Mar 11, 2020
Let's face it...one of our biggest obstacles to our success
is our own minds. Do you ever feel like you are constantly
having conversations with yourself (inside your head)? I
definitely do, and sometimes these thoughts and conversations
are pretty stressful. But I’ve learned that the minute
you realize that you are not your mind, then you become empowered
to make some changes in your life. You have to remember
that you are NOT your mind. Your mind is simply a tool. But,
that tool (left unmanaged) can work against you as much as help
you.
Research shows that most of us have up to 60,000 per day, and
I can tell you from experience that most of those thoughts are
unproductive and unmanaged. That is the primary reason that I
started to meditate.
Meditation is the #1 way I have learned to manage my
thoughts and become more productive with my life. Now full
disclosure, I am definitely NOT an expert on meditation, but I
would love to share some thoughts, tips and ideas with you that
might help you to benefit from meditation like I have.
So, Why Should You and I Start Meditating?
Meditation has been proven over time to create amazing to
those that choose to practice it regularly. It is not just an
ambiguous or hyped up thing?
Here are just a few of the benefits you might receive
from meditating:
Bottom line...there are so many benefits that high highly
recommend you start some form of meditation.
What the Difference between Meditation and
Mindfulness?
When I first started meditating, I did a ton of research.
I started to realize that there were many different
styles, techniques and trainings for meditation. However, one
of the main distinctions I found was there was a difference between
Mindfulness and Meditation, and they both serve a
purpose.
Mindfulness is the practice of learning to focus on the
present moment. You can do this by focusing on your breath or
a stationary object or simple noticing your 5 senses.
Mindfulness is also something that you can practice
throughout your day, and will definitely help you to
enjoy life more.
Meditation is the process of “letting go”. It
involves learning to take your mind and body into a different
state of consciousness where your and mind and body can
get super creative and productive in healing, relaxing or producing
results in many areas of your life. It can be described as a
4th state of consciousness that is not waking, sleeping or
dreaming.
Just knowing the difference in these two things
helped me to get started, and I hope you will take the time to
research a bit on your own as well.
Here are some Tips, Strategies and Techniques that might Help
You…
-
Start with Just a Couple Minutes- It might sound
simple but staying consistent is important so just start with a few
minutes and increase it over time.
-
Do it First Thing in the Morning- If you start your day with
meditation you will set yourself up for success and
will always get your meditation in each day.
-
Don’t Worry about How you Feel- You don’t have to be in the
mood to meditate. Like working out, you are meditating for
the benefits and not because you need it in the moment.
-
Find a Quiet Place- When you start I think its important to
find a quiet place and minimize distractions to set yourself
up for success.
-
Start by Breathing or Counting Breath- You can start
meditating by simply closing your eyes and focusing on or counting
your breaths.
-
Do a Body Scan- Another relaxing technique is to simply
close your eyes and notice, relax and focus on one specific body
part at a time. Start at your toes and slowly work your way
up your body till you get to the top of your head.
-
Notice the Senses- Your mind cannot normally focus on too many
things at once, so when I have been stressed I will sometimes close
my eyes and notice all 5 senses to distract my mind. Try this
one for sure.
-
Don’t Worry about Technique- Please don’t worry too much about
what Style, Technique or Practice you start. This will keep
you from Starting a Practice.
-
Notice Distractions and Simply Refocus- When you become
distracting with random thoughts (and you will), simply notice the
thoughts and bring your attention back to focus…no worries.
-
Follow Guided Meditation if Needed- Sometimes it helps to
use a guided meditation or one with music and sounds of nature.
We have many of these for free inside the
Daily Mastermind Mobile app you can use.
-
Take a Course- There are also a ton of free ebooks, courses,
and mobile apps you can use for meditation. Take the time to
find resources that work for you.
-
Make Upfront Commitment- Most importantly, I encourage you to
make decision and a commitment UPFRONT to start and stay with
a meditation practice.
Those are just a few ideas and lessons I’ve learned over the
years, so I hope they help you. Now let me give you a few of
my favorite resources and people I feel you can look into for
more information and help with meditation.
Resources for Meditation Success
The Daily Mastermind Mobile App- the mobile app has many
different FREE meditations that you can use on the go. There
are tabs for guided, unguided, affirmations, sounds of nature and
10 min or 30 minute sessions.
Calm or Headspace Mobile Apps- these two mobile apps are
the most popular and they both have free or lite versions.
They also have short 7 days introductory courses on how
to meditate you can use to get started.
Wayne Dyer- I love Wayne’s approach to meditation and he
has tons of audios, books and stuff online I encourage you to
research and use.
ZenHabits.net- this
website blog is a very simple, practical source that I read
from time to time on subjects of Meditation, Lifestyle and
Simplifying my life.
Zivameditation.com- Emily
Fletcher is an expert on Meditation and really simplifies that
concept of Mindfulness, Meditation, and Manifestation. I have
benefited from your courses a bunch.
Transcendental Meditation- This is probably the most popular
form of meditation and many experts, celebrities and people I
know have benefited from this type of meditation. It is a
type of meditation that offers courses locally around the
country and involves the use of a mantra that you repeat while
meditating to stay focused on clearing your mind. Check it
out.
Anyway, that is my basic thoughts, ideas and tips for you
with meditation. Overall, I feel like you can
really talk your Daily Rituals and Your Life to a
whole new level if you start a DAILY practice of meditation,
and its my hope that you will Try this or expand your current
knowledge of meditation to increase your Quality of
Life.
Until tomorrow, thanks for reading and have
an amazing day.
George Wright III