The main aspect of serving Hashem, may He be blessed, is the service of the heart. Therefore one must try as much as possible to focus on the meaning of the words of the prayers that come out of one’s mouth. One mitzvah leads to the next, and so as a result of that act of concentration the person will be aroused to serve Hashem with a wholesome, pure service — with awe, love and great joy. That, in turn, will protect the person from serving Hashem haphazardly, like those people who, in the middle of their prayers or study, make all sorts of noises with their mouths in order hint whatever they please (such as “nu, nu, uh”) or they’ll laugh. If they would but imagine that they are in the midst of talking to the king while at the same time making all of those noisy hints, they would immediately be filled with shame. Oh, how disgraceful!
Above all, it is imperative that one do all they can to avoid enjoying anything without reciting its blessing, Heaven forbid. In matters of blessings where there is a halachic dispute, a God-fearing Jew will act in a manner that satisfies all opinions. And a truly pure-hearted person will be extra careful to avoid the common problem of forgetting to recite a blessing by setting reminders for himself to remember to bless.
