Our Mind can be our best friend and worst enemy. There are times we feel we’re in control and have tamed our mind. And before we know it, our mind gets the better of us.

It’s not that we don’t know what’s right and wrong. It sometimes feels we can’t help or stop the mind. Being tossed by our mind going through the cycle of ups and downs can get tiresome and frustrating. This is one cycle we wish we could break.

To tame the mind we must train the mind. When we start viewing our mind as belonging to us and being different from ourselves we start gaining objectivity. We develop the ability to stand at a distance and watch our minds. This witness attitude empowers us. We realise we are not our mind.

If our car is giving trouble, we don’t say I’m troubled. Because we realise we are not the car. Similarly, our mind is only an equipment we have. This realisation is necessary to start our journey of mind management.

The trick is in giving the mind two things. An inspiring and motivating goal to work towards and a consequence if it misbehaves. If we don’t keep recalibrating our purpose, the mind will get bored and venture into unwanted channels of thinking. And every time the mind wanders we must give it a consequence to break the habit.  

Once we’ve brought the mind under our discriminative power, there’s not a goal we can’t achieve, no problem we can’t solve and no challenge we can’t face up to. Such is the power of a tamed mind. 

It takes time. We will make mistakes. Let our guilt, fear and anger be replaced with commitment, enthusiasm and daily disciplined practice to give ourselves the power of a powerful mind. 

And if we struggle in our effort to tame a wandering and wavering mind, let us adopt just one simple practice of being present in the now. And let the words of a great Master be our guiding principle – “Let your mind be where your hands are.”