We’ve all got them.
All the reasons why we can’t meditate.
We don’t have time.
We’re too tired.
There’s too much to do.
It doesn’t “work” for us.
But what if we could see meditation as a solution, to help us get more done, rather than an obligation that takes up time?
It is said that meditation and prayer are two sides of the same coin.
When Archbishop Desmond Tutu was asked how long he prays every day, it is said he answered:
“I am so busy, if I want to get everything done, I cannot pray for less than 2 hours per day.”
This one stopped me in my tracks.
I’m guessing that, although I feel I’m really busy, someone like Desmond Tutu might be just a teeny bit busier?
And he says he can’t get it all done, without that meditative prayer space?
Time to review my excuses!
The 3 stages of meditation help us see how meditating more could achieve the results implied by Desmond Tutu’s answer.
Relaxation
If we’re tense, we can’t meditate.
Being more physically, mentally and emotionally relaxed helps us think more clearly and – surprise, surprise- get more done.
Concentration
Meditation is about being able to hold our focus on something (or nothing!), while the mind does whatever it likes in the background. That’s how we can come to a place of inner peace, when the world around us is full of noise and busy-ness.
Being focused helps tame our distractable, “grasshopper mind” to pay attention to the present moment. Being aware, concentrating and focusing on what we’re doing dramatically cuts down the time we waste, without realising, every day.
Meditation
The act of meditating brings us back into the present moment.
It helps us connect with our inner wisdom.
It helps us release attachments and dissolve denial, so we can see the Truth of a situation, rather than our projection.
It gets us back in flow with our Higher energies and helps life unfold before us, with less effort and less pain.
Easy to see how this could help us get more “done” with less “doing”.
So I’m off to practice “being” for a while, whilst this message settles for me.
Then I’ll see how much more I achieve today!
You don't have to turn your legs into a pretzel, to be able to meditate
What are your favourite meditation excuses?
How could you perhaps find the time to slot in a little more space to “be” today?
What would it take for you to make that commitment to yourself?
Is there support you need? Who might you ask for help?
I was working with a client recently who is talented, quick-thinking and highly motivated, but also feeling miserable, frustrated and stressed.
It didn’t take much probing to discover that an out-of-date belief of “life has to be hard work” was causing much of the problem.
What we believe is what we get.
The thing is that our beliefs are like choices that get stuck in time. Once we’ve made them, instead of setting us free, they close the doors to other choices – to other responses.
That’s why even a so-called “empowering belief” is limiting. When things change, then even that old empowering belief could hold you back from your growth and expansion!
So if a “good” belief can do that, just imagine how much a “bad” one can do!
The great news is that we can change our beliefs.
They’re far from being set in stone.
There are techniques we can use to dissolve away the old belief and choose more flexibility and freedom in our life.
So if you catch yourself doing, saying ot thinking something that no longer “fits” for you today, all you need to do is catch yourself at this game and allow yourself to choose another option.
Have you ever spotted your beliefs holding you back? How about sharing your experiences via the comments, below?
“Seeking happiness outside ourselves is like waiting for sunshine in a cave facing north.“
Tibetan saying
One of the most difficult habits to break is that of looking for happiness outside ourselves.
It might be expecting someone else to behave in a certain way, so we can feel happy. It might be thinking we’ll feel happier when we’ve got the new car, the promotion, the bigger house, the new dress.
The problem?
None of these things are within our control.
And if our happiness depends on something outside of us, then it’s easily shattered.
The other problem?
By waiting for something or someone else to do something or be someone that we can’t influence, then we’re putting ourselves in the position of victim – a passive experiencer of life.
The answer?
The only way we can truly feel happy is to put ourselves back in a position of active choice.
Whatever our circumstances, whatever our environment, whatever happens, the only thing we can impact is how we choose to respond.
And that’s where we can choose to feel happier – in every moment, with every thought, with every breath, with every word.
Our happiness is there inside us, waiting for us to let it out to play!
Got comments on this one? How about sharing via the comments box, below?
