What is the one thing that you need to do in order to be happy? If you know what that one thing is than why aren’t you doing it? The reason we’re not doing it is because of habits that cause us to behave contrary to our interests.
If we are acquainted with our own habits, they can make life seem decidedly deterministic. Luckily, our fate is not predetermined. There is a way to overcome our unfortunate habits and redirect their energy by replacing them with habits that will yield happiness for us.
Every time the mind wanders from our required task, we become aware of how it’s wandered and we bring it back into the present moment. We do not need to force the mind to stay in the present moment. Instead we learn how to gently call it back whenever it strays. In that way we are training the mind rather than imposing our preferred state of being upon it.
Using the Buddha’s gentle technique, we can slowly reduce the power of our unfortunate habits, and in so doing we will make a habit out of mindfulness itself. There is no better trait to instill in the mind because when the mind is in the present moment, we become undisturbed by our regrets or anxieties. We can finally be at ease.