I have two personal offices in my home. One is a traditional sort of office. The other is my home gym. It is a place where I go not just to workout, but also to hangout. It gives my mind some space… a different type of space to reflect, ponder, and plan my day. Before I exercise, I warm up with a foam roller, etc. Often during part of the warm up, I will put on the television and tune in and out of listening to the news. One newly added and essential part of that space is my dry erase board. Currently, I have the following written on that board:
Better is better.
Earn it. Mean it.
Let’s get serious.
Regarding ‘Better is better’, it points out that more is not better. Better is better.
Now this for me is all about one thing: Fascination. The quotes (simple as they are) fascinate me. To may they say a lot about the human psyche.
If I have a secret to my life, it is that I pursue what fascinates me. Of course, along with that path are things I do not like but must do… such as paying taxes. However, I do not allow those things to cloud my fascination. Furthermore, for something to really, really fascinate me, it must be something I really, really believe in.
Just this morning my daughter asked me to check her math homework for her. As usual, when she began reading a math problem, I stopped her. I told her that I need to have control of my mind when I do math… i.e. to read at my own pace and rhythm. As I usually do with my kids (sometimes eliciting a roll of their eyes) I, waxing philosophical, generalize the point. I told her that she needs to be able to take control of her own mind in life. That is called focus.
So if you want my suggestion for a possible New Year’s Resolution: Find something that really fascinates you. See what is in it that you believe in. And then focus on making it so in your life.
Belief and fascination are the fuels of passion and progress.
This time of year a common resolution is to exercise and get healthy. That is not enough. Why you believe in it… well… that is probably simple enough… good health, feel better, look better, etc. But that is not enough. Find the fascination in it. Fascination with how the human physiology works… Fascination with how your psyche works in relation to it… whatever it may be that fascinates you about it. THEN you are ready to take control of your mind and focus. Part of the focus may include research. The Internet makes that easy. Just remember that life is a string of failures as you pursue what you believe in. That is called the churning process, like when the Gods and Asuras had their tug of war, out of which came the nectar of immortality. Remember: Forward, forward, always forward. And do what it takes to accommodate YOUR process, if it is having to read the math problem for yourself, or finding a way to ease in to the gym… like saying you will just go roll around on the floor for a few minutes with the tv on. Work with your psyche – don’t fight it.
If you fight your psyche, you will lose.
Lastly but importantly, I read an article today about habits. The idea was the neurons in the brain become linked so that when one fires, the other automatically fires as well. This conditions your mind to function a certain way and is the source of bad habits. Freeing up the nervous system is the way out of this. I call that clearing the samskaras, the programming of how you function. The best way of doing that is through proper meditation, which you can learn free on this website. Now there is a New Year’s Resolution for you: meditate regularly. But hold on here. First get clear on why you really believe in meditation [many good reasons like evolution, health, freedom from any and all bad habits, etc… just take your pick]. Then find your fascination with that: fascination with the notion of enlightenment, health, etc. etc… whatever works for you. Then focus… and do whatever YOU need to do for YOUR psyche to keep it going… maybe even a dry erase board would help inspire you to keep up your belief, fascination, and focus.
Happy New Year everyone! Jai Guru Dev!
Can you talk about working with the psyche vs. catering to it’s weaknesses?
E.g. computer vs. yoga at the end of the day to unwind. The first feels more accessible when I am tired, but the second would actually make me feel better, and I know it. The playtime I allow myself on the computer often ends up distracting me from more wholistic self-care practices.
It is a razor’s edge between allowing my psyche room to breathe vs. over-indulging…
One thing that fascinates me is walking a razor’s edge!
Thank you Brahmarshi for all your blogs. I don’t always comment but I love reading them.
I find in these blogs a reminder to bring my awareness back to a more centered, honest & deeper way of thinking.
Being that I only get to see you a few times a year, I feel great gratitude for these little & often very profound bits of wisdom you share here.
Happy New Year.
Love, Jasmine
Thank you and Happy New Year.
I enjoyed all of your comments on this and also on all of my other blogs through the year. Please keep them coming. They are a wonderful part of this website.
Joy Anna, I am glad you gave a specific example. Why? Because the ways of dealing with your psyche are so diverse that a list would not be near complete. Keep in mind that it is all about YOUR psyche, so you have to find what works for YOU. Having said that, possible approaches might be to just tell yourself [your psyche] that you are going to just go lie down on your yoga mat [and maybe listen to some music?]. Telling yourself you are going to go do yoga may be too much to ask of a sleepy physiology, so just be good with lying on the yoga mat. Once there, you would likely just want to move around a bit and before you know it, you are doing your yoga. Or maybe if you have a laptop and a video you have been wanting to view, take it with you and just say to yourself that you are going to lie and the yoga mat and watch it. Or maybe even say that you can use your computer, but only if you are lying on your yoga mat. Just identify the tone of your psyche and address it considering ‘where’ it is at. Maybe it is a stubborn little two year old, so then just bait it with a promise to watch a video for a while. Finding what works for you is an exploration, not something you just figure out and then do. Try things. Maybe pics of awesome yoga postures on the walls would help. Or maybe start by viewing a yoga video on youtube to inspire you to get into your yoga room. KNOW that the solution DOES exist. Your job is simply to find it.
YES! Great, great blog…excellent blog! Spirited balance of pragmatic and depth! Integrated. Excellent!
Thank you Brahmarishi! I really enjoyed this blog, the “better is better” comment, and the idea of what fascinates. I am so excited and fascinated by the teaching of world history I’ve been doing and I like thinking about what else fascinates- the human psyche, art, music and yes, meditation. I am oh so grateful to you for all of these, and especially the last!
Happy New Year,
Nimka
Joy Anna,
There are many ways to work with your psyche. Another is to invite it to get on board and ATTACK. At some point, the psyche can become your most awesome comrade. It will join you to rise to any occasion, take on any challenge, face into the wind and move forward, forward, always forward. You have had such experiences. Draw on them to learn about yourself… your psyche.
Thanks Brahmarshi.
Your thoughts are always timely. Happy New Year!
Richard
Joy Anna,
Still another way of working with your psyche to do your yoga regularly in the evenings is to stay focused on what you want to do during the day. That of course does not mean every moment, but keep revisiting it in ways you enjoy. Think about it. Read articles. Talk about it with others who share that common interest. Read blogs about it… etc, etc. When I get really focused on something in that way, it gets to the point not where I have trouble getting myself to do it, but instead getting myself to stop!
Thanks! Very helpful.
I love the practicality of this blog. “It’s gotta make sense. It’s gotta be real.” Thanks Joy Anna, for bringing up such a down-to-earth situation that fueled such great lessons from Brahmarshi.
This blog post was pretty timely.
I was thinking about passion and fascination a few days ago. My thoughts went something like this…
It seems that what most people interpret as passion is more accurately described as (in a relationship) 2 sets of conditioning or distortion colliding and then subsiding in a repeated pattern. Or (in a process) a temporary release or expression of frustrated conditioning. (In a nutshell…)
Certainly not very satisfying. At least not on a deeper level, but I can see how someone might become “addicted” to the pattern (re: bad habits & neurons).
Then I began wondering then about the relationship of fascination and passion. The connotation for passion I described above is, I’m certain, a very superficial one. There must be a deeper, more satisfying experience of passion.
I would love to ask this question in class, but will not have the opportunity for a while. Any thoughts you would like to share, Brahmarshi, would be appreciated. Thank you!
Deborah,
It is very good to hear from you.
Until all thoughts, feelings, and emotions are fully integrated with the Divine Essence that dwells deep within, things will be superficial and unfulfilling. Passion is no exception.