Last Updated on June 16, 2021
Happy New Year to all. Before the end of the year, we have started planning our new year resolutions, and updating in the new diary or planner that we have bought. Come new year, it’s time to act on those resolutions.
Like the end of every year, many would find that they have not managed to accomplished what they have planned. Year after year, they feel worse about themselves.
In today’s rushed world, we constantly try to multi task things. We push our minds to work and deliver- to the extend that we need a lot of ‘external boosters’ to keep us going- cigarettes, booze, caffeine. Everyday you would see lots of executives gathering at the ground floor puffing away, with their minds seemingly engrossed in a seemingly unsolvable problem.
During the day, we constantly feel tired, drained and often demotivated.
At night, sometimes sleep does not come. Sometimes it comes, but with nightmares and we wake up feeling drained and tired.
These are signs that we are tired internally. Our spirits are tired- and we may be too out of touch with ourselves to know that. What we see are external clues- a seemingly addiction that we cannot break that we know is ruining our lives.
For example, all smokers know that smoking is bad for health- there are already too much of media awareness created, and even coming with visuals of destroyed lungs, mouth cancers, degenerated limbs- but smokers would tell you that they are ‘blind’ to those pictures. Of course they know smoking is bad, of course they know that by smoking, they are increasing their chances of having lung cancer, and dying young….but they are driven by too much pressure and that’s the only way they know to unwind. If you ask chain smokers who were able to break the habit, they would often tell you that they quit for good- not because of the gory pictures or media print on the dangers of smoking….but often because there is some emotional motivation that had driven them to do so. A friend who mine who was smoking since he was 15 years old stopped cold when his wife was pregnant. He has a good reason to live longer- and had found other ways to destress.
If we dig deep down, we would realize that a lot of the pressure and stress that we feel are probably self inflicted- ie we set the expectation and the deliverables. After all, this body belongs to us- no one can force us to do something if we do not want to do it. Somehow, we think we must have certain things or standards of living- so we drive ourselves. We allow other people to inflict their expectation, target, pressure on us….because on some levels, we also agree with them.
The heart then become overwhelmed, tired. Hence heart disease remains the number one killer- at least in this country.
We may not be able to correct a lot of conditions in our lives- but try this simple exercise…. being aware of the breathing.
Know when you are breathing in, know when you are breathing out.
Be aware if your breath is short or long- you would be surprised, that once you are more aware, you would notice that you often do not seems to breath at all. If that is the case, breath in deeply and breathe out deeply and longer. Consciously when you do that, your mind would keep to the present- and your mind would be less scattered and tired.
The present mind is powerful, more focused, clear and efficient. Slowly, we would be aware of what is wrong and right, rather than always living our lives following the flow of the crowd. Invest in it- this is your most valuable asset.
Observing and knowing the breath is something very simple- but hardly anyone believe it its effectiveness. Folks would rather spend their fortune going to spas and relaxation therapies, expensive holidays- which may or may not offer some temporary relief.
When we regain our inner energies and build our inner strength, then we would have more zest in life, more inner motivation- and with that, we would be able to set up what we want to achieve.
Like many others that I have seen in my travels, many people travel around the world to discover further meaning- and to find some inner answers in their life. But actually, we do not need to go out…. the answers are all within.
May you be able to find your answers and achieve your innermost meaning in life.
