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We often want a quick-fix solution in our search for happiness. The more materialistic among us will look for this in a new car, a more loving relationship, a more fulfilling career, or more free time. Those of us who are more spiritually inclined can be equally guilty however. Now the quick-fix becomes the latest book, idea, affirmation, or meditation technique. We may wake up with realizations like “the solution is to be more loving”, and then the next day “I just need to be more at peace”, and then a day later “I need to live in the present moment more”. All of this advice is probably good. In fact, any one of these beliefs would probably bring us long-lasting happiness if we implemented it fully. Unfortunately we often spend more time thinking about different ways to bring about peace of mind, framing the solution with different words each time, but spend very little time implementing these ideas.

This is summed up nicely in this article by Swami Vivekananda, who stresses the importance of focusing on the means rather than the ends.

An exercise I have found extremely useful is simply to reflect at the end of the day on what caused me to lose my peace of mind, and how I would like to change. I write down a one sentence summary, which I read again upon awakening. At the end of the following day, I evaluate how well I applied this advice, and where I can make further improvements. Sometimes I change the one sentence summary, and sometimes I leave it the same. The point of this exercise is to keep your spiritual practice closely integrated with your actual life and have definite goals that you hold yourself accountable to. Progress may be slow, but it is tangible.

The beauty of spiritual practice is that it can always be done right now. You may wait until next week to begin your new diet. You may wait to get over your cold before beginning your new exercise routine. However, spirituality can always be done immediately.

You may have a goal to eliminate anger. You may remember this goal in the midst of a heated debate. Don’t say “oh well, next week I’ll be calm”. Instead, start dealing with that anger right away. This is one of the most important times to practice. Likewise, when you feel miserably sick and in pain, that is one of the best times to practice being at peace, maintaining a joyful mind and so forth.

It is often tempting to postpone a goal until you are feeling better or have more time. This is not true of spiritual practices. The best time for them is always now, and even a very little of it does great good.