The financial markets are as bad today as ever and yet I seem to be in good spirits, enjoying the blue skies and perfect spring breezes here in Santa Monica. I remember similarly beautiful days when the financial markets were roaring and my mood was dour to say the least. Obviously my mind is capable of going wherever it wants to go, happy or grumpy, regardless of conditions. Is it possible for me the train my mind to consciously go to the states that I desire and consciously avoid the states that I dread?
I think so. I have been working on it lately. I make lists these days, not of things to do or people to call but of all the good things that have happened in the last 24 hours, or everything I can think of that I appreciate, or all the things I am looking forward to. The result? I am a better frame of mind, more often, for longer periods of times.
I also refuse to indulge in worry or anger. Don't get me wrong. I'm not superhuman. Someone waltzes in right at the dramatic finish of the Lakers game and interrupts me and my anger will probably flare up. But I don't indulge in anger. I don't replay the scenario over and over in mind fanning and fixing the anger emotion in my body, mind and soul. I consciously choose to direct my attention elsewhere. And when I can't, I realize that it is not some other person who is hurting me by making me angry, but me that is hurting me by allowing myself to remain angry long after the conditions that sparked my anger have passed. I have finally learned how to give up my greivances and move on. I either address it in the moment or just let it go entirely. No more bearing grudges for me.
Worry is another self-destructive thought pattern. It won't burn your body, mind and soul up quickly like anger. It will just slowly sap your energy, like weeds choking off a garden. It's a complete waste of energy and totally unnecessary. As the saying goes, 90% of the stuff we worry about never happens. And as to the stuff that does . . . well, for me I choose to endure the pain and agony of all these horrible outcomes only once, not 15, 20 or 100 times as I can when I choose to create and replay these scenarios of a bad future over and over again in my mind.
Since worry is just thinking about the future, let's keep that part. Only let's imagine a future in which everything turns out perfectly. Suppose you knew that you would have all the money you needed to do whatever you wanted to . . . tomorrow. What would you do today if that were your assumption? Suppose you knew that a perfect outcome for your life was already being prepackaged for delivery to you and all you had to do to get it was be true to your Self. What would you do today if that were your assumption? Suppose you could train your mind to believe not only that everything is going to be all right, but that everything is all right?
How would you feel and what would you do then?
What are you waiting for?
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