The Power Of Our Environment
It is necessary to have an environment that uplifts us and doesn’t bog us down.
Haven’t you felt an instant calm when you stepped on the beach? The sound of the waves, the sand touching your feet, and the wide-open sky — all have a soothing effect on your being.
Just as much as we take care of our inner world, investing in making our immediate environment healthier is also crucial.
Our immediate environment is made up of our family, friends, and material objects around us. It is the places where and the people with whom we spend most of our time. Finding out what it is in our immediate environment that needs to change for the better is the first step to progress.
To feel as good as going to the beach, we could engage in:
Transforming the quality of our relationships with our loved ones.
Getting our room and house in order by having more open space and less unnecessary items.
Making our bed every morning.
Having a table plant, a few posters with positive affirmations, or maybe even something to evoke a happy thought/feeling (eg: a scented candle).
Imagine how productive and creative we could be with nothing to slow us down.
In an ambience that is quiet and serene, achieving a positive state of mind is easier. The last thing any of us would want is a crowded beach.
My Experience With A Positive Environment
When my brother came home from Bangalore last year, I was quite a mess. Both my internal world and the external world (relationship with my parents and order of the house) wasn’t so pleasant. I had no structure to my day and no habits to improve my health. I was just relying on the power of my mind.
It’s almost a year now and the changes that I have brought in are massive. My room is more ordered and many things that weren’t needed at home have been discarded. My interaction with mom and dad is more free and engaging now.
We have made some new additions like a garden, a pull-up bar, a shelf for books, a new wardrobe, posters and charts, comfy bed and pillows, a yoga mat, dumbbells, a weight bench, and apps to promote well being.
My brother was a cause for this major shift.
I have a poster in my room that says “Discipline Equals Freedom”. These changes helped me cultivate the discipline that I needed.
Now that my immediate environment is more conducive to my growth, I feel happier and productive on a personal level.
Jordan Peterson famously said - “Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.” This means that we must take massive action and make lasting positive changes in and around us before we go out to change anything in our society.
Once we achieve this mastery, we notice that we are better equipped at contributing to the world. We also attain more freedom and ease in our lives. Our relationship with everybody else starts to improve and we notice the various areas in our life making progress.
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Thanks, and see you next week!