How to Keep an Untroubled Spirit
Blessing must arise from within your own mind. It is not something that comes from outside. When the positive qualities of your mind increase and the negativities decrease, that is what blessing means. The Tibetan word for blessing [adhiṣṭhāna] means transforming into magnificent potential. Therefore, blessing refers to the development of virtuous qualities you did not previously have and the improvement of those good qualities you have already developed. ― Dalai Lama XIV
Keeping an untroubled spirit for me comes down to the practices of mindfulness, empathy, and gratitude. Almost everything we experience is a matter of perspective. I am not talking about the big events but rather the every day occurrences that happen as we go about our days. The moments of life that can be so easily twisted in our minds into a good or bad extreme - and we tend to over-emphasize the negative while under-appreciating the positive. It is easier for the negative to carry so much weight when we take so much of the positive for granted.
How we choose to interpret every little interaction we have, especially those things that happen to us, speak a lot to how happy we are in general. So many things don’t deserve the mental energy we give them. If something is occupying my mind I ask myself:
Is there anything I can do about it?
If YES - is what I can do really worth the time and effort to do?
is it beneficial to all parties involved or will it just briefly feed my ego?
If NO - LET IT GO. Drop it. It’s done. It’s happened. And here are a few reminders for those moments when it’s hard:
most people don’t act wrongly on purpose
the way people talk to or how they treat you is usually not personal to you; remember that it is likely a reflection on their insecurities and how they feel about themselves and their lives
most people are just as preoccupied with themselves/their lives as you can be, we all have blind spots and drop balls here and there
Try not to spend too much time thinking about the answers, the whole point of doing this is to minimize the amount of energy you waste - take at least 3 deep breaths, and practice Productive Reflection.
Let me know in the comments below how you keep an untroubled spirit!
-Vx
