Changing the mind, the heart, is infinitely more difficult than anything else we do—more demanding than education or work or raising a family. It takes time, and we need to give it that time, for as long as it takes.

And the time must be given daily: our spiritual practice must become a regular part of our day, as important as eating or working or sleeping. Our minds are infinitely powerful. We can learn to be good at anything, if only we give it an hour or two of practice a day. But every day.

We all know that there are right ways of fixing a car and wrong ways too. If you try to fix your car but you don't know what you are doing, you can really make expensive mistakes.

Fixing heart and mind are no different. We need to know what we're doing—we need good, clear instructions on what to do, from someone who's already done it.

Learning how to maintain a really effective daily practice creates a perfect foundation for entering the first of the five paths.