Stronger Mind, Happier Life: 7 Valuable Insights from My Journey

“You can’t leave for college without training your mind,” I told my teenager. 

“It’s not enough to train our bodies; we have to train our minds, too,” I added. 

As a competitive athlete, he spends several hours training his body. Training his mind would help him beyond the world of sports; it would help him deal with the daily challenges that adults face. Through my struggles, I have learned that training my mind is just as essential as training the body.

Academics in school never taught me how to deal with difficult personalities, adjust to brand-new cities with no social connections, or deal with life-changing events like motherhood.

In the book Open Heart, Open Mind, Buddhist meditation master and author Tsoknyi Rinpoche shares that when we practice mindfulness, we can access the more open part of our mind, which is otherwise caught up in the day-to-day experiences of life. This clear mind sees solutions to life’s challenges in a way that our everyday mind fails to see.

A few years ago, I didn’t realize how training my mind would change my life – that changing my outlook would help me experience life differently. I wondered why some people are less affected by a problem than others. Somehow, they have developed an understanding of life that makes it less painful. I wanted to experience the same wisdom.

I was constantly at the mercy of my perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. I was like a leaf that flew whichever way the wind blew. 

Whenever I faced an obstacle, I got consumed by it. I ruminated on it, which made my life difficult. Whether it was losing a friend or dealing with a difficult work situation, it took over my life. 

Tired of being swept away by each life’s challenge, I turned to meditation and realized the importance of training my mind. Along my journey, I learned the following valuable insights:

1. I have learned how to better deal with tricky situations.
2. I have learned that my beliefs highly influence my perceptions, which helped me change how I perceive situations and people.
3. When triggered, I’ve learned to pause, pay attention to what’s happening in my body and mind, and respond rather than react impulsively.
4. I am learning to make choices that align with long-term happiness vs. short-term pleasure.
5. I’ve realized that my happiness depends on me and no one else.
6. I am learning that, like seasons, everything in life changes.
7. I am learning the importance of being surrounded by a community to feel more connected and less lonely.

Training my mind is crucial to living a happier and stress-free life. There are still times when I ruminate in a problematic situation or react when triggered by someone. But, training my mind has helped me become more aware when such things happen. I move forward and make little improvements by committing to meditating each day.

By spending time training our minds, we can all benefit by living a life of wisdom, clarity, and happiness. What has helped you navigate life’s challenges? Has mindfulness or some other practice made a difference in your journey?

The ultimate goal of mindfulness is to free all living creatures from their patterns in order to experience the openness, wisdom, and warmth that is the essence of our being. – Open Heart, Open Mind