Your purpose lies within the present moment. You will miss it if you are too busy thinking about the past or the future.

With the help of some great people and through my own experience I have learned more about what to do when guru’s don’t work.

In my last post I thought that controlling my emotions/feelings would help me be more balanced on the inside and I wasn’t completely wrong, balancing our emotions is essential to a healthy mental life, but I missed something.

Thoughts and emotions go hand in hand, one may come first and feed the other but it works either way. I had a situation that evoked a feeling which sparked negative thoughts, but just like I couldn’t flip a switch and change my thoughts, I couldn’t flip a switch and change my feelings either. As I went through my day allowing these feelings and thoughts to circulate I found myself becoming unhappy and upset. I was upset at myself for not having more control and unhappy because I knew that these types of thoughts weren’t right to have, they were causing dis-ease within me.

When I got home I decided to just clean areas of my home that had been neglected for a while, I started working and before I knew it the feelings and emotions were gone.

Viola, I had my answer!

The key to stopping any thought or feeling you don’t want is to bring yourself into the present moment and focus on what you are doing. I know it’s a cliché that many people don’t understand correctly but the answer is,

Through love serve one another.

When I came home I began to serve my family by doing what needed to be done, so in that moment of serving them my mind became clear and focused instead of thinking about the past or the future.

I have often had moments where I would be out working and my mind became peaceful and focused in the present moment, in these moments I feel balanced and whole. I feel this in the garden, when cutting wood, and even with my animals.

The next time you have a thought or feeling that you don’t want, don’t fight it, just bring yourself into the present moment and do something to help others. It can be as simple as sending a note to someone letting them know they are thought about, cleaning the house for the family, or playing with your dog or cat (yes we can serve nature as well).

Each persons purpose in life is what they are doing in each moment, my purpose right now is to type this blog.

Do not dwell in the past. Do not dream of the future. Concentrate the mind on the present moment and serve.