But how do we get ourselves to fit yet another chore that’s “good for you” into our schedule?
There are no easy answers, because if you want to turn a blind eye, you will. Just like with going to the gym. Or eating your vegetables.
But those of you who are willing to take a shot at it, there are a few tricks to help push yourself.
First and foremost: Forget that your mind will be quiet. It won’t. It takes many years of consistent practice to come to a place of emptiness of thought.
In the meantime, look at it this way: Your thoughts will not be eliminated, but they will slow down, and that in itself will feel like a relief.
Allow your thoughts to be chaotic. How can we expect perfection without any or little training? We don’t expect it when it comes to our bodies. Or our professional skills. We know that it takes hard work to come to a place of mastery.
But somehow we entertain this illusion that we should be able to control our minds just like that; and when we can’t, we feel bad, and nobody wants to feel bad. So all good intentions go out the window, and there’s not going to be any meditation.
Accept that the mind is busy. When we say “the brain just functions that way” it’s easier to allow this busyness than to think, “I can’t pull it off, I am a failure”.
No one can, when they first sit down.
Be prepared for your mind to trail off, and to lose focus. Over and over and over.
But if you…..
