Judging from my early experiences of life, I most certainly was not free. I was held captive by my own thoughts. Like everyone else who comes here, we are set a task to find our true identity and our own reality.

Very often we are bound by what the body orders us to feel. And listen to the endless chatter of our inner critic. Who incessantly is on rant of condemnation about us and of course others. The immature ego has not learnt the basics of mind mastery. And so we live a life that is very often far from optimal. In fact fear runs just beneath our social mask, a constant companion. We only get short moments of respite.

The good news is that we have the amazing power of choice. When we have a mindset that causes us pain, we must simply be open to change our mind to another mindset and that will give us another consequence. For example for a long time I would get really frustrated in traffic jams, especially if I was in a hurry. This went on for years until I learned to change my mind about traffic jams. Consequently I no longer get disturbed by traffic jams, instead I listen to inspirational CD‘s or classic FM.

In short we must learn to question what going on when we feel anything that is other than joy. This is our biggest challenge to leave our comfort zone and learn to love the idea of a disciplined mind that chooses mindfully the response it will make to life’s challenges. Like a baby learns to walk, to run and ride a bike, they learn the language of physical balance and coordination. They get there by falling down many times. However, they stayed in the growth phase until they mastered basic coordination.

We too must learn that anytime we are upset to dig a little deeper and question some of the tribal mindsets that were handed down to us. Emotional and spiritual freedom comes when we begin to learn a new language. One that is inner directed, and your life choices are guided by an innate inner wisdom. When confronted with a difficulty we must use the mnemonic STOP S-Step back, T-Think, Organise and P-Proceed. I encourage you to try it for thirty days.

Out inheritance is to live a joy filled life. One of fulfillment and most importantly one we understand. A life that is for us purposeful and full of meaning. The daily challenges we face is the very bread of life if we open our hearts to learning and continuous growth. To make a soft transition, start by questioning everything that upsets you. And as you learn this new basic language of going within you will begin to transform the hidden hates and the secret fears and you will be well on the way to mindset mastery and optimal living. Enjoy the journey!

Joseph Geraghty is founder of School of Mastery. An acknowledged Change Master, helping people transition faster to their goals and ideal lifestyle. Get your free happiness at work assessment. http://www.schoolofmastery.org