Even if we have put in the hard work that is necessary to identify our priorities, it is common for us to become distracted and pulled away to tasks that don’t move us towards the outcomes that we want. When the mind becomes scattered like this, it is hard to determine whether we are progressing or not and we might be afflicted with an uneasy feeling underlying our various activities.
The reason that this occurs is because we have grown accustomed to allowing the mind to remain undisciplined and flow wherever the circumstances dictate. It can feel comforting to indulge in the short term ease that comes with simply going with the flow, but in the medium to long term, we are likely to realize that the flow has taken us in a completely different direction than the one we want to go in. At that point, it is time to learn how to swim so that we can begin moving in the right direction.
Once we learn to swim, we realize that the strength of the current is a lot less than we thought. If the strength of our strokes remains constant, the current is not usually strong enough to sweep us off course. Occasionally we might be met with unusually strong waves that temporarily cause us to change direction, but once those die down, we can quickly return to our original aim. As we become more confident in our ability to swim, we will also become more satisfied with the journey itself. In other words, the journey towards doing good deeds and avoiding harmful deeds becomes a principal source of satisfaction.
To achieve this state of mind that is principally aimed at wholesome action, we must learn to swim against the current. In other words, we need to train ourselves in mindfulness which will act as a counter weight to the default energy of heedlessness. The mindfulness that we need to identify wholesome actions needs to be more continuous than what we are usually capable of. We need a deeper penetrating mindfulness that comes from extended periods in seclusion from the distractions of everyday life. If we commit ourselves to regular meditation retreats, our lives will overflow with meaning. Happiness and satisfaction will then follow naturally as a matter of course.