Watch Where Your Mind Takes You

Watch what is happening in the present moment and how you react. Watch to see if your mind goes to the past and if you make stories based on those past situations. Our mental stories may be from what happened a few moments ago, an hour ago, a day ago, or maybe even twenty years ago. You may also find yourself worrying about what may happen in the future. You can learn to see the mental stories you are making and you can let them go if they are not helpful. This is a good skill to learn.

Over time our repetitive daily mental stories turn into our personal opinions and concepts. They are developed through how we live our lives, and they might not be helpful for us. If we can see and understand where our mind takes us and let go of the repetitive and unhelpful mental activity of our mind, happiness and peace can grow stronger. If we can let go of our unhelpful concepts and habits and not get caught up in justifying and protecting our sense of self, happiness will grow. We believe our mental stories and activities are helpful, but if we really watch what is going on in our minds, we may find that is not the case. Meditation can give us the tools to look at and understand what our mind is up to and choose more helpful paths.