Every once in a while I head into the mountains (or go for a run, or swim etc.) with a particular problem in mind, or something that I’m seeking an answer to. What usually happens is that, partway through being there you seem to forget what your problem is in the first place.

This might seem like a problem, but what it means is that your subconscious is working away at this problem in the background as you go about your task. That’s why doing things that force you into the moment can help you think straight, or at least that’s been the case in my experience. Then when you snap back to ‘reality’, you find that your mind has progressed some way to finding a solution to your problem.

Master Hoshino always says, ‘what you sense. That is the answer.’ While this can be seen to be covering all bases, I find that often this really is the way. If you have a problem or some big decision you’re mulling over, trust that the solution truly does lie within you.

Thought about another way, where else could this solution come from? You’re going to have to make the decision sometime, but this way you’ve let both your conscious and subconscious mull things over; not just your logical-thinking brain, but your heart as well, and that’s where the best answers are.