Every individual is in constant pursuit of uninterrupted happiness and stress-free life experiences. To introspect means to put yourself on an alert mode and direct to use your own intellect. A strong intellect prevents the mind from being a victim of likes and dislikes. Your mind keeps doing what it likes to do and avoids what it dislikes. This is unhealthy living. Choices become detrimental. Your intellect must control your activities. But the problem is that the intellect is not always available when the action is executed. After the action is executed, you realize you have acted impulsively. There are many activities and choices performed by you that you yourself consider as wrong. Impulsive choices lead to regrets. You regret your choices because your intellect was not available either before the action or while performing the action. This lacuna can be rectified by the practice of introspection.
Introspection is a process of self-observation. It is to be practiced every night before you go to bed. It involves the recollection of your experiences during the day. Try and remember every experience you have through in a sequence from the time of waking up to the moment of introspection. In your initial attempts, you may not remember the details of what you have done. But with repeated practice, you will be able to recollect each and every activity. This process should not take you more than five to seven minutes. While doing so, do not analyze or criticize your actions. You are only to be aware of them. Any form of analysis of the merit or demerit of the action would break the trend of introspection. This would also lead to cynicism and frustration. When you remember an action over and over again you become aware of it. And the constant recollection of daily actions would render your intellect alert.
The exercise of introspection can be compared to wall practice in the game of tennis. That means practicing strokes against the wall. A line is drawn on the wall at the same height as the regular net on a tennis court. The player plays his shots against the wall to gain proficiency in the game. A practice that helps him later in tournaments. Similarly, introspection helps you to become aware of your life’s activities. And your intellect becomes available before the action to guide it in the proper direction.
Thus, spiritual study and reflection help you develop a strong intellect and a pure mind. While Introspection enables your intellect to be alert. Together they render your actions more objective, meaningful, and purposeful. You get nearer to the core of your personality. With such stability and objectivity, delve deeper into your personality. What you are looking for in life is uninterrupted joy, unbroken happiness. Nothing less. Your search for it is in vain in the outside world through your body, mind, and intellect. All happiness and bliss lie within you. Turn introvert. Seek the eternal. You will find it. You will be absolutely fulfilled. Give your personality a lift, you will lift the whole world.
Text by S A Sreedharan
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