Right and wrong habits. Habits of thought are mental magnets that attract specific things relative to their kind and quality. Material habits will bring material results. And obviously spiritual habits will always attract spiritual results. This goes without saying.
We seldom realise the extent our right and wrong habits have on us; that success, health, wisdom all depends on the outcome of the battle between the right and wrong habits. Now habits get formed from very early on in our lives. They get formed from the moment we’re born, and before that, when we are in the womb. Now in my opinion, when we are in the womb, of course we are living, we are digesting. And therefore, habits from our parents, from what they digest, we can start to take on in that very early form.
Since we are ruled by our habits, which form our tendencies, moods and desires, if wrong habits take the lead, then our moods and desires, actions become bad. And likewise, with the right kind of habits, they become good habits. And they last for a lifetime, unless we wish to change them. Bad habits, as you know, are very much more difficult to overcome. So it’s best that we don’t get bad habits, or if we have them, we get rid of them, or change them. Change the energy of a bad habit into a good energy. It’s not so difficult when you know how.
If you have become a slave to your senses and habits, you cannot be completely happy. If you act wrongly, forced by your senses to overeat, drink, take drugs, swear, which is always against the true conscious and inner self, then you will be very unhappy, for that very reason ~ you are going against your inner true self. If the senses are master over you, then they are also master over your willpower. And this will eventually lead to disaster in your life.
Free your willpower. Cure yourself of wrong habits before you take them on as part of yourself and then do not see them for what they are. In other words, you just see them as good habits gone wrong. They are not part of you. They are outside you, but they feel as though they are part of you. That is the difference. Don’t make them part of yourself. Change them. Change this energy of a bad into a good.
Discover and face your own faults, habits and correct them yourself, as soon as you possibly can. Then you will be using your time more profitably then if you spent it doing otherwise. We all reap what we sow. If you wish people to be honest with you, start being honest with them. If you want people to love you, then you must first learn to love them.
Remember whatever you want others to be, first be that yourself. Then you will find others responding in like manner to you. And then you will find good, right habits coming back to you from others. You will find that you become peaceful within, because you are following the path of righteousness, the right way, the right thoughts.
With knowledge will set you free. If you do not have it, look for that knowledge.
Peace be with you.
This Article is taken from Mata Yoganandaji’s INSPIRING TALKS Collection #1