“A political victory, a rise of rents, the recovery of your sick, or the return of your absent friend, or some other favorable event, raises your spirits, and you think good days are preparing for you. Do not believe it. Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of your principles.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson

motions are one of the most transient elements in a human being, yet we make important, life-changing decisions based on them. Watch how “good news” comes and the entire world is favorable and kind. Conversely, observe how “bad news” comes and nothing is worthwhile and everyone is out to get you. But what has really changed? You simply received some information and the voices took hold of it and made it mean something. As a result, lives change. The world changes. With a shift of the attention. With a shift of a story.

On a process level, this is how we become confused about the nature of happiness. We believe it has something to do with outside forces or circumstances. We hear “sage advice” to keep only those who lift our spirits in our lives and rid ourselves of those who are “toxic.” They say you are the sum total of the five people you keep company with. But what about the company you are keeping within your mind? Who are the toxic people in your head? How are you going to keep your spirits up with others when everyone inside of you is bringing you down?

This is why I’m such a huge advocate of compassionate self-mentoring. This is why I insist that once you learn how to direct your attention via meditation, you begin to train yourself to keep your attention on that which will support you. It’s a process of empowering an Inner Mentor who will keep your focus on what you truly value despite the circumstances. One that is not a knee-jerk, conditional reaction, but a conscious, compassionate response to the true nature of Life, the by-product of which is deep peace and happiness.