Restraint: Practice Morsels

Restraint is often seen as limiting, but what if could also be a voluntary choice to let go of what is unnecessary? Instead of constantly reaching, seeking, or grasping, restraint allows for impulse control and greater agency over attention and actions. By cutting away distractions and training the mind to focus on what truly matters, one can cultivate stronger decision-making and long-term well-being for both oneself and others.

Transcript

Restraint.

So,

A lot of times we have this sentiment of restraint is that it's limiting,

Restricting.

It's a bummer on our freedom,

What we want to do,

What we can experience,

Where we can go,

What we can achieve,

What we can do,

But that's not the kind of restraint I'm talking about.

The kind of restraint is,

Okay,

What is unnecessary right now?

What can be set aside and doesn't need to be lurched out towards,

Grabbed out towards,

Sought after,

Longed for?

So this tendency to do all that,

To want,

To want,

To want.

How can the mind and heart voluntarily,

Happily take on restraint in order for a potential better long-term payout?

So cutting away everything that's not needed,

Training in impulse control,

And not following the whim and fancy of every little shiny object of the mind and heart that happens to pop up or be stirred up in order to better train the mind to be able to have stronger,

Better choices and perhaps more sense of agency in what we can pay attention to and what we do pay attention to and how,

And all that in service to our long-term well-being and that of others and everyone.