Mastering Self, My Greatest Accomplishment

What if I told you that you have the power to create heaven on earth when you MASTER SELF? Would you believe it? If not, let me explain.

YOU ARE the most powerful person in the Universe! More importantly, you don’t have to search for your power. Your power lives WITHIN. Your power is your birthright and you have the ability to access it at ANY moment. Accessing your power and making choices that SERVE you is my definition of “self-mastery.” Mastering SELF includes mastering emotions, behaviors and actions.

At any given moment in any given day you are making choices. To clarify, I’m not referring to which restaurant you choose or which outfit makes you look slimmer. No, I’m talking about your day-to-day choices while interacting with the world.

As an example, let me share a personal story.

Shhhhh…don’t tell anyone…I love to drive and I love driving really fast! I could have been a race car driver however my parents wanted me to finish school and consequently I was side tracked. Anyway, back to the story. I pass cars all the time that aren’t moving as fast as I need them to travel.  I admit there have been several instances, while passing a slower motorist, I’ve received the famous “one finger salute.” I never understood why passing a stranger on the road invoked such a passionate response however I’ve accepted this phenomenon for what it is…a reaction from a stranger…which I refuse to take personally.

Recently, I was routinely driving to the bus station where I park my car and ride the remaining distance on public transportation into downtown Los Angeles. What happened next was not routine.

I was stopped at a traffic signal. There were three lanes of southbound traffic and I was positioned in the far right lane. As soon as the light turned green I shot out like the first horse out of the gate at a race track. I floored the pedal to the medal as I began to pass the motorist on my left. Well, the driver on my left side rejected my Mario Andretti maneuver and refused to let me pass. In fact, without warning he violently turned his steering wheel toward my automobile! It was a dangerous and blatant attempt to drive me off the road! Unlike my memory, my reflexes still remain quick and sharp. I immediately jammed on the brakes while turning right to avoid hitting him and the curb ahead.

I’m sure you can imagine several ways a person could CHOOSE to react at this moment however I did not CHOOSE the typical response. I chose a reaction that was out of the norm. A reaction that required a connection with the Universe. Can you guess which reaction I’m describing? I’ll give you a few moments to think…time’s up!

Admittedly, my adrenaline was pumping while swerving off the road to avoid a collision. After coming to a stop, I took a few deep breaths and gathered my thoughts. I recovered quickly and began my intended journey to the bus station.

Well, guess who I ran into (pun intended) on the way to my final destination? Yes, as fate would have it, Mr. Road Rage was stopped at the approaching signal.

I drove directly behind Mr. R. Rage and I snapped a picture of his license plate with my iPhone…just in case. The light turned green and I changed lanes to position myself directly on his left side. We traveled side by side for approximately a half mile before another traffic signal stopped us.

As Mr. Rage stopped for the light he drove his car forward, past the cross-walk, far enough to practically reach the intersection. I did the same. He knew I was next to him and he was avoiding any contact. I rolled down my passenger window while he continued to stare straight ahead. I then tapped on the horn to get his attention, toot-toot. He ignored me. I tapped again, toot toot. He finally looked my way and when our eyes met I clasped my hands together in a submissive praying position. My demeanor was calm. I motioned for him to roll his window down and after a few seconds he did so, reluctantly. I began with “Sir, I was almost in an accident because of the way you changed lanes.” I continued in my sweetest voice, “Please be careful!” My hands were still in the prayer position. At that moment we were looking directly into each others eyes. The attempted murderer  was momentarily confused and lost for words. He wasn’t expecting this CHOSEN response. I gave him a reassuring smile and he said….wait for it…wait for it…“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you.” I quickly offered, “Okay, no problem. Thank you and drive safely.” I flashed the UNIVERSAL peace sign and drove off. At this moment I needed to check MY rear-view mirror to make sure I was the one speaking because TWO YEARS AGO I would have used several expletives along with threats to have him arrested for attempted murder!

Now, his statement “I didn’t see you” was untrue and his actions were deliberate however I chose to ignore the evidence to create what is more important to me…a sense of internal peace. This is when the practice of self-mastery comes into play…acknowledging I am the sole individual responsible for my personal state.

Self-mastery is about creating and maintaining a tone, a personal environment, if you will, for SELF. You are the ONLY one that has control over YOU. You don’t have control over outside forces OR what happens to you BECAUSE of outside forces.

Your power lies in your CHOICES. You have the power to change your attitude and change your reaction to anything that has happened, is happening, or will happen to you!

Please take note that I said change your attitude and change your reaction to what happens in your life…not the circumstances! This truth is a very important concept to accept. Giving up trying to control anything OUTSIDE of YOU is a key component to self-mastery.

Elements to Self-Mastery

1. You and you alone are responsible for your internal state of being.
2. Recover QUICKLY. The past exists as long as you focus on it.
3. Make a daily commitment to practice mastering SELF.
4. Have FUN learning the skills to self-mastery. Invent new ways to respond to old issues.
5. When you master SELF mastering the world becomes EASY.

If I offered you heaven on earth would you be willing to make the commitment to self-mastery? Interestingly enough, some people are committed to self-mastery and some aren’t. Some people are governed by circumstances and some are governed by other people. I choose neither one of those options because I’ve already lived that way and I still remember how it felt. It was similar to riding a rollercoaster…up down, up down, up down and the ride never ended until I CHOSE to MASTER SELF!

In closing, mastering any new skill takes time, patience and more importantly a commitment. Self-mastery involves consciously committing to daily practice. The reward is discovering heaven on earth.