Mind

Ah, the mind. The mind can guide you, confuse you, talk you in and out of things. It can be your best asset, or your worst enemy. Its that little voice that talks to you. And its “state” can determine whether you are happy or not.

Like the body, it needs to be exercised. Will Smith once said that the keys to happiness are “reading and running.” Reading new things expand the mind, make you think, and perhaps make you smarter or wiser. Running challenges your mind in addition to your body. The  little voice gets real active when you run. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the voice say, “You can stop now, you’ve gone far enough” after just a few miles. You have to learn to ignore it and then control the dialogue with it to achieve your goals. I still hear the voice sometimes, but now most times I can reply “No stopping now” because I know how good I will feel when I finish.

Body

“A healthy body, a healthy mind,” the saying goes. Keeping fit, or at least a benchmark level of fitness does wonders for one’s psyche and overall happiness.  When you eat right and exercise, you just feel better. This is one of the easiest elements to get fast results once you commit to change.  The commitment has to come from within.

Spirit

Very closely tied to the mind is the spirit. One could argue that spirituality is a state of mind too and I tend to agree to a point. The practice of looking inward goes beyond just a mental exercise. Spirituality transcends the physical and mental planes and takes you on a journey of self-discovery for universal truths. Everyone’s journey is unique yet equally fulfilling once enlightenment – or discovering a path to it – is reached. Without the spirit, the body is just a vessel, the mind is just a processor. Spirit is something once you have discovered for yourself  is in you and present in every living moment.