This Month

Daily Reflection
Most of us are goal setters. We set big goals at the beginning of the year but often find we lose sight of them. Not only do we lose sight of them but we become unfocused on what we really want. I constantly hear people say, "I'm really not sure what I want to do with my life." I hear this from those who are 15 and those who are 80. It is an ongoing experience that we all have in our lives. As our lives change so do our needs and wants and this change is constant. It can be very overwhelming to try to decide what we want to do with our lives. This goal is too big and we are unlikely to be able to decide.

One technique I use to combat this problem is that I ask myself at the beginning of each month, "what do I want to do this month? What do I want to accomplish?" I try to choose just one thing rather than several so that I can really dive deep and focus. I find that if I choose several things, I lose focus and end up doing nothing.

In your journal today, reflect on what you would like to accomplish during the month of August. What one goal can you work on? Put it on your calendar for August 1st and track your progress.

Swami K

Your Highest Value

Visiting for the First Time? Read Me First

Perhaps one of the most important parts of a strong spiritual practice is the practice of tarka or reflective journaling. Reflection upon your inner and outer life is essential if you wish to progress along the path. These reflections on your life can help you see your mind more clearly. Your relationship to yourself, the world, and others is revealed in each journal entry. We can sometimes be blinded by our own beliefs or trapped in a cycle of thinking that is unhealthy for us.

Tarka can help us to illumine the way before us, discard old beliefs, and change our attitudes and ways of thinking.

This blog is designed to help you reflect upon your life and examine your mind so that you may travel the path of enlightenment with greater ease and harmony.

Set aside a little time each day to write in your journal and respond to the prompts in the blog.

The benefits of a strong tarka practice will reveal themselves over time, particularly if you take some time out each month and reread what you have written in your journal. You will find patterns in your life and your examination of these patterns will help you make the changes in your life that you are striving for. The wisdom you gain will help you live the life you seek.

Daily Reflection and Journaling Prompt
In a few short weeks, the new year will be upon us and most of us will begin working fervently towards a new goal. Most of us will lose interest in that goal in 1-2 weeks and give up. One reason that many people lose interest so quickly is because the goals people set for themselves are not aligned with their highest value. Take some time today to reflect on your highest value. Some examples might be - your spouse, your kids, family, community, church, work, health, finances, etc. Once you have identified your highest value set your goals with that value in mind.