What’s Holding You Back From Mental Clarity, Thinking?
Tackle the world with a clear head.
I’ve always been burdened with thought. I can’t escape it. In fact, I think I’ll always be burdened with it.
Even as I write this I feel I’m being met with something that’s halting me from getting to the bottom of the page.
Or I’m being halted by the questions I allow to linger in the back of my head: Am I doing enough? Am I reading enough? Am I writing enough? Am I studying enough? Am I enough? What’s enough? All the things I’m doing…are they truly aligned with the purpose of my life? No? Maybe? How much is truly needed to get to the end of this road?
All these questions hold the power to make me feel as if I’m not sure about anything. That’s the problem.
Being able to tackle things with a clear head is an essential tool we all need to do the things we want to do, go places we want to go, and meet people we intend to meet. But all these things can be difficult when thoughts begin to interfere.
Before, I’d wonder if I could end thoughts, and questions, altogether — it became that much of a burden. But the truth is I can’t. It’s impossible. And it took me a long time to come to terms with this: thinking isn’t going anywhere.
I’m aware of the fact that it’s needed, but I’ve found it quite difficult to envision where I’m supposed to be if I’m focused on, or clouded with, the thoughts of where I am.
“How can an unsteady mind make itself steady? Of course it cannot. It is the nature of the mind to roam about. All you can do is shift the focus of consciousness beyond the mind.” — Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
We all have our stories, and the chapters aren’t always chapters we’re necessarily proud of, but that gives us no reason to let them halt us from finishing them with our own hands. Our stories should be written on no other accord than our own. As Hermann Hesse said:
“My story isn’t sweet and harmonious, like invented stories. It tastes of folly and bewilderment, of madness and dream, like the life of all people who no longer want to lie to themselves.”
I’ve learned to accept my previous chapters and move on. But that’s only a fraction of what’s needed to achieve a clear mind.
If I were to go on Google and search for methods on how to attain it, I’d find countless articles and YouTube videos advising me to do thousands of things to reach it. Ironically, I’m adding to them. But after reading the words of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Lao-Tzu, I’ve found meditation to be the vehicle to get me there.
In the book “I Am That,” Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj was asked the purpose of meditation, since all teachers advise it, and he said:
“We know the outer world of sensations and actions, but of our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little. The primary purpose of meditation is to become conscious of, and familiar with, our inner life. The ultimate purpose is to reach the source of life and consciousness.”
Before I read this I’d heard and read about meditation, tried it out, but I was never satisfied. I didn’t understand it, but that was all because I didn’t understand the person, or mind, I’d be left with whenever I’d get into it.
If I wanted to figure out what I needed to clean out, I had to become the observer of my mind and innermost thoughts, and feelings, for a short amount of time. I had to view the chapters of my life, and self, from the third-person.
I’d feel clear-headed, too, but it didn’t last. Going through the motions of meditation got me to that point, but I didn’t feel I could do much with that clear-headedness.
After I’d open my eyes, I’d watch the thoughts flow back into my head, flooding it, like a dam-less river. And it would almost feel like I hadn’t meditated at all.
It felt as if meditation was inapplicable to what I needed. Was I doing something wrong? No. Like I said, I didn’t understand it. I understood the motions of it, but I didn’t understand what I could do with it.
If I focused on the destination I had in mind, however, I found that that was when I could see the directions to it.
I’ve tackled all problems in my life with a clear head with this one simple thing: Meditating with purpose. And now, I no longer dwell on the restlessness of my mind because I know that that’s how it’s been designed. It’s the minds’ nature to be all over the place.
How to do it:
Understand that this applies to anything — anything that’s glued to your mind. It could be the next chapter of a novel, the next portion of an article, the next piece, the next painting, anything.
Gurus may advise to not think at all. But instead of trying to think about nothing at all, think about the one thing that’s been gnawing at the back of your head. You’ll find yourself in a position where finding and going through solutions is possible.
In Conclusion
It’s impossible to end thought. Thinking has its purpose, but if we were to forget it — even if for a little — and focus on the problem, we’ll find ourselves in a position where it’s possible to figure things out.
Meditating with a purpose has allowed me to tackle the world with a clear head. It’s the one thing I’ve found applicable in all areas.
Being in that headspace allowed me to reconcile with the chapters I hadn’t accepted. And that acceptance has taught me to live and be more present in the here-and-now.
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” — Buddha
