Picture: Krishna and Radha-filled with joyful activity
Finding a place for every chosen thought is the second stage after choosing only joyful thoughts. As in Marie Kondo’s book, tidying is broken into two parts to be done in sequence, so may we look at tidying our minds with the same kind of intention that we would use in our homes.
Once having discarded all thoughts that do not give a spark of joy we then focus on finding a place for every thought that remains. These thoughts are intentions that are made to serve us. Many people simply let their thoughts roam at will creating chaos and pain. They often blame the world for not fulfilling their every wish without ever taking stock of their own creative power.
Think of your home when you are only surrounded by things that give you joy and there is space for every single thing you have. How pleasing and calming it is to have a closet, drawer, countertop, tool chest or garden shed that looks spacious and a particular place for everything you have.
Now, take a look at the various tasks and occupations which make up your life. Even as Sri Yukteswarji worked with Master to better discipline himself to be regular in his habits, so you will observe that you benefit from having regular structure to your days and your nights.
Each person is unique in how much stucture suits their personality and needs. Be keenly observant how your thoughts either serve you or are a disservice. Lay out all the activities you have during the day. Ask yourself, does this activity bring me joy? Discarding those things that do not.
There are tasks in life that we may say, “Well, I do not love doing the dishes, however if I don’t wash and put the dishes away it robs me of joy, therefore I have to say it does give me joy in the end.”
There are habits that can rob you of joy you would normally have for an activity. For instance, if you are often late getting to places, then on your way there you easily get frustrated at small delays, feel anxious when arriving and frustrate those who were on time. There is a cost to this habit, and you pay it. Having not allowed the “space” of time its proper place, you have robbed yourself of joy.
Perhaps you somehow always feel rushed to meditate or are too tired at night to do so; spend money you do not have or that you cannot easily afford; through fear you do not say what is true for you; you rush through projects and make many mistakes which you have to redo or have fear others will discover. These are all areas where your thinking habits do not serve you, and even though you would say that each activity brings you joy, the fact you have not given what you are doing its proper space in time means it takes the joy out of it.
One thing that may come vividly clear when you lay your day out in front of you is that you commit yourself to too many things. Even when taken individually each activity brings you joy, taken as a whole it does not. You must be willing to discard those thought/expectations that crowd your life. Learn to give adequate space for those things you have given priority.
At a time when we have so many “time savers,” equipment and technology that makes life so much easier, we too often live with stress and feeling pressured for time. This is because we have not discarded those thoughts and activities that, in the end, do not bring joy because we have not found a proper place for everything we wish to do.
There may be many areas in which you load yourself up with expectations because you want to do it all, or you have a desire to please others, you may have a fear of being left out or that you will miss out. Or, perhaps you load your time with mindless entertainment to “unwind.” These are the areas that benefit from carefully considering what to discard.
Just like you have the challenge of learning to deal with having so many belongings in your life, you also have the privilege of choosing from so many possibilites of what to do. Most of us have come a long way from working on a farm from sunup to sundown, with little time or energy for anything else. How we choose to spend time must be done consciously; to choose joy and to carefully find time for all the things that really matter brings balance.
Prioritizing and discarding lesser activities makes room for taking more time to commune with God, to complete projects, paint, write, take walks, or be early for appointed times. Finding a place for everything that brings you joy means that can comfortably fit those things into your days and nights; this reduces stress and increases your joy.
God once gave me a mantra for a life that felt too busy to do everything: “I have plenty of time to do all the important things in my life.” This requires that I find what brings me real heart and soul joy, what is most important, and make that the priority. Time can actually expand to find a proper place for all those important things when you discard the rest.
Here is to a more joyful life where everything important in your life has a place and a spacious fit.