The Good Routine

I know three portals, I have visited them since I woke up. They have shown me memories of my future and the return of the past. I visit them by being present in my moment.

These three portals are:

  • Educate our thoughts: Get your mind used to being free of all noise, prejudice or judgment. Look at people devoid of evaluations. May your thoughts be useful at the moment and of use in the present.

    Faith begins in your mind, your thoughts generate the attention of the universe.

    Don't remember anything negative or pain, failure, shame. Thought should always be a rope that you hold to move forward.

  • Listen to the body: Your age speaks to you, weight, the tape measure, tiredness and sleep are the ways in which your body rates how you are treating it. Emotions and your reactions come from your psychological state. Constantly evaluate yourself.

    Feed with love, eat wisely, value your health.

    Your body is the manifestation of your being, your beliefs, and your faith.

  • Seek grace: Your soul exists, is immortal and is linked in incomprehensible ways to the eternal, to the divine, to your God. Having faith is believing even if you don't see, being sure that there is a plan and a role for you in the cosmos.

    Consciously try to achieve grace, good will, and divine assistance. Raise your hand and tell your God: here I am. Help me.

Without shame, without discouragement, but rather as one who believes that his benefactor is powerful enough to stretch out his arm and remove him from every negative situation.

Time

There are various dimensions, some are visible, others physical, others measurable. Some we know indirectly, others we simply choose to believe.

In my particular way of thinking, time does not exist. It helps me, like everyone else, to calculate lapses and measure the duration of activities or events.

But I think that its true function is to be the necessary border between our interior and our exterior.

There are three important attributes to consider in the moment-time relationship:

  • Immediate: It is the moment that happens while an event unfolds. It deserves that our thoughts focus on analyzing it to solve it.

    For example: a thief attacks us. We immediately think if it is better to run, fight or be passive. Our mind works to act in the safest way.

  • Instant: What is happening to us has already completed its moment. It is useless to think, there is no course of action. We are in the hands of destiny.

    A case of this type would be that a vehicle at a certain speed runs over us.

    We depend on someone to help us, on where it impacted us, but everything is out of our personal reach, possibly unconscious.

  • Prolonged: Our life changes from this moment, but the event has not yet occurred.

    There are several possible reactions: accept it, if we cannot modify said change, generate a change different from the initial one, take advantage of and enjoy our life before the change occurs, or embrace the change with optimism and security.

    We are going to get married in a year, which is the agreed date. We know that a good part of our lives will change over a long period of time, but not in the present.

I believe that the real importance of time lies in being the turning point where we change our state of pure and eternal energy to that of human beings composed of soul, body and mind.

From being one with the universe we become inhabitants of the world, and in the process we forget what we are.

But after walking on the perimeter of the circle of life, we return to the portal where time will return us free of matter to our past, to eternity, to the universe.

a road with trees and a road sign
a road with trees and a road sign

Begin to educate your thoughts

a buddha statue sitting on a mat mat
a buddha statue sitting on a mat mat

In addition to breathing being the mechanism that allows us to survive, by bringing the essential Oxygen into the body, I think it has some other less widespread or verifiable uses.

For example: it is the way I know to enter our present moment, wake up and remember our origin before birth.

Although it is not exactly the same, breathing consciously is meditating.

Nobody needs to be taught: think about your inhalation, feel the change produced by the air entering your lungs, focus on your exhalation, visualize the Carbon Dioxide leaving your body. Rejoice in the happiness of cleansing your cells and blood. May that feeling fill your moment and may that memory accompany you for the rest of your life.

If you achieve this, you will have achieved grace and you will remember that your future is eternity.

Live well

Life is what it is. There is nothing to complain about, it is not personal.

What happens to us is part of our life, and to a large extent, we cannot change what we are, we do not even choose it.

That's why to be happy you have to accept, let go, and not create expectations. Seek balance and flexibility in every decision you make.

But it is important to know that when the negative change is modifiable, we must fight with all our mind, body and soul. We have to last.

Learn to live. That is the reason for being born.

I wish your mind to be free, your body a temple and your soul immense, which is what I am looking for myself.

With your first inhalation you were released into the world and, when the time comes, your final exhalation will free you from it. And your moment will be eternal.

The breathing

a woman in a purple tank top doing yoga
a woman in a purple tank top doing yoga

Time does not exist

Comment

"The Good Routine" is a remarkable guide that explores with depth and narrative beauty the search for a full and quality life.

His thoughtful style and careful use of language captivate the reader, while his existential and practical considerations leave a lasting mark.

By skillfully unifying the informative and the moving, this writing establishes itself as a valuable guide to inner awakening and personal growth.

Its holistic approach that embraces mind, body and spirit, coupled with its call for acceptance and perseverance in the face of change, make it an inspiring and enriching piece.

It is likely to leave a lasting impression on readers.

Supplements to Understand the Good Routine

1. A Personal example:

I clearly remember that day when my life took a complete turn. After years immersed in the comfort of a stable routine, the unexpected loss of my job shook me deeply. Suddenly, I found myself facing moments of anguish, denial and anger. However, it was precisely that hard blow that made me "awaken" to the need for a fuller and more meaningful life.

In the months that followed, as I went through the search for a new direction, I began to pay more attention to signs I had previously overlooked: a particularly beautiful sunset, a deep conversation with a loved one, a book that changed my perspective.

Those small moments became anchors that reminded me to appreciate the present, instead of regretting the past or fearing the future.

It was a gradual process, but I finally managed to accept and let go of the burdens that tied me to dissatisfaction. In that inner awakening, I discovered a new passion that now drives me to grow and improve day by day.

That personal anecdote taught me that the most challenging moments can become the most valuable to reconnect with our vital purpose.

2. Specific practices or exercises:

A powerful practice to “educate our thoughts” is mindful breathing meditation. By simply focusing on inhaling and exhaling with full attention, we are able to anchor our mind in the present moment, disconnecting from past or future worries that usually haunt our heads.

Another great routine is to practice “nonjudgmental observation” throughout the day. When we see or interact with something or someone, instead of reacting instantly with mental labels like “good/bad,” “like/dislike,” we simply observe without judgment. This trains us to free our minds from prejudices and automatic evaluations.

To "listen to the body”, we can incorporate conscious body scanning exercises. Slowly, we direct our attention to each area of our physical being, from head to toe, simply noticing and accepting whatever sensations are present, without trying to change them. This increases our ability to tune into the signals of our somatic vehicle.

Finally, practices such as prayer, meditation or personal rituals can nourish us spiritually and connect us with that search for inner "grace" that we so long for. The important thing is to find the disciplines that have the most resonance with our own beliefs and needs. God listens.

3. Scientific/psychological perspective:

Various neuroscientific studies have demonstrated the impact that our thoughts have, not only on our emotional well-being, but also on our physiology and physical health. For example, chronic negative and stressful mental patterns significantly reduce immune defenses and increase the risk of disease.

On the other hand, research in neuroplasticity shows that we can "re-train" our brains through the conscious practice of new mental habits. It is possible to develop healthier and more adaptive neural connections, but it requires effort and perseverance.

Psychology also explains the transformative power of self -knowledge and self-compassion. By observing our patterns of behavior and emotions without self-punishment, but with loving acceptance, we can deactivate our defense mechanisms and achieve genuine change.

Perspectives such as those in quantum physics, which posit that consciousness plays a fundamental role in shaping our reality, open fascinating questions about the infinite potential of our minds to shape our environment and life experiences.

4. Cultural or spiritual references:

Throughout various traditions and belief systems, teachings about awakening to a conscious and fulfilling existence have been present.

For example, in Buddhism, there is talk of "freedom from suffering" by understanding the impermanent nature of phenomenal reality.

In Christian mysticism, figures such as Meister Eckhart or Saint John of the Cross described "nothingness" as a transcendent state where, by shedding our ego, we find true union with the divine.

Sufism, the spiritual branch of Islam, teaches to “die before dying," transcending worldly desires and attachments to achieve true liberation.

Movements like Vedanta Hindu Advaita, postulate the consubstantiality of our soul or "Atman" with the transcendent absolute called "Brahman".

These ancient wisdom, although with different languages and symbols, come together in a similar message: the need to expand our consciousness beyond the limitations of the individual mind, to reconnect with the eternal flow of existence itself.

5. Poetry or famous quotes:

"Don't give up, please don't give in,

although the cold gusts bite your steps...

Walker, there are no roads,

but wakes in the sea."

- Antonio Machado

These moving lines by the Spanish poet sublimely capture that invitation not to abandon our inner search, even in the iciest and discouraging moments of life. They remind us that the true journey is forging our own path with courage.

"Throw all the past into the abyss; there it will be lost and there you will consume it."

-Hafiz

The Persian mystic Hafiz exhorts us to leave behind the burdens of our personal stories. Only by letting go of the burden of painful memories can we rise to a lighter and more luminous present.

"Breathe with that fragile Invasion of what hurts you."

- Rumi

This line from the sublime Sufi poet Rumi offers us a very practical teaching: make our breath a refuge during times of affliction. By consciously exhaling, we integrate what caused us pain into the incessant flow of life itself.

These beautiful quotes and verses, from different cultures and times, weave an inspiring harmony on our path towards a fuller and more grace-filled existence.

The Good Routine Part Two: The Portals

Your moment will be eternal

a table with bowls of food and a bowl of cereal
a table with bowls of food and a bowl of cereal

Listen to your body

Meditation

a woman sitting at a table with a cup of coffee
a woman sitting at a table with a cup of coffee

Freedom from suffering

a man walking down a path with trees and grass
a man walking down a path with trees and grass

Appreciate your present

"Learning without reflection is vain. Reflection without learning is dangerous." Confucius