The Beginning Of Self Mastery
Introduction
Tried
meditation but can't be still? Don't know how to even begin to relax? Try the following self discipline exercise and gain control of yourself.
It has been said that to achieve self mastery we must be continually gaining more and more control of ourselves, and Self-Control requires Self Discipline.
The point here is not to criticize ourselves when we fall short of the glory of our own expectations. The point is to be making steady progress year after year towards our entire health and wellness. As long as we have made some kind of progress, we need not beat ourselves up for not being perfect.
Gaining control of ourselves can be split into two parts:
- Control The Body
- Control The Mind
This article will focus on the first part. Gaining control of our physical body is the first step to self mastery because if we cannot control the body, we cannot move forward and control the mind.
Control The Body Exercise
I found the following exercise in
part one of the Master Key System by Charles Haanel.
Select a room where you can be alone and undisturbed; sit erect, comfortably, but do not lounge; let your thoughts roam where they will but be perfectly still for from fifteen minutes to half an hour; continue this for three or four days or for a week until you secure full control of your physical being.
Points To Ponder
The above exercise is not as easy as it seems. No wonder people find it difficult to sit in a chair and meditate for 5 - 30 minutes. It is because this first critical step has not yet been mastered.
Your body is not used to being controlled by you, this is why you will find things to distract you from your mission. For many people, being continually distracted in life is the mission. That is why it is said that life controls them.
Pay Attention To What Your Mind Is Telling You To Do
It is only for 15 minutes. If there is time to watch meaningless non-educational garbage on TV or on the Internet for several hours a day, then there is time to do this exercise.
The inability to do this exercise at all is an indication of some kind of huge avoidance. Usually we will discover the thing we are avoiding by being still long enough to hear it.
Tips
Take It Easy - If 15 minutes is too long, start at five minutes and work your way up over time.
Be Still - Don't shift around in the chair or scratch those mysterious itches that just happen to come along. For example, it is common to get an itch somewhere on your body as soon as you start doing these kinds exercises.
Set a Timer - Set a timer with some kind of alarm. This is useful if you cannot see a clock and because you don't want to move your body to see your wristwatch. This will also be useful later on when you begin to control your mind with your eyes closed.
This article will soon be followed up with a Control The Mind Exercise.
Please click here for more information about Charles Haanel and The Master Key System.
