Act, Don’t React

You may have heard the saying “the mind is a wonderful servant, but a terrible master.” Well the same can be said for our emotions. One of the ultimate challenges in life is to learn to master our emotions so that they enrich our lives rather than rule our lives.

I have a spiritual mentor, (Norman, from my new book: The Tenth Door) who once told me that I was a highly emotional person, but that through the practice of meditation, my emotions would even out. This began a discussion of emotional highs and lows and how with every mountain there has to be a valley. And emotions are FAST!

Have you ever noticed how quickly your emotions can rush in? “The mind is quicker than the body,” Norman said, “but the emotions are faster than the mind.” I thought about it and had to admit it was true. So often we emotionally react to events and after we calm down, realize the outburst does little more than throw us off balance and exhaust us of precious energy. It’s actually a leakage of prana or life force.

Norman emphasized the importance of steadiness in the face of life’s challenges. Just as we have habits of thinking, we have emotional habits as well. Joy, happiness and love are soul qualities that naturally flow when we are in a state of spiritual balance and harmony. Negative emotions like fear, anger, jealousy arise when we are disconnected from our spiritual essence and we react before thinking.

Rather than living out our lives as reactions to events that continually present themselves, we must anchor ourselves daily to a place deep within through conscious spiritual connection. The very foundation of our being becomes rock solid and we act out of the integrity of our authentic spiritual  Self which is pure love and joy.