I’m No Mother Teresa, Ghandi, or Dali Lama

I’m not going to sit here and try to convince you that I am any kind of saint. Yes, there are times that I do or say things that could be construed as morally bad. I mentioned this in the introduction of my book No Law. I listen to music that has somewhat questionable content. I like to drink beer, and more often than not, more than one. I have a tendency to cuss like a sailor. When I think of moral goodness, up at the top of the list to me are individuals like Jesus, Mother Teresa, Ghandi, and the Dali Lama. The choice really is mine. I can choose to live more like them, but then my actions have to match what I’m saying for the choice that I have made.

If you want to develop moral goodness, identify with people that you associate with moral goodness.

Building My Mental Gym

In his book “The Way of the SEAL,” Commander Mark Divine discusses the practice of visualization. He refers to this area as your mental gym. We often work on our physical fitness at the gym, so why not have a gym to exercise our body mentally. Hopefully I don’t lose you in this section, and you are certainly going to get to know a side of me that previously only a handful of people have learned about me.

The mental gym is where you go to focus on your visualization. This is where we picture things happening to us and us having success before doing it in real life. For example, I practice my speeches in my mental gym. Everything from how many people will be there to what type of room the speech will be held in. It is not necessarily limited to performing tasks in the mental gym. When I want to pray deeply about something this is where I go. And sometimes, I just spend the time breathing.

So, let’s set up your mental gym. What I love about the mental gym is Commander Divine says that it can look anyway we want it to look. Naturally I chose for my mental gym to look like Coronado Beach. The walls are cut way similar to a gazebo and the floor is clear so that I can see the sand of the beach. I visualize myself wearing solid white pants and top similar to a karate gi (I don’t do karate so not sure where this comes from but it is relaxing). There are monitors hanging up that I can use when needed. I can feel the warmth of the sun and can hear the crashing waves of the ocean. And yes, on occasion, I get into the ocean.

My mental gym is downstairs from my regular mental state if you will. I take ten steps down breathing deeply with each step. Once I reach my mental gym automatic doors open and I enter.

Commander Divine also encourages you to have a guardian of your mental gym. I am a Christian, so naturally my mental gym guardian is Jesus Christ. Now you see why this is where I go for deep prayer. Without weirding you out too much, I can tell you that I have had many great conversations with Jesus in my mental gym. Yes, he speaks to me, and mainly teaches me lessons that I already know, but sometimes (well most times) am not implementing the way that I should be. My mental gym guardian is not always in the gym, but I know that he is protecting my mental gym and keeping negativity out of there.

Sometimes in my mental gym, all I do is breathing exercises and I intently try to clear my mind as I will discuss below.

If you want to develop peace, build your own mental gym.