The Mirror - Buckle Up
How many of my readers meditate? - Like actually sitting down for an undetermined amount of time and meditate? My relationship with meditation has been ebbing and flowing for years. I really started meditating when I first met my husband. Before he introduced me to the activity of meditating, the process was a trendy self-care fad that I did not have time for in my busy life. Little did I know the benefits, and what I thought I did not need was exactly what I needed!! My husband was meditating every day, and I tried it a couple of times. Full disclosure: I fell asleep most of the time during the meditation. It never resonated with me as something I needed to add to my already overflowing plate.
One day, a dear friend of ours was doing a Facebook Live, and she shared that learning to meditate assisted her in being able to show up as a better friend, as a better spouse, and as a better person in her life. That statement resonated with me because I never thought about the activity of meditation having a rippling effect like that in one's life. Now, I wish I could say once I heard that statement come out of her mouth, that I stopped everything and started a lifelong love affair with meditation, but those words, her words, sat with me for several years before I adopted an actual practice of meditating.
Fast forward to 2022, when I read the book by James Clear, Atomic Habits. His book changed my life. The author indicated that readers should focus on their identity when creating habits. For example, if you want to identify as a non-smoker, then your habits should assist you with achieving that identity. I remember returning from an international trip and just finished his book. I immediately purchased a habit tracker from Amazon. The habit tracker assisted me with creating a list of habits I could accomplish daily and building my new identity. Meditating was one of the habits I wanted to follow each day.
Now, this is where the fun comes in! If you have ever tried to meditate, you know that it is NOT EASY. If it was easy, many would do it and reap the benefits. What makes it difficult is calming the monkey mind and permitting yourself to sit still for the duration. Every session, I needed a seatbelt for meditation because I find myself jumping in and out of meditation frequently. I could not sit still long enough to have a successful meditative episode, which was defeating.
The mind is a fascinating thing because it is in a constant state of movement. Meditation teaches one to control one's thoughts and learn to focus on one's breathing patterns. Want to know the secret to successfully meditating? Or, in the context of this post, what is the seatbelt that keeps you in your sacred place to meditate? - Simply focus on your breathing. If you focus on breathing, the rest will come naturally, and you will soon build on the practice.
Meditation is not about perfection; it's about progress. My relationship with meditation has been a winding road filled with starts, stops, and lessons learned. What I once dismissed as a trendy self-care fad has become a cornerstone of my growth, peace, and ability to show up as a better version of myself.
It took years of hearing the right words, reading the right books, and trying (and failing) to sit still before I realized that meditation is not about silencing the monkey mind entirely—it's about learning to work with it. Focusing on my breath became the "seatbelt" that kept me grounded in the practice, and slowly but surely, I started to reap the rewards.
So, to all my readers: How many of you meditate? Like, really meditate? If you haven't tried it—or if you've tried and struggled—I encourage you to start small, focus on your breath, and be patient with yourself. You might be surprised by the ripple effects it creates in your life. Meditation teaches me that sometimes the answers we seek are already within us—we just need to sit still long enough to hear them.
Have you meditated today? If not, take a moment now.
Breathe in. Breathe out. You've got this!
Disclaimer:
The content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of your physician or other qualified health professionals with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice based on information you have read here.
