Empty your mind

There's this famous scene in the movie, 'Peaceful Warrior' in which the protagonist Dan tries to live in the moment as suggested to him by Socrates. He empties his mind and volunteers to try the Pommel Horse. He impresses everyone by effortlessly doing perfect movements on the horse. This was because his mind was only filled with his present moment so he gave his full, undivided attention to the activity he was doing, hence excelling in it.

My mind often gets clogged with lots of unwanted thoughts. Its like a bathroom where the outlet for the water to go out is blocked, so the bathroom remains flooded with water. My mind also remains flooded with thoughts, making me feel unpleasant. I empty my mind by focusing on things happening around me. That reduces my stress, I don't have to fight those thoughts and my focus on my work improves.

The problem with thoughts is that that is where everything else starts. Our actions, our feelings, our habits, our behavior, they're all determined by the thoughts we harbor in our mind. Everybody gets unpleasant thoughts once in a while. These thoughts may make us feel anxious, guilty, or scared. And almost everytime we either try to fight these thoughts/feelings by distracting ourselves with other things or just succumb to it and give up on other things in life. The former is hard work while the latter is plain stupidity.

Some might argue, 'An empty mind is a Devil's workshop'. But experts who have experienced the bliss of empty mind often call it God's playground. An empty mind gives an equal opportunity for good as well as bad thoughts to enter. However, once you learn to empty your mind, you will have better control on what thoughts to keep, and what thoughts to ignore when they enter your mind. When you witness any unwanted thought you know you can empty your mind and weed it out. That gives you the upper hand, the confidence to even ignore it then and there itself. You can play God in your own mind. You can control your feelings by controlling your thoughts and hence take full control of your life.

Be a peaceful warrior. Follow the path of Ahimsa. Instead of fighting your thoughts, boycott them! Beautify your mind with good thoughts, the way you decorate your house or get ready for a date/interview!

In times of pain and distress, always remember, you always have the reboot option, you can anytime empty your mind and start afresh.