4. The Decision
It is knowing that choosing and deciding the different options I have in life are my privilege.
I must not waste my time in life doubting; I must be brave and take risks by deciding, in order to enter the mysterious future.
Without decision I am like a drifting ship that sails without a rudder, at the mercy of the whims of the sea.
The ability to decide is to apply reason, a quality that differentiates us from animals.
Making decisions is being responsible, it is measuring the consequences of our own actions; thus, we will be the leaders of our lives.
Lukewarmness and indecision make us mediocre beings. Fearful people doubt everything and often delegate to others the responsibility of choosing the options that concern them, as long as they do not assume commitments.
The indecisive are the perfect candidates to be victims of the manipulators. You have to understand that the world is full of manipulation at all levels, because the egos only look for the undecided to be able to satisfy their needs or their whims.
The decision brings with it a powerful energy that gives security.
5. Observation
I must learn to observe myself and observe everything that exists around me in this world. It is the only way to get to know myself and to know what life gives me.
The great sages of history learned about the Universe by observing, leaving us a legacy of very valuable knowledge.
In order to correct or congratulate myself for my actions, I must become the silent witness of what I think, feel and act.
Today we live in a world full of haste and dazzled by superficiality. We must not succumb and fall into this distracted and confused attitude.
How can we pretend to change, if in reality we do not know each other?
We must learn to observe ourselves physically, emotionally and mentally in order to know how we act, and thus correct our negative habits.
We must observe the perfect functioning of nature; in it we have the best instructor.
Observation keeps our attention awake, we are up to date with what is happening and we always discover something new in ourselves, in others and in our environment.
6. Acceptance.
I accept myself with my light side and my shadow side. I accept my reality in order to change what is negative in me or increase my virtues. I accept the lessons that life gives me, pleasant or painful, because I know that it is the only way to learn and evolve.
I accept that in me there is an intuitive feminine side and a practical masculine side. By understanding it I reach balance; understanding my duality; I reach the true wisdom that allows me to live harmoniously.
In order to live in harmony, we must accept ourselves and our reality and, from that point, start working on ourselves to evolve.
To accept is not to suppose; is not disguising the truth.
Acceptance allows you to see clearly and without excuses.
Everything that is in each of us makes us unique beings, so our qualities and abilities are useful for the evolution of the human race.
In order to correct our weaknesses, we must first accept them without excuses, face them to find out what conscious mental work we have to do to change them.
Acceptance is a humble attitude in the face of mistakes, but it can also be an acknowledgment of the virtues we possess; this is the way to acquire security in ourselves.
7. Attention.
If I pay attention, I live today. Without attention I only act out of habit, I cannot evolve or fulfill my desires. Many of the mistakes I make are because my attention was absent.
Attention lies in the present. If our attention were awake, at every moment of our lives we would be conscious and all-powerful beings. By clearing our minds of distracting junk thoughts, we focus our attention and produce prodigious results.
Then everything becomes possible, because the attention looks for the correct exits that lead us to achieve success.
Most of the mistakes we make happen because we are not paying attention. Prisons are full of people who acted without paying attention, who
they lacked ethical and moral values and principles, without measuring the consequences of their actions.
When we act out of habit we behave like robots, mechanically or by memory. We must not forget that Consciousness resides in attention:
8. Discipline
In the Universe there is an order, in my life there must also be an order. It is the quality of discipline that allows me to fulfill my duties, which drives me to make an effort, to ensure that my decision triumphs over the goals that I set for myself.
Our mind obeys as we structure and discipline it. The same happens with our body and our feelings. Discipline is respectful, it teaches to comply and obey the laws that order society, so as not to fall into the chaos that disorder and lack of authority bring.
Life becomes easier and harmonizes us when we are taught how important it is to be respectful and disciplined.
Thoughts are by nature undisciplined, because we have not taught them to obey; they go where they want. A practical way for them to rehearse discipline is through meditation, as this silences thoughts.