Day 6 of 30: Staying Motivated

Several years ago I posted a poll asking a group of meditators what they thought the world would be like if every single person sustained a daily meditation practice.  A subset of their responses is below:

“If everyone meditated daily with a sincere heart, through many generations everyone would come to see that we are one and after more generations would come to love everyone equally. It’s hard to imagine what a world like that would be.”

 

“If everyone meditated daily, I think more people would think first of others and of the repercussions of their actions before they act.”

 

“I imagine that people would be more genuine, more centered, and more willing to accept themselves and others just the way we are. This genuineness and acceptance would likely lead to less need to ‘be right’ or have others ‘be wrong’. It is an exciting vision, and one I hope to continue to develop at least in my little piece of the world. Also, I think the world might slow down a little bit, and people would take time to really be wherever they were at any given moment, like children are.”

Don’t these scenarios sound wonderful? I want to live in that world. And it is possible.  You can contribute to creating that world. It starts with each one of us.

On the days when I don’t feel like meditating, one source of motivation is to picture how I want to show up differently in the world.  I invite you now to think of a recent scenario when you wish that you had been more patient with another person?  when you wish that you had listened with more focus & curiosity?  when you had been more kind to yourself?

A daily meditation practice will develop your skills for greater clarity and choice.  From that clarity and choice, you will be empowered to choose presence, kindness, compassion.

When first starting out, I recall reading that a sustained meditation practice will cause things to “slow down.”  I no longer recall the source of that statement.  But at the time, I did not understand what it meant or how it is possible.  Some things have to be experienced firsthand.  Now, having experienced this change, I know what it meant.  Meditation breaks the habitual connection between stimulus and response.  Now, I see the stimuli in my environment and in my bodily sensations without an urgency to act.  From that vantage point of observation, and without the compulsion for immediate action, there is a great space … a space to interject self-compassion, reconnection to intention, and choice.  That sounds like a lot to fit into a short pause.  Trust me, it all happens very very quickly.

My hope is that these reminders are inspiring you to continue investing in your practice, even on the days when you need support to feel motivated.

I invite you to continue on with your recurring daily concentration meditation practice for at least 5 minutes per day.  Please leave comments on this page below to share your experiences.  Please share this post with the people you care about by using the social media icons adjacent to it.  Please reach out to me if I can support you.

See you tomorrow!

Best wishes,

Rob