The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude, Happiness Is a Choice, Relationships for Dummies.  These are just a few choices on how to transform your state of being.  Maybe you've tried a few.  There is no lack of people who would like to help you improve/modify/clarify your present life.  Everyone's got advice--Oprah & Phil, your local church/synagogue/mosque, your Mom/Grandma/Yenta.

We all want our "self" to be the best "self" it can be, right?  But, sometimes things get in the way.  We encounter some type of resistance.  Laziness, lack of motivation, time and money, a bad attitude (Good things happen to other people), complacency (I've always been this way) or whatever, are common, and maybe accurate, excuses. Sometimes it's hard to put into words or even understand what our resistance is.  Well, Mr. Buddha must have been dealing with some of the same dilemmas, because he came up with a list (he had lots and lots of lists) of what are called the Five Hindrances.  Maybe you call them the Five Roadblocks, the Five Restraints, the Five Things That Get in My Way.  Call them what you want.

These Five Hindrances(1) are mental states that impact our daily lives. It's good to become familiar with them, because once you've identified them, it helps to tiptoe around them or, better yet, look them straight in the eye. They are not personal failings.  We all have them.  These forces can be mild or powerful and it's best to learn to work with the Five Hindrances so we can be free of them.  

 Here they are: 

Ah, those Buddhists think of everything.  They not only tell us what to watch out for, but what to do when we encounter these Gnarly Five.  There are actual antidotes to each one of these hindrances.  For example, the antidote to aversion is lovingkindness. A simple but often effective practice is to sit and internally say "yes" to a difficult experience. As you do this, watch what happens to your mind and body.  In this way, connecting to your own experience can be an antidote to aversion.(2) 

This is food for thought.  I will be covering these hindrances in more detail over the next few weeks.  In the meantime, see if you can identify some of these hindrances as you go through your day.  Is there something getting in your way, something keeping you from being your best "self"?

(1) These Five Hindrances are most often used to overcome resistance in our meditation practice, but relate to our daily lives.  The translation comes from the Pali word meaning "covering over" or covering the ability to be mindful, to be wise, to concentrate, and to stay on purpose.

(2) http://www.examiner.com/buddhism-in-washington-dc/the-five-hindrances