Success vs. Joy
- XIV -
Supervise the Mind
Concentration is indeed something strange. You are either concentrating or you are not. I get distracted for five seconds or so every now and then. That is enough for my entire being to be enveloped by that stray thought and to go off to another place – a fantasy world or a world of insecurity. If I do not consciously keep supervising my mind to keep stray thoughts from infiltrating, I find that thoughts come at random, without purpose or warning. So the act of supervising the mind is a conscious, on-going effort.
As responsibilities towards work, family, or society increase, the mind gets stretched. In such situations, I have to endeavor to distance myself from others so that their concerns and problems do not affect me. This might make me appear cold and unfeeling to some. But I need that distance to completely wipe my mind of everything other than what I wish to concentrate on.