Sue had been let go from a senior role before the pandemic and is putting in full days looking for a new role while working to keep herself and her family positive. She has been exploring habits of successful people and we got talking about meditation.
“I can’t meditate,” Sue said. “I can’t quiet my thoughts.”
She went on to explain that she learned that she should set a timer for 10 minutes. This way, she could concentrate on what she was doing instead of thinking about the time.
She was instructed to sit down, back straight, close her eyes, and work to stop the thoughts that kept coming up. Problem was those thoughts won’t stop and so Sue doesn’t want to continue because she isn’t good at it.
And so it hit me. If Sue was able to change her own view of what successful meditation looked like, she would be much more likely to stick to it.
I believe there are many different ways to meditate and that you need to find what works for you.
Personally, I prefer to listen to someone leading me through a meditation as it helps keep me focused. (Tara Brach has some great ones on her website).
Some people prefer a mantra (repeating a short phrase to themselves over and over) like Deepak Chopra. Others prefer silence.
Some like sitting meditation, some like moving meditation, and others prefer to do it lying down.
And then there’s the idea of stopping your thoughts.
I have seen this idea be a major roadblock for people who want to start (and stick to) a meditation practice.
In my view, the purpose of meditation is not to stop our thoughts.
Thoughts are a totally normal part of the human experience, so defining success as being able to stop them is counterproductive and terribly difficult.
What if instead we determined that success in meditation was being able to notice our thoughts and use that as a cue to bring your attention back to the breath?
What if success was just noticing our thoughts?
What if success was not to get anywhere in particular but just to “practice” doing it? Does that feel different? Would that remove the roadblocks that are holding you back from committing fully to the process?
I want to know:
Is there somewhere else in your life where reframing success could benefit you?
If you want to enjoy more success by getting clear on the roadblocks that are standing in the way of your next step forward, then I invite you to join me for my upcoming masterclass, Chaos to Clarity: Moving Forward in Uncertain Times.
During this free training, I will share the reason that we find it challenging to move forward in uncertain times and 5 tools you can use to get clarity on your next steps.
I know this will be a transformational masterclasses and you will leave confident and inspired to reach entirely new levels of success and enjoy the life of your dreams.
Register here.
Comments