13. Learn to meditate effectively. The mind is naturally a very noisy machine which wants to
move from one subject to another like an unchained monkey. One must learn to restrain
and discipline it if one is to achieve anything of substance and to be peaceful. Meditation
for twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening will certainly
provide you with exceptional results if regularly practiced for six months. Learned sages
of the East have been advancing the many benefits of meditation for over 5000 years.
14. Learn to be still. The average person doesn't spend even 30 minutes a month in total
silence and tranquility. Develop the skill of sitting quietly, enjoying the powerful silence
for at least ten minutes a day. Simply think about what is important to you in your life.
Reflect on your mission. Silence indeed is golden. As the Zen master once said, it is the
space between the bars that holds the cage.
15. Enhance your will-power; it is likely one of the best training programs you can invest in.
Here are some ideas to strengthen your will and become a stronger person:
a. Do not let your mind float like a piece of paper in the wind. Work hard to keep it
focused at all times. When doing a task, think of nothing else. When walking to
work, count the steps that it takes to get all the way to the office. This is not easy
but your mind will soon understand that you hold its reins and not vice versa.
Your mind must eventually become as still as a candle flame in a corner where
there is no draft.
b. Your will is like a muscle. You must first exercise it and then push before it gets
stronger. This necessarily involves short term pain but be assured that the
improvements will come and will touch your character in a most positive way.
When you are hungry, wait another hour before your meal. When you are
labouring over a difficult task and your mind is prompting you to pick up the
latest magazine for a break or to get up and go talk to a friend, curb the impulse.
Soon you will be able to sit for hours in a precisely concentrated state. Sir Issac
Newton, one of the greatest classical physicists the world has produced, once said:
"if I have done the public any service, it is due to patient thought." Newton had a
remarkable ability to sit quietly and think without interruption for very long
periods of time. If he can develop this so can you.
c. You can also build your will-power by restraint in your conduct with others.
Speak less (use the 60/40 Rule = listen 60% of the time and speak a mere 40%, if
that). This will not only make you more popular but you will learn much wisdom
as everyone we meet, every day has something to teach us. Also restrain the urge
to gossip or to condemn someone who you feel has made a mistake. Stop
complaining and develop a cheerful, vital and strong personality. You will greatly
influence others.
d. When a negative thought comes to your mind, immediately replace it with one
that is positive. Positive always dominates over the negative and your mind has to
be conditioned to think only the best thoughts. Negative thinking is a conditioned
process whereby the negative patterns are established over and over. Rid yourself
of any limitations and become a powerful positive thinker.
