Our lives are full of distractions, both inner and outer. The outer world distracts us with televisions, phones and computers whilst the inner world distracts us with thoughts, feelings and impulses. If we are earnest in our commitment to spiritual development we will need to develop the self-discipline to set a course and stay on it in the face of distraction and temptation.
We may feel that we would rather stay in bed all day, so we need self-discipline in the form of self-motivation to get us out of bed, ready to face the day. We may just want to sit and watch TV all day, so we need to develop the self-discipline required to apply ourselves to our spiritual practice. We may begin to feel that life is not fair and that the spiritual path is too difficult or too painful – this is when we need self-discipline in the form of enthusiasm.
One of the important aspects of spiritual practice to remember is that no-one else is going to force us to do it. We walk the spiritual path of our own volition. Reading about spiritual practice is one thing, but doing it is quite another.
Next Chapter: Part Three: Weeding >>
*** This chapter is taken from my book The Light Within ***
