Conditioning the Mind

 

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. In goal achievement, the first point is indicative of our dream, the distance is the action we take to turn the dream into reality, and the second point is our goal. A straight line may mean zero obstacles or troubles but in reality, this is something next to impossible but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. However, we must always be prepared for any possibility. We must try to keep our road to goal realization as trouble-free as possible.

When we set ourselves to achieve a goal, we need to fashion our mind to be attuned to it. We have to align our thoughts in the direction of our goal. We need to get to our goal in the easiest manner at the shortest possible time. In other words, we have to condition our minds.

Let us differentiate different attitudes, especially those attributed to the way we direct our thoughts to goal achievement.

It may sound contradictory at times that two characteristics are almost exact opposites yet we still want them both practiced.

Sometimes, some of us may quip: “I must not delay things but I need to be patient enough to wait”. I am reminded of my grandmother who went to a cardiologist for a check-up. The doctor prescribed some medicines to keep her blood pressure within controllable limits plus recommendations on certain types of food she has to avoid. After a couple of weeks, there wasn’t much improvement so she went back to the same doctor who referred her to another doctor in which she was diagnosed with a slight problem on her kidneys, which was the reason for her frequently changing blood pressure. So she was again prescribed some medicines and again was  recommended another set of food she mustn’t eat. In short, some portions of the two recommendations on food she must avoid contradict each other and my grandmother wound up with a very strict limited diet making her miss vital needed nutrients. Dismayed, she ignored part of the recommendations, used practical sense and methods and took moderate amount of various nutritious foods. It turned out better for her.

By practicing practicality on the mental characteristics we need to adapt, we must lean on the positive and aggressive side of the action we have to take to achieve our goal. We need to persevere and be persistent no matter what. However, learn to stop to rest for a while if need be and continue again after regaining your strength. We must stop temporarily but not permanently. We must have a burning desire or passion to attain our goal but must not burn ourselves out. Don’t let stress and tension affect you and your health. We must act on ideas immediately but must be patient enough to wait for results without unnecessary delays on our part. Some processes just take time. Not everything can be done in short cuts. We must work on goals we like and are familiar with, yet we must not stop to learn more about it especially those pertaining to new innovations and technologies. Be positive, practical, and aggressive in the pursuit of your goals.

There is no substitute to a peaceful mind. To be able to think straight and in a clear manner, a peaceful mind is essential. It is like a clutter-free household, we come home relaxed even after a hectic day.

Take a mind full of tense feelings and negative emotions, where do you think this will lead to in goal realization? Nowhere. This will lead to goal disintegration. You have to take all the garbage (negative impressions) out of your mind to give way to clear, tense-free positive thinking.

Success, failure, good times, bad times, they all happen. They are part of life. But when failures and bad times occur, sometimes we become so affected by these circumstances to the point of being slaves to them. We feel so bad that we become affected by them in almost everything we do. We loose control and so more trouble drops in. And all these, if we analyze it, are based on the way our minds respond to it, the negative way.

To counteract bad times, we need to think about good times and to do this, we need to capitalize on how it turned bad by drawing lessons from it. The positive answers will eventually pop out of our minds and we begin to feel good because we now know the answer to correct failure the next time around. And the next time around should be acted upon immediately thereby blanketing bad times with good times in a short period of time.

Let your mind control the situation in a positive manner. Do not let the situation control your mind.

The option of controlling is in your hands. You have power over failure. Exercise this option and you will surely be on your way to goal realization.

When we set to pursue a goal, we must consider goals that can be achieved in a manner wherein we have more hand in controlling the processes.

What we have just discussed a while ago is controlling a situation that has already happened, how we react to it. Now, we must consider how to control a situation we think may happen, sort of pre-empting what we think will happen. It seems similar although there is a difference between the two.

This type of controlling a situation tells us to concentrate on goals that we can maneuver, we can direct to the way we plan it. You may think this is monopolizing but it isn’t.

An example, let’s say you want to get into the business of making ready-to-cook ‘french fries’. If you are going to buy potatoes from a planter who dictates the price in the market, you’re bound to have problems beyond your control. One of the solutions to continue in this business is to look for more suppliers or better still, you must be knowledgeable in planting your own potatoes. These ways, you have a ready solution to a probable problem.

Get involved in goals wherein you have control of your own resources. In short, choose goals you are familiar, comfortable, and you have more experience in.

Another example would be, let’s say you want to be a spiritual counselor. A counselor must be both a good listener and a good adviser. If you are good in listening to other people’s problems but cannot give sound advice except reactions like: “Oh, that’s too bad… that’s awful… that’s terrible”, you cannot be a counselor. Consequently, if you’re a good adviser but a bad listener, you cannot be a counselor either. Come to think of it, how can a person give sound advice if he/she doesn’t listen well. Maybe instead of counseling, go into sales where good conversationalists are needed.

Part of everyday living and in the course of setting and realizing our goal, we are usually faced with different kinds of troubles or obstacles that hinder our growth, our development. Such troubles may directly affect the goal we aim for, others indirectly, and still others have nothing to do with them except that they take up some of our time and make us feel bad, they just slow us down, as if we want to give up.

From these troubles, we can either become cowards as a result or a stronger, wiser person, learning from them. It all depends on how we handle trouble. Many times, people with problems tend to look for faults blaming other people instead of finding solutions.

To be on the winning side, we can draw support and advice from our family and friends. But the best support we can get is the one coming from the Almighty through the power of prayer, which you will read later on in this book. Ask the Almighty to come to your aid. Do so with intense depth and sincerity. He will clear your mind to find a solution to your trouble.

The Almighty works in wondrous ways, that is why we must keep our minds clear so that He may have access into us to be able to aid us. We must free ourselves from all the clutter of fear, anger, hatred, envy and all traits that hinder our mind to think clearly and replace it with growth-developing faith, hope, courage, and care.

Some of us may treat trouble by ignoring it. Yes, there are troubles that fade in time and ignoring it could be the solution. But most troubles persist despite time, some may even develop into bigger troubles in time. In such cases, we have to face them head-on, we have to persist and persevere in finding solutions that will free us back to our road to goal realization

Seek help whenever necessary. Keep in mind, Divine intervention or human assistance always comes to people with a good purpose.

One time, I was watching a television newscast of a grandmother whose house was gutted by fire. Her house is located in a depressed area of a city, a rather crowded place, with narrow alleys, making it difficult for fire trucks to go through.  The fire broke out from one of the neighboring houses due to an overheated electric fan. It was a hot summer day and it happened when she wasn’t at home.

From a distance, she could hear and see fire trucks responding in the direction where she lives. Suddenly, fear gripped her. She frantically rushed home. She was right. Her house is on fire along with the other houses. She has two grandchildren whom she left to her neighbor who were able to escape unhurt.

When interviewed by a news reporter, she cried terribly for having lost her house. What makes things worst, she wasn’t able to save anything, this being her fourth fire. “Tough luck”, said the reporter. When she was asked if anybody in her family was hurt or perished in any of those four fires, her crying from despair changed to tears of joy. All of a sudden, she realized that in spite of having experienced four fires, nobody died or got hurt in her family. Realizing this, she became grateful and thankful.

This grandmother came to realize that despite the setback, she is actually a lucky lady; a demonstration of how the mind works on a negative state compared to a mind with a positive approach.

So if your goal seems to be on fire, burning to the ground, get a candle and light it from the fire. Keep that candle lighted, you’re going to need it to continue your journey to your original goal.

It is a matter of how we view the situation. How we will react to a situation makes all the difference. We can either feel frustrated, accept defeat, and feel remorseful or analyze the situation, try to find the best solution and approach it positively by keeping faith in God and yourself.

Now I’m not saying that problems are nothing. They can at times be very devastating and shattering, and sometimes, they are so horrific that we feel they crush us to the ground. But problems are part of life. We can’t escape them and we just have to deal with them. Hiding from them won’t solve anything.

Obstacles, problems, troubles, or setbacks can be blessings in disguise. Maybe God wants us to experience them to make us stronger. Consider this scenario. Two new drivers just learned how to drive a car. One driver drives along a straight path while the other on a zigzag road. After having driven a number of miles, they both gain more experience. Who became a better driver? I believe you will agree that the one who traveled the road of obstacles, the zigzag road was the better one.

Come back after a setback or drawback. Draw lessons from problems so that you and I can become better persons the next time. Like we mentioned earlier about history, draw lessons from it by learning from your mistakes and the mistakes of others. Turn disadvantages to advantages. Turn a gloom into a bloom.

All this depends on the way we think. If we think defeated, then we are. So if you feel like you’ve lost almost everything, stop thinking negatively, regain your senses, and start to think positively. Refuse defeat. You have everything to gain if you win over the situation by developing a positive outlook.

Never give up, never say sorry to yourself, never surrender. Throw away that white flag and keep the flag of faith waving. If you have to surrender, surrender only to God.

Remember that your mind is a very powerful tool. Use it the way God designed it to be; positively, wisely, intelligently.

Conditioning The Mind