This week, we have been looking at the ideas presented in the book Conquest of Mind, by Eknath Easwaran.
Here is the final idea –
Life becomes your training ground. Every challenge, delay, and irritation becomes an opportunity to grow in patience, love, and clarity.
Ideas are great – but they have to be put into practice when you come in contact with daily life to make any difference.
When things don’t go your way, that is the moment to stop and not think about it in your habitual way – to seize control of your mental response and control your mind to eliminate the suffering, great or small, you might normally experience from your reaction to what happens. A key person is late for your important meeting? Someone cuts you off in traffic? The kids are sick when you had planned a big day? It rains on the day of your big picnic? You get laid off? Anything…..take control of your mind and use it for good. It is a tool, it is not your identity.
Parting thought –
Freedom isn’t found in controlling your life – it’s found by mastering your mind.
Thanks Larry, this segment was great. I bought this book yesterday.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
This is awesome stuff, thank you!
YES! I love this!! Every challenge definitely becomes an opportunity!
Letting go of things we can’t control so we can control the things we can. 🙏