How To Master Your Mind
“Though one were to conquer a million men in battle, that man who conquers himself is the greater victor.”
Is this you?
You promise yourself you’re going to wake up early tomorrow. You’ve set your alarm. And nothing is going to stop you.
You settle into bed. Close your eyes. And off you’re flying into dreamland.
Then suddenly there’s a loud crash in your dream. You wake up. Only to find your alarm ringing. Sigh.
You’re still groggy. It feels like you just fell asleep.
You look at your watch and it’s 6:00 am.
Then you remember how determined you were last night to get up early.
But… the pillow is so soft and tender. And you’re really cozy in your duvet. The room feels slightly cool.
Five more minutes won’t kill me.
You take a deep breath. And hit the snooze button.
You sleep until the snooze goes off.
But you can’t stop hitting the snooze button.
Suddenly it’s 7:30 am and you’re feeling guilty so you decide to get up.
This is the worst way to wake up. And you know it.
You ask yourself: Why can’t I follow through and wake up early?
How is it that just before bed you felt determined and unstoppable, but when the alarm rang in the morning all that determination was gone?
Your morning often determines how you’ll face challenges the rest of the day.
If the first thing you do in the morning is to not follow through, what does the rest of the day look like?
Repeat this over a week, a month, a year, a decade. Your reputation with yourself is abysmal.
Each time you fail to follow through you lose respect for yourself.
The truth is, this isn’t about waking up early.
It’s about you mastering your mind.
Not letting that lower man, that Gollum in you, control you.
So how do you master your mind even if you’ve tried and failed before?
Discover The Buddha’s insights from The Dhammapada in this episode:
The Dhammapada is a collection of sayings/teachings from The Buddha on how you can master your mind, how to not let outside events affect you, and how to achieve enlightenment.
“Though one were to conquer a million men in battle, that man who conquers himself is the greater victor.”
Discover the lessons from The Dhammapada on:
Or search ‘Becoming Antifragile’ wherever you listen to podcasts.
Till next week, peace!
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