In my early years of finding me, meditation was never the way I thought this should happen. My problem was the time I thought it would take away from my busy life without any results other than more stress added from the time wasted trying to find something I did not even understand. The kicker to it all is once I finally learned how to embrace this tool, I actually had more time than I ever did trying to beat the clock.
Learning to set a timer was the first step. Rather than fighting the time, I thought I would work with it. Someone explained it to me so simply by saying, "anyone is worth 5 minutes of themselves". After that it was hard not to at least try. I'm happy to say today that time for myself has increased past just 5 minutes a day.
Second, I needed to figure out what approach would work best for me. The thought of sitting still quiet in my thoughts for even just 5 minutes felt impossible and nauseating. So I asked around, searched online, and read books that could guide me to where I could feel success in meditation.
Turns out there is a wealth of knowledge and insights on meditation everywhere! Even Netflix! From visual platforms, to guided practices, to soft sounds, to just sitting in your car taking in the moment in front of you before you start your day; if we seek it, the right plan is out there for any of us. The most important factor to me was the simplicity I found in it all. It was always just this unreachable measure that I could never attain because I really did not think I deserved even 5 minutes to take care of myself, or that this would rather add more stress by wasting the time with no results. But the peace and contentment it has brought instead I could never look back at that thought again.
I do still consider myself a beginner and not sure if I am even interested in achieving the masters of meditation in my any near futures; but what I do value in it is the action of doing. I feel because I start my day this way, instead of running out the door in chaos and panic it changes the day. I will sit in my car or wherever I am to recenter that day that needs it, instead of living it out counting the minutes until it is over. I ask my GoogleHome to play nature, ocean, or whatever soothing sounds he wants for just that imaginative change of scenery instead of remaining stuck in the monotony of what's around me. I will even journal, write letters to my God, wait for a response in silence, then write what comes (to which only needs to be a 5 minute exercise!), and follow through with the peace and contentment provided in that instead of my rush, gotta go, too much to do mentality. It is definitely in the action of doing...
So what's your story? I would love your insights and experiences too. Your concerns or reservations? Maybe we can find your meditation success story together. I sure would love to be a part of that as well!
Aug 20
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