"Only by creating peace in our own mind and helping others do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world." -Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Step one to finding the truth is fairly easy. Let's look at the hard truth. It won't be easy to face the music, but it's the only way. Here are a couple of questions to get you started. Feel free to add your own.
Do you have a job?
-Yes? No?
Are you good at your job?
-Either you are good, or you are bad.. no gray zone.
Are you managing financially?
-Yes you are surviving, or no you are not making ends meet.
Do you have friends?
-Do people really like you?
On a scale of one to ten, how often are you out with your friends?
-In other words, how often do you hang out with people that like you?
Do you have real friends?
-REAL friends.. people that when you are around you are YOURSELF.
On that same scale, how often are you out with REAL friends?
-How often do you hang out with people that respect you and admire you?
How often are you home?
-Do you avoid it when you can? Is it bad at home? Is it great?
I would like you to write down the answer to these questions. I'll explain why later on.
While you answered the questions, I hope you didn't kid yourself. For example, do you have a job? It is either a yes I am currently working, or the answer is no I am not. If you are looking for a job, you don't have one, that counts as a no.
This morning was my day off. I had the privilege to be able to sleep in to 7. I got up, had a morning glory pee, went down to the kitchen, made myself a cup of coffee, and sat in the warm sun for 10 minutes. To me, being able to enjoy the sun and a cup of coffee is one of the greatest pleasures I have in a day. My mind is at peace, even if it is just for 10 minutes, I force myself not to think of anything, but instead I force myself to concentrate on the smell of my hot coffee, the feeling of the sun on my face, the warmth of it's heat on my arms. By doing something I enjoy, which isn't much if you think about it.. but to me it allows me to breath for a minute. Facing the music is one of the hardest steps.
Knowing you may be screw financially? Have no place to stay? Friends are not real? It is important that you have a small moment to yourself where nothing else matters, that you can guarantee to have every day. It may be as simple and as beautiful of sitting in the sun and that moment right before you take a sip of coffee and inhale it's freshly brewed smell.
Once you have understood the truth, it is time to start accepting it. To do this is to open your mind. No matter how much your life may be in shambles, it is the start to a great new life. Take one of the problems you are currently facing and focus on it. One problem, one day at a time.
Take it one day at a time, day by day. The important step is to start with the most pressing matter. For example, if you have no job you need to get any job, because you can always "upgrade" at a later time. It is crucial that we prioritize our "to do" list. From the most pressing to the least. Not from easy to hard, etc.
Now that you have come to realize your problems, they won't solve themselves just because you admit they are there. Steps must be placed, a draft of a plan must be drawn to give some sort of a general direction action plan that must be taken. Remember, this point in your life is perhaps rock bottom. You now know that you must do Whatever It Takes to never return to this situation.
Only once you have started to admit the reality of your situation may we proceed to the next step.
Remember to take it one day at a time. I will be here waiting for you, so that we may continue our journey to success and to reaching a state of inner Bliss together.
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