Awareness of information and being able to make use of it are two different skills. For example, everyone understands the importance of exercise and proper diet. That’s clear and proven information, however we have health problems because it’s difficult to act on this knowledge enough to make it a habit.

So let’s imagine what happens when it comes to unclear and abstract concepts such as love, forgiveness and sin. How does a person put something that isn’t clear into action, when clear connections like health and exercise are difficult? Simply pushing these feelings aside without action doesn’t work well for anyone, but for those Befriending Prosperity, ignoring the emotional acts for mental peace can be poisonous.

Religion uses a reward punishment system to encourage you to comply with ritualistic actions but the real power rests in your agreement with peace of mind.

These 7 Baby Steps for Mental Peace do not adhere to standard definitions or religious doctrine, but provide a framework of how to put these words into action in a way that heals and promotes mental growth. Think of them as Positive Mental Investments.

1. Concept of Self – For any of this to work, you must know yourself (or be in the process of getting to know) what makes you tick. Not just the fun stuff. Not just the superficial stuff.

For example, do you understand how you respond to anger, fear, jealousy? Do you know why you have trouble letting that one thing go? Are you patient with yourself? Do you know your limits? Can you push past them? Do you grow from challenges? How do you put this knowledge of yourself to use in your life?

–Please don’t brush this question off. You must be able to recognize your own cognitive dissonance and access why. Is the material too difficult to understand, too far away from your previous knowledge, absolutely unbelievable, or is it information overload? Maybe you heard something about the author long ago and it tainted your view of them.

Once you can figure out why you’re resisting you can decide whether you want to consider the idea or move on. There’s no system for this. YOU must be able to recognize your own resistance and own it. Dislike it for its character and not out of fear.

2. Concept of Self Ownership – No more blaming of the past. After a certain spiritual age, we grow to understand that every response is our own. It’s not your parents, ex spouse, boss or anyone else’s ‘isms‘ . We’ve learned to use these experiences as pivot points not pit falls. You must be in control of the conversations of your mind. What will you let go of today?

3. Concept of Infinite Growth – Everyone can learn. There is always more to understand tomorrow and there is a difference between I don’t know and I don’t know yet. Were you open to new information today? What did you learn?

4. Concept of Love – The word Love has been misused. People LOVE everything but show LOVE to nothing. This is beyond romantic or familial love. As we speak of Love here, we use it as a verb meaning to be in divine appreciation. Your sense of awe and recognition of the beauty around you are examples of Love in action. Does your heart lift when you hear your favorite song?

5. Concept of Evil/Sin/Wrongdoings – Evil in our context is also a verb meaning to subtract from Love’s divine appreciation. Fear, anger, jealousy, spite, disappointment, gossip are a few of the acts that subtract from the consistent divine appreciation. Is your intention to uplift or diminish? Diminishing acts are evil. Religions have provided the generations with lists of specific sins, but for our purposes sins are acts that subtract from consistent divine appreciation. As you grow in your studies you may realize that your greatest sin is anger with yourself as mentioned, Diminishing acts are evil.

[Although the concept of sin is Christian, we do not speak of sin or evil in terms of a fiery pit of punishment but as a type of negative mental investment that will return to you in this life.]

S.I.N. can be thought of simply as Spiritually Insidious Nuances . We all have them, so face them and move to the next level. You know what is upwardly motivating to your life and what isn’t. The battle is always between you and your decisions about those matters.

6. Concept of Forgiveness – In our context, forgiveness is the act of separating yourself from the need for retribution or recompense. This simply means that you free YOUR mind from the wanting. When we’re angry or feel wronged, we want something. An apology, justice, a behavior change, etc. But we can’t change another person, only ourselves. Therefore it’s important we don’t hinder our progress by carrying the weight of another’s wrong doing. This also includes forgiving yourself. It’s takes a tremendous amount of energy to hold someone else’s feet to the fire. Energy that could be used for your growth.

7. Concept of Levels – There are levels to The Knowledge – not an hierarchy, but prerequisites. Every person must move at their own pace. Don’t feel negatively because you’re not as far along as another person. In this same context, don’t look down on another person because they’re not as far along as you. Use your experience to be helpful or remain in the silence.

Incorporating the 7 Baby Steps for Mental Peace can help anyone calm their mind and move past old pain. This is an important step for healing.