Five Steps to Inner Awakening

From mental clutter to inner clarity, a path toward the mind’s highest flowering

- By ANIL BHATNAGAR

Our security guard’s intercom call about my car’s headlights, which were inadvertently left on, interrupted my five-year-old granddaughter’s story time, urging me to rush. “What's the hurry?” she asked sadly but curiously. “The battery will drain,” I replied, “We must act now,” as I reached for my car keys.

“Be watchful of all these, for thoughts shape words, words ‘forge actions, actions form habits, habits build character, character carves destiny.’~Lao Tzu

We tend to care for a replaceable battery but neglect the far more valuable, irreplaceable one—our mind. Unless trained, our min’s headlights stay on—generating endless chatter while recycling worry, self-criticism, doubt and anxiety to drain our energy.

Our brains are remarkable data processors, analysing vast information and patterns instantly. Subconsciously, they learn from the past, evaluate the present, predict the future, identify gaps between goals and efforts, infer motives, strategise and guide responses. Our thoughts—their nature and frequency—shape our actions and destiny, as happiness depends on how we interpret events, not the events themselves.

Here are five practical steps to control your thoughts, promoting peace, positivity, productivity and joy.

1. Be a thought-watcher