Foreword

When asked what the ultimate goal in life is, most people answer "happiness." Then what really is happiness? And what are the different things in life that makes people happy? Since the question asks for the ultimate goal in life, most people have different opinions on the matter, but the central theme in these answers is having an ample amount of something that they value as important. It seems like most people's definition of a happy life consists of a high quality life, where aspects of life they deem valuable are plentiful.

Delving further into this high quality of life, most people believe living a happy life consists of eating great food, sleeping well, and wearing comfortable clothes, while enjoying these aspects with a special someone they love. This is the definition of rest that is based on the idea of peace of mind. There are many philosophers out there that would beg to differ, but happiness is generally far away for most people, unless the three basic aspects of life (food, clothing, and shelter) are sufficiently fulfilled while resting.

This is where the book truly begins. Most aspects of wealth + happiness involve trading in time and effort for money and goods. Through labor, one would receive monetary compensation for using up his or her valuable time, and that money will, in turn, allow one to trade it in for better goods.

But if we're looking at this straight from the perspective of happiness, the competition for money that is bred from a simple desire for more wealth actually impoverishes people's minds. Money brings to us a wider variety of rest and getaways to enjoy, but it also takes away the peace of mind that most people really crave. This is when it becomes necessary for each and every one of us to realize how important it is to fully rest and replenish our mind and body.

I do not wish for anyone reading this book to come away feeling that this book is out to bash those seeking rest through materialistic, monetary methods. In fact, it's impossible to pinpoint whether having a wealth of materialistic goods is really a bad thing or not.

What I really want to state is that by losing your peace of mind, you will not be able to fully enjoy and recover from rest, while constantly seeking more ways to feel better through material wealth, creating a vicious cycle that in the end, obliterates the whole definition of resting.

This book touches those points, and is written for those that do not want to ignore the materialistic side of things, simultaneously seeking the core of happiness through resting. This book is for those that are seeking the happy medium between time and goods for a happy life. Here's hoping this book provides a semblence of a happy, rich life for all readers reading through these pages.

The true value of good mental rest

As stated before, when most people think of the word "resting", people associate that with eating good food, observing beautiful things, and recovering stamina in a relaxing environment without having to be tied down to labor.

As stated, our definition of resting depends heavily on the materialistic side of things, and the competitive nature of humans always seeking new and better ways to "rest", have actually led to a new wave of thinking where people only consider the materialistic sides of resting, and not the mental aspect of it.

The competitive nature of humans created an unhealthy, materialistic movement where if one person uses something nice, others feel the need to follow. If one person eats delicious food, others feel the need to eat the same dish as well. This trend has inadvertently drowned out the very definition of the word "rest", and focused solely on the materialistic sides of life.

Resting is supposed to be a process of letting yourself go to recharge and achieve bigger, better things later. But once you place too much emphasis on resting itself, you'll find yourself spending most of your time creating an environment for you to enjoy down the road, instead of spending that time to rest and really replenish. In the end, the original intent of resting goes astray, replaced by a case of a workaholic who can't actually rest or let yourself go.

So what is mental rest all about? It's about slowing down the speed of outside events and the people around you affecting your day, while managing to keep your mental equilibrium intact and react in a peaceful, easygoing manner.

For detailed instructions on how to achieve this, here's the following:

*Make sure to have some time for yourself.

Think about all the time you have invested in trying to achieve material wealth.
Then, weigh in the two different possiblities, one being investing more of your time for more wealth, or a peace of mind you can earn by forfeiting some of your material wealth through losing that time of labor. Weigh the two and see what's more important to you.

The first step towards a peace of mind and body involves acquiring some time for yourself where you can have a good time without really doing anything. It doesn't matter whether that time is long or short. You must set aside some time for rest.

That time will provide you with a shot of confidence and a sense of ease, laying down the foundation for some good mental rest.

*Do nothing, and let your mind rest.

Forget everything. Let go of the problems that hinder your mind.
At first, you'll realize it's not an easy task at all.
But once you realize that it's just nothing more than a fear of forgetting the will to solve the problems you're afflicted with, you'll have a much easier time letting go.

By doing this, you'll be provided with a new perspective of the problems you're saddled with, which will in turn help you immensely towards solving the problem.

*Be close to nature

Really, humans are just an extension of nature.
In the process of altering nature for their own convenience, instead, the humans ended up being farther from nature than ever before.
This has created problems and side effects that was never around before, yet none of the humans really know how to deal with it.

Overcoming the problems stemming from nature in itself is a problem that needs to be solved one day, but it's not important enough for you to use your precious time that you have set aside for yourself in the process.
Problems like this should be left for the experts to deal with.

*Talk to the people you love.

It is never a good thing to differentiate people, but it's all about the problems stemming from different personalities. It is important to listen to the opinions of both the people you like and dislike with equal respect, but that doesn't mean you need to ignore the judgements you've made within yourself to seperate the people you like to be with, as opposed to those you don't like to associate with.

Sharing a deeply personal conversation with someone that makes you feel at ease, someone that makes you laugh, or someone that really listens to you is very important. Having a gathering of people you feel good being with and sharing a personal conversation with them goes a long way towards providing a peace of mind that allows you to fully rest your mind, body, and soul.

The pointers I have provided above are just that, pointers. I am confident that those of you that have read this book will ultimately find your own ways to enjoy good mental rest. Searching for your own ways to maximize the effect of mental rest goes a long way towards better understanding yourself. This is the ultimate purpose of meaningful rest, to replenish your mind and see yourself in a better light.

The delicate balance between work and rest

We have just discussed the various points and effects some good mental rest can provide to you. I am confident that there are more ways out there to enjoy a full mental rest that have yet to be discovered.

This may be a bit unrelated, but if you are worried about successfully balancing the peace of mind that comes with good mental rest, and the peace of mind that comes with having a bit of material wealth, know that this quandary is not just applied to the concept of rest. That's because I believe that for some people, while discovering the realms of resting, they'll also seriously consider the balancing point between rest and work. Different people will come up with different solutions on this matter, and here's my two cents on this.

Resting itself should not be the sole purpose of life. Resting is an act of saving up energy and power at an opportune time to better apply your potential and abilities in different aspects of life at a later time.

It is not a good idea to invest too much of yourself towards material wealth for a peace of mind that is not to be attained until a much later time, but the opposite is also true. Not doing anything for a prolonged amount of time in the name of mental rest is an act of wasting away your potential for becoming a better human being.

Instead of making rest a central goal in your life, use it as a stepping stone towards living a higher quality of life and expand the choices of life you'll make down the road. May god bless you every step of the way.