand it also doubts your ability and suggests you don’t deserve it. Using your mind to go with yourself would mean only listening to the thoughts that empower you.

@ Derek: That’s my belief precisely. =)

Success Professor - Danny Gamache Says:

December 11th, 2008, 1:45 am

Jonathan,

I look forward to your ebook, you are a great writer. Like Eric, I worry that the selfish side of ourselves could miss out on the benefits of serving others. Doing things that are specifically against self-interest by serving others can be the right thing to do at times - whether or not you feel or get any benefit.

Bengt Says:

December 11th, 2008, 1:51 am

This is a great post and it comes at a time when I really have to align my heart and mind. I am pondering a decision that will change my life a lot.

Vincent Says:

December 11th, 2008, 4:27 am

Hey Jonathan,

I like the way you present the article. You make it so simple and easy to understand.

In this modern world, somehow I believe more and more people are listening to their mind more than their heart and that is making them really unhappy. One example, people get stuck to their job because they need to pay the bills but what they are not totally passionate about what they are doing.

If we can get our mind and heart to work hand in hand together, it will definitely help us to achieve the life of our dream.

Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

It is until when we realign ourselves with our heart then we will find happiness.

Alistair Says:

December 11th, 2008, 4:59 am

This reminds me of Polonius’ advice to Laertes in Hamlet.

‘This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.’

…which, in these times, and relating to the spirit of Jon’s article, you could take the last line to mean:

‘you can not then be false to any person, least of all your self.’

Thanks for the timely reminder.

Sathyanarayana Says:

December 11th, 2008, 6:27 am

The Readers of this blog should read The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

J.D. Meier Says:

December 11th, 2008, 6:27 am

I’m glad you’re a fellow Bruce Lee advocate.

A lot of people know Bruce the fighter, but they don’t know Bruce the philosopher or comedian.

Ben Says:

December 11th, 2008, 7:03 am

Excellent article, Leo! Once again, you’ve written a GREAT post. You just get better and better, Leo!

Strange that you didn’t use a numbered or bulleted list, as you usually do, but I guess everyone needs to “mix it up” (style-wise) once in a while.

Anyway: YOU WROTE A GREAT POST, LEO!

Lily Says:

December 11th, 2008, 7:33 am

This was not written by Leo… attentive readers.

I’m sorry, this blog has become redundant. The topics are more or less the same as ever, by the same point of view.

Brian Says:

December 11th, 2008, 7:47 am

Jonathan, wonderful post and like most of yours, really unique and not cookie-cutter self help.

Sometimes some wonderful ideas occur in the shower, other times yeah would be better to turn the mind off. It sounds like a Buddhist practice, only you juxtapose mind with heart instead of ‘no-mind.’

Usually showering to get ready to go to that cubicle job. It is a choice I made & I take responsibility for it, I pursue my passions in my spare time & the day job pay makes it possible. Some day I might get up and leave the job, but not ready to do that yet.

The ’self’ that I am ‘going with’ is constantly in the process of being created by the very act of ‘going with.’ So it’s a process that seems to reveal itself step by step, day by day, inasmuch as I can be conscious of it.

Really looking forward to your book!

Deborah Kunzie Says:

December 11th, 2008, 8:44 am

Awh! Well the title captured my interest in my reader. So I clicked through, then saw the image of the woman holding the camera. Talk about an answer in disguise. I haven’t read the article yet, I could not get past these two things I just mentioned. My heart is where the camera is. Something I struggle with between doing the practical and the what my heart strings are attached to…now I will read

jas Says:

December 11th, 2008, 8:49 am

seems like a good idea. Infact a little too simple .I am not sure if it is workable in every situation .If the stakes are too high then you got too listen to both the heart & mind and then choose your options.

Robert Hsu Says:

December 11th, 2008, 9:11 am

It is an interesting article, that held a lot of promise, but I just wished Jonathan would have more elaborated maybe with situational examples on how to think for “ourselves”.

Dave Says:

December 11th, 2008, 9:17 am

I’m sorry, but this article is vague and doesn’t make any practicle sense. You talk of the ‘heart’ making a judgement over the arguments the ‘mind’ makes as if the ‘heart’ is somehow a being outside of our own consiousness. It’s an organ, it doesn’t think. Any decision is all mind, and you simply make the choice you think is right at the time, to simplistically imply that this mysterious ‘heart’ being will make the right choice for you is based on nothing.

Lastly, there’s nothing wrong with working in a cubicle for the benefits. Life is not a bunch of rosies, we can’t all do whatever we want, we have to make sacrifices to get what we do want, and if that means working in a cubicle, then so be it. Going with this vague ‘heart’ analogy will not help in any way.

At the end of the day, all decisions come down to the facts you have at the time, and it’s YOU that decides based on what YOU want at the time. Not some vague notion of ‘heart and mind’.

Betty Says:

December 11th, 2008, 10:59 am

And if mind and heart are not acting together, mind has a power to make you physiologically sick. Some gastro and skin problems as well as headaches are a few that I have experienced, for example.

Allen Says:

December 11th, 2008, 11:09 am

Looks like someone else has been reading Johan Bruyneel.

Christine Poremski Says:

December 11th, 2008, 12:50 pm

I loved your post! My fiance and I are big fans of the old black-and-white silent movie Metropolis, and we printed and framed a still to hang above the movie poster:

“THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HEAD AND HANDS MUST BE THE HEART!”

Cheers!

Sunny Lam Says:

December 11th, 2008, 13:21 pm

John,

Great article. Eh, emotion vs. rationality debate all over. Reminds me of though how perhaps it’s just best to roll with it as the Tao would.

If you have “no self”, then emotion and rationality, heart and mind do not exist. You act not because it is in your best interests (or not), you just do because you follow the river.

Of course it may be, that once you’ve achieved “no self”, heart and mind are indeed aligned. Hence the contradiction of the Way. (laughter)

One who walks the desert,
Sunny Lam

Ffenyx Rising
http://ffenyx.wordpress.com || http://www.linkedin.com/in/sunnylam || http://twitter.com/sunnylam

Jonathan Mead Says:

December 11th, 2008, 13:39 pm

@ Danny and Eric: I think that’s an important issue. Sometimes going with ourselves too much can mean becoming too self-absorbed.

Hopefully if you’re really “going with yourself” your heart will desire to be in the service of others, as well as yourself. Both being too self-serving and too selfless can be taken to an extreme and lead to imbalance. It’s my hope that your heart will lead you to follow a path of balance between the two.

@ Robert: You’re right. Next time I’ll try to work in some more practical examples.

@ Dave: Your heart is of course an organ. And their isn’t a mysterious “heart” outside of your consciousness. Heart is a metaphor for integrity, or conscience. It’s your guiding moral compass that gives you a feeling of right or wrong.

The mind is mostly your means of comparing and contrasting. It’s your thinking in terms of symbols, words, concepts and abstractions. That thinking can be based on your integrity, or it can take over and lead to unhealthy constant analysis.

amy Says:

December 11th, 2008, 14:16 pm

perfect timing. thank you for writing this.

PierG Says:

December 11th, 2008, 14:30 pm

We never decide using our mind, we always take the ultimate decision with our heart. Our mind helps in finding out good excuses to ‘justify’ the decision.
We just need to accept it (more difficult to do than to say)
PierG
http://pierg.wordpress.com

Brian Says:

December 11th, 2008, 14:47 pm

@Dave Of course Jonathan didn’t mean the heart as the physical organ; I read it as representing emotion, and the mind as logical or abstract thought. The ‘cubicle’ is the job that isn’t your passion, or mission in life. But sometimes you have to do menial work on the road to your bliss. It’s not a straight line, as Dave noted.

@Jonathan Mead I’m glad you clarified a little bit your concept of ’self interest’ as an enlightened self acting among others to create ‘win-win’ situations.

It’s not always possible, but a noble goal.

I am interpreting taking this all in the context of Jonathan’s previous writings, so apologies if I misinterpreted any of it.

Tess Marshall Says:

December 11th, 2008, 14:47 pm

In our economic times my mind tells me I better worry and I don’t have enough. My heart tells me I have more than enough and to help others.

Also when I have to make a decision my mind is loud and shouts the anser. My heart is a quiet whisper and is always in by best interest.

Gail Robey Says:

December 11th, 2008, 15:45 pm

I like the message of this post, that it’s important, in the interest of personal integration, to use the strengths of mind and heart in unison. When I am in turmoil, it is helpful for me to look at whether my being is in harmony. I needed that reminder. For me, as a parent, I have many times made decisions that I felt were in the best interests of my kid, but not so much for me. That has ended up with my feeling resentful. Not sure I want to keep paying the price for that…that’s why parenting is such a challenge for a self-absorbed person like me! :) Thanks.

Nicolai Larsen Says:

December 11th, 2008, 16:09 pm

Great article Jonathan.

Looking forward to read your book.

Maya Says:

December 11th, 2008, 17:06 pm

Great post Johnathan!

I actually posted a framework a while ago on my blog - to get the heart, mind and body working together. I would be curious to know what people think … I have constantly struggled to “tame my mind” …

I look forward to reading what you have in your book! Whatever I have come up with is a result of what I have been through in my life - so I am always curious to see what other people learn….

And Johnathan, I am just curious - is there a reason you do not follow people back on twitter?

Jay Says:

December 11th, 2008, 17:15 pm

This points to a real problem in the world right now. I fought this battle for years, sitting in a cubicle, raking up debt, trying to move up a ladder sitting against the wrong wall. I was listening to my mind and it was telling my inner noodle (subconscious) the wrong things to follow. Once I changed the connection to route between the heart and the inner noodle, my life has started to make sense! Thanks Jonathan- looking forward to your ebook.

Clare Says:

December 11th, 2008, 17:18 pm

I’m sorry to add to the negativity in the comment section, but I really struggled to understand this article from the comparison to a courtroom and onwards.

I really enjoyed the first part of your post, and the part that really had resonance for me was this:

“We end up living 1/3 of our lives in a cubicle for the “benefits.” We stay friends with people we only kind of like. We do and say things to fit in and seem cool that really go against what we feel is right in our hearts.”

I feel you have identified some really important obstacles on our journey to happiness and enlightenment. Unfortunately, the rest of the article was lost on me. Maybe this is a reflection on the way we are used to reading articles nowadays: in bullet-pointed or numbered lists as opposed to philosophical tracts that require a lot of thinking and analysing.

selfdiver Says:

December 11th, 2008, 18:34 pm

Hi, Jonathan!

Heart has nothing to do with decision making. It’s a blood pump. Mind decides. If there is enough information mind will decide with logic. If there isn’t enough information mind will decide with logic, emotion and intuition.

You suggest to ask ourselves whether the choice we made is good for us or not. The evidence of the answer will judge whether we are on the right way. I totally disagree with this. One doesn’t need to know whether he is right or wrong before the results of its decision, just to feel confidence and comfort. Less fear against the face of The Unknown and the understanding that we may wrong is all we need.

Julie Anderson Says:

December 12th, 2008, 9:36 am

Good article, Leo. Though I think we decide with our brains; hearts just circulate.

ankur kakkar Says:

December 12th, 2008, 10:24 am

this is amazing stuff sir …. i have been pondering over this idea for the last couple of days and you have so eloquently expressed this universal problem….

however , i feel that some more practical examples would have further added to the appeal of the post..

Tiffany J. Says:

December 12th, 2008, 11:17 am

This article was awesome! I have been going through this conflict for years and I know most of it has to do with not being able to trust myself and let go of my past. The message of your post was definitely delivered.

Thanks for featuring this great post Leo!

The Baroness Says:

December 12th, 2008, 14:18 pm

What a great article! Thanks as always.

Jen Says:

December 12th, 2008, 20:29 pm

I really liked this post. Different people use different analogies, but they seem to all say basically the same thing, when you get right down to it. There are some who are not in tune with their mind and heart, and reeks havoc with their bodies, and sometimes the people in their lives. Also the messages we get from the outside have a influence on us that we aren’t always aware of too. After hearing all that is going on the world, many of us have cut back, are paying off debt, and are either simplifying, or stock piling. I hope xmas goes back to the simple stuff, of family, church, caroling, community.

grace Says:

December 13th, 2008, 16:01 pm

This was a great article.

I am guilty of confusing the voice of my heart with that of my mind. It is common for me to confuse the voices of others with my own to a point that I need to be alone for a day no outside noise.

Yesterday I allowed myself that time. Just me no one talking at me. I just shut off my thoughts and witnessed with out judgement the world around me. I watched birds and people and trees… I felt so much awe for the world. It was wonderful.

I felt hope that if I had more days like this I would be more capable of hearing what my heart was saying.

Priti Says:

December 14th, 2008, 14:18 pm

Jonathan,

Great post. I am fairly new to the blogging world and I recently decided to upgrade my writing skills from my personal diary to putting it out there.

I must say that I was shocked to read this post.

Looks like the laws of life are universal.

A friend of mine recently enlightened me about the concept “TAMING OF MIND”
After having understood the concept very well, the question was to how to actually physically achieve this goal of taming your mind.
Here is what she said
1) Know that Your MIND is not YOU. It is a part of you and you want to be friends with it.
2) Treat your mind as a channel to your SOUL. So it is very important that we respect our mind and treat it well. (Nurture it)
3) Talk to your MIND….Say nice things to it …Don’t be afraid to Talk to your mind like you talk with any other friend….! You will be amazed to see that it talks back to you.
4) Make your MIND exercise. Our MIND is a like a PRISM that has many facets which breaks one ray of light in to multiple reflections. So… it is very important that we make sure that this PRISM is kept clean…..What do you do to keep it clean? You need to oxygenate it. It is very important that we BREATHE correctly.
5) Do PRANAYAM (yoga breathing exercise) every single day of your life. By oxygenating your mind, you would have calmed yourself, you would not be hyperventilating when your mind is tussling with your heart. You will have the ability to take a step back and look at a situation more clearly and clearly direct your mind to think in the right direction and not fight with you.

I will be writing in a more organized and details on these points at a later time (in my book)and will definitely share them with you. May be you can give me some valuable input too ;-)

Regards
SoulfreetoRhyme

Priti Says:

December 14th, 2008, 14:32 pm

Adding to my comment above…

One more practical example -

Why do we all like to go to a SPA ?
A SPA relaxes us. Spas are kept beautiful, uncluttered, serene, smell good for a reason. We are pampered at a spa. We don’t get that environment at our homes….BUT think of it , would we go and spend boat loads of money if our house was as serene and beautiful as a SPA.

Your mind is like your home.Keep it clean and beautiful like your home…. Question yourself….Would your friends like to hang out with you if your house is dirty and stinking and over loaded with junk …Probably not ….!
So it is very important to CLEAN HOUSE ;-))

Organize your house.
Throw away the junk.
Keep it clean.

Your house/home is a reflection of you and what you stand for. If your home is pretty, serine, organized and energized more and more friends (people) would love to hang out with you…..

All this takes hard work which means it is like putting your mind to exercise so as to keep it healthy and beautiful…..That is why do PRANAYAM ;-) ….BREATHE

Cheers

SoulFreetoRhyme

Maura Says:

December 15th, 2008, 3:00 am

My mind says this article has some merit, but the logic is flawed; my heart loves the idea that its desires should be my guiding light. My gut says “Trust me. Eat something, you’ll feel better!” Oops — that’s not my gut, that’s my mother.

So many choices, so much noise, so many voices… and none of them sound right. I’m SO confused!!! What’s a poor girl to do?

Turn down the Volume!