Rage and Joy - You Choose

Today I was quite angry at a colleague.  Now I'm realizing it was a waste of time.  Here's my new plan - be quiet and observant.  I have been working on "always maintain only a joyful mind" also but today it was too late.  Rage entered my heart and there was no way to get back to joy.

The secret seems to be to start with joy.  Begin with joy.  Say it and believe it and then of course you become it.  

One of the things I say to my students is, "It's okay if you don't care or you're not interested, but it's not okay to act that way.  Just pretend like you're interested and see what happens."  It's cool to watch the power of faking it - the power of the mind.  Act like you're engaged in solving a problem and you tend to solve the problem.

Is it easy to always maintain only a joyful mind?  Is it another way of faking it? Is it insincere?   Try it. Say the mantra to yourself and really consciously bring your mind back to joy when you feel yourself slipping into anger or frustration.  Think joyful and see what happens.

My daughter graduated from high school yesterday.  It is at once shocking and exhilarating.  I'm worried and anxious and happy.  She will do great things in her life.  What will I do with mine?

Be the joy.