I heard a comment from a market maven this morning that staying the course (meaning, holding your investment discipline - i.e. resisting the urge to throw everything overboard and hide in a cave) is the right thing to do, but it isn't fun. This is true, in a limited sense.
Doing the right thing is something that we are taught from a young age, and it usually involved giving up something fun (playing in the back yard) and doing something we didn't want to do (clean up our room).
But I think that in a less limited way, doing the right thing should feel good and even be fun. It all has to do with the state of mind in which you "do the right thing."
We've all heard the Biblical statement "God loveth a cheerful giver," which was usually used to urge congregants into putting more cash into the offering basket without grousing about it. The real meaning of this phrase is that you create a more harmonious feeling in yourself when you "do the right thing" from a generous mind set, rather than a feeling of guilt or obligation. Here's an exercise that you can do, since we are all in this situation from time to time:
Suppose you are driving on a crowded freeway during rush hour, anxious to get home and relax. Most people on the freeway are NOT in a generous frame of mind. But try this: tell yourself that there is plenty of time, and that your journey homewards will be effortless. Then, whenever a car needs to change into your lane, allow them to do so, and smile to yourself as you do it, continuing to tell yourself that there is plenty of time. Maybe even let two or three cars go ahead of you.
You may be amazed at the change in your experience. I will bet that you still get home in plenty of time, you will have done the right thing in the right frame of mind, and you might not even need that glass of wine before dinner.
Practicing this little bit of doing the right thing from a generous mindset just might inspire you to start applying this to other areas of your life that have felt like obligations. A book that you might want to read is "Skillful Means" by the Buddhist writer Tarthang Tulku. This is an excellent way to review your mindset about all types of work, "obligations," and other issues in life so that you can shift from the concept that certain things are a waste of your time to a recognition that there is nobility and even the possibility of spiritual growth in the humblest tasks.
