- "As you rise from sleep, make your purpose only this: 'I will go through this one day harmlessly. I will hurt no one in my thoughts or in my actions, including myself.'
"These are not hollow words. This is a statement of your intent, the goal you now set out to pursue. Returning to this one purpose again and again throughout the day should begin providing strong evidence that the mind does in fact matter and that commitment, although containing no appearance value, has a profound effect on the quality of your life. 'I will hurt no one in my thoughts or in my actions' is a purpose that immediately unifies your mind and makes you feel lighter, freer, and happier. Regardless of whether this is noticed by other people, it unquestionably will be noticed by you. If one gentle purpose, sincerely pursued, can have this effect, imagine what it will be like when all your mental garbage has been thrown out and the light hidden beneath the basket of your mind is finally released.
"The next step is to question the practicality of indulging in thoughts of guilt, remorse, and regret over the mistakes you have made. These thoughts are a form of self-indulgence. You are failing to take responsibility for your state of mind, because your state of mind is still not being used to heal damage. Look carefully at your thoughts, and you will see that they are all about you and not actually about the one you think you mistreated. This is self-flagellation without sincerity; it is penance without love; it is of no use to you. Guilty and remorseful thoughts do not help, heal, or comfort the person you think you have hurt. In effect, you are simply making the same mistake all over again: you attacked this person; now you are attacking yourself. Attack is the problem, not the answer. The answer is to actively help those you have hurt."
