Compliments of mcdett via Flickr

I asked my students what they wanted post-graduation. Most desired a big house, a fancy car, and a large paycheck. They thought life would improve once they acquired these possessions.

True wealth is an untroubled mind. This includes a steadfast faith that everything is working in your favor, and a relinquishment of obsessive worry (in which future events are churned like a blender run amuck). Sometimes we need repositioning, and occasionally that process is painful. True tranquility persists in the midst of unsettling news.

The struggle to break free bursts forth in new creation. Our barometer of joy is then peace within the eye of the storm, and our mandate is to unearth this treasure. I’ve found the less I’m bombarded by media (mainly television), the more time I have to read inspirational material. Lofty thoughts provide the framework on which to build my faith. Below are some books that I find uplifting:

• Spiritual Intelligence: The Ultimate Intelligence
• The Success Principles: How to get from where you are to where you want to be
• A Course in Miracles
• The Seat of the Soul
• The Holographic Universe
• Simple Abundance

I try to read one chapter each night. The ideas marinate during sleep in my subconscious, providing a wealth of information in the form of problem resolution. Only that which induces calm is invited into my boudoir. If we are what enters are minds, then it behooves us to be centurions before their gateway.