spring cleaning of the mind

Since I have been out of commission for the last six years, and my husband had his plate full with the kids and work, the house has taken a major beating. Now that we are trying to clean and straighten it out, we do not know where to begin. It is so overwhelming because any room we go to, it is a magnificent mixture of garbage which need to be thrown out and important things which need to be stored properly. When good stuff is mixed with unnecessary things you actually need to look at each and every item and make a decision about it, which is very tiring.

It made me think about our mind. Everyday our mind is subjected to unnecessary and important information. Sorting thru the information is work. Our mind is very prone to laziness. If given the choice, it always takes the path of least resistance. Over time, imagine how much garbage information and unnecessary negative emotions are just put away in some corner of our mind. No wonder there are so few Steve Jobs or Bill Gates available for the betterment of humanity.

If we do not do regular cleaning of our minds then our genius is hidden some where in the pile of junk. If all of us choose to do daily sorting of our thoughts then may be we can find the solution to our own problems and to the world problems.

When negative thoughts about any aspect of my life or a negative exchange of energy with someone over takes my mind, I have to consciously choose to put a break on this thought process. I do this by putting on different color glasses to look at the situation more objectively.

My different color glasses come from many sources. Talking to someone who is not afraid of being honest and objective has helped me many many times. Reading books has always provided me a better and different perspective of situations.

A negative exchange of energy with someone has always been a big waste of time and energy for me. I would think and rethink the episode over and over again. The thought that how can a particular person be so insensitive to me for no fault of mine, used to paralyze my mind.

Reminding myself that people have a right to their opinion and I have a choice in how I react to that opinion, has helped me in clearing out many corners of my mind. Choosing to live on my own value system instead of reacting to idiotic behavior has also simplified things for me.

Choosing to accept life as is instead of wanting it to be different, helps with sorting through thoughts about my challenges. Sitting with nature, traveling, music and arts helps in clearing my mind also. Please share the ways you clear your mind.