Reflect
The chariot of the self
Long before anyone wrote of the mind in parts, the Katha Upanishad drew a person as a chariot in motion, and named what each part of you is doing as you travel. Here is that picture, piece by piece, in the words of the text and in plain ones.
आत्मानं रथिनं विद्धि शरीरं रथमेव तु।
बुद्धिं तु सारथिं विद्धि मनः प्रग्रहमेव च॥
ātmānaṁ rathinaṁ viddhi śarīraṁ ratham eva tu, buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi manaḥ pragraham eva ca
Know the Self as the one who rides in the chariot, and the body as the chariot itself. Know the intellect as the charioteer, and the mind as the reins.
Katha Upanishad 1.3.3
इन्द्रियाणि हयानाहुर्विषयांस्तेषु गोचरान्।
आत्मेन्द्रियमनोयुक्तं भोक्तेत्याहुर्मनीषिणः॥
indriyāṇi hayān āhur viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān, ātmendriya-mano-yuktaṁ bhoktety āhur manīṣiṇaḥ
The senses, they say, are the horses, and the things they reach for are the roads they run. The Self joined with the body and its senses is what the wise call the one who tastes the journey.
Katha Upanishad 1.3.4
Each piece of the chariot stands for a part of you. Move through them and see what each one is doing as you travel.
What it means for you
When you feel pulled in every direction, the question the Upanishad leaves you with is a simple one. Who is holding the reins right now, the driver or the horses?
The wise, it says, call the Self joined with the body and its senses the one who tastes the whole journey. Keeping the charioteer awake is how that journey carries you somewhere worth going.
This picture comes from the Katha Upanishad, the same text as the boy who questioned Death. You can read his story here.