put learning first

Today I'll talk about putting the cart before the horse. I'm applying that metaphor to the topic of spiritual development. If you put things before your spiritual development, or always put it last, you'll have a horse with a cart in front of it, and nothing will roll.

There comes a time when your spiritual development matters more than the other demands in your life, and needs direct attention from you right away. That time will come more than once, especially if you neglect to honor it well, a habit you can work on.

The most pertinent time for giving prolonged attention to your spiritual development is right on the heels of a lapse into your least skillful behavior. Say, for example, a thick cloud of emotional negativity swallowed you whole. As it lifts, do immediate inner work.

Put the horse before the cart. Give yourself the attention you deserve by assimilating whatever just happened into your deepening wisdom about life, no matter how long it takes, several hours or a series of days. Stick with the process until you feel it conclude.

Until it does, sustain your devotion to inner inquiry. Read books that resonate with you on the subject of spirituality. Watch and revisit videos of your favorite teachers. Find the truth of their words in the specific examples of your latest challenging experiences.

Only then will you harvest those experiences for the spiritual growth that transforms suffering into intelligence. Only then will your life afterwards operate in a more harmonious way, which is reason in itself to cooperate, right? Stop the cart and feed the horse.