I used to come home after a tough day and just mentally break down in my room. I used to think life was a constant roller-coaster of happiness and pain; fear and love. And then I started meditating.
My life took a detour after an unexpected break up and move. I’m sharing this with you because I think almost everyone has had some bad days, or months, or years. I believe, the best thing you can do is to start meditating today.
It changed my life. I know it can change yours. I’ve seen it transform others.
When it comes to meditation, a lot of people have pre-conceived notions that are as off putting as the idea of George W. Bush in a banana hammock. Here is what I mean:
Crystal clear? Moving on….
Why Should I Meditate?
The best-BEST-habit you can possibly develop in the next 30 days is the ability to find refuge inside your own mind. Inside your skull lives a breathing being with the potential to be either a Michelangelo or a mentally-dormant-malnourished-Mr. Bean. The key to being successful at anything- riches, love, or creation- is to be able to focus your thoughts on one thing at a time, and to dig so deep into it that you discover something new. You don’t have to believe me. Just listen to the man considered the father of modern success literature.
All action begins with thought.
All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination, Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.- Napoleon Hill
- Follow your intuition
- Harness your imagination
- Create a more dynamic personality
- Decrease anxiety and increase peace
- Improve self-esteem and confidence
- Re-learn skills you didn’t know you had
- Overcome fear
- Realistically visualize what you want to achieve
- Materialize the things you want
- and more…
What You Will Need to Meditate
- You.
How to Meditate: A 30 day Program
I want to make this as small of a barrier to entry as possible. So, lets break this down:
***Note: Keep in mind these are guidelines. Meditation is up to you. I highly suggest following this “progression” so you don’t get overwhelmed, but perhaps you can handle highly advanced meditation. I don’t have a clue. I am not you. Do what feels right. Also, keep in mind that these are overlapping experiences- one day you will be practicing contemplative meditation and the next day you will be visualizing. There is no B to C formula.
Phase 1: Observing Your Own Thought Through Meditation
So why should you meditate? It’s really quite simple- you want to be more than what you currently think you can be. Go ahead and deny it if you want. Wash, rinse, repeat- deep down in your most intuitive part, you know I’m saying the truth. In order to reach a whole new level of being, you must learn to control the thoughts that have been controlling you.
The first step is awareness. Phase 1 is about becoming aware that you have so many thoughts coming up in your mind. That is it. Phase 1 is not about changing; it’s not about molding beliefs and overcoming obstacles- it is about awareness.
Yet, that is not synonymous with you coming to a point where you completely understand everything and know all. Stop doing that. You won’t be there yet; not likely at least.
Watch this:
Phase 2: Settling the Waters
“Settling the waters “means to look and observe thought to the point where you say to yourself: “Self, THIS IS ( it isn’t bad nor is it good. It just is). Things are only good or bad based on our perception of them.
STOP and really chew this over: what would you do if you lost everything? No home. No car. No family. No friends. No lover. No viability to your dreams. No freedom. No food. No real shelter. No real escape. ZERO likelihood to get any of those things back.
Would you smile and help everyone around you? Would you become a beacon of hope?
Viktor Frankl did:
“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.”
Viktor Frankl is a concentration camp survivor that wrote one of the most poignant books ever written on the value of conscious thought. Read his book and your understanding of the last few statements will be brighter than a Japanese boy-genius. His book will take you less than 2 hours to read.
Phase 3: Visualizing
Grab a piece of paper. Write down the words, “what is vision?” Write down at least 10 answers. Go ahead. I know, for me, the answer came out to something along the lines of being able to see what you want/expect to be a reality in the future; based on the actions occurring now- despite not being able to see it in front of you.
Part of visualizing is to place yourself in a different place in time. You know, if you’ve been observing your thoughts, that you will be incredibly successful (don’t you?)– so it is just a matter of time. Time is irrelevant- experience and confidence is key.
In order to make your visualizations real, meditate on them. You must
- Feel
- Think
- Taste
- Smell
- See
- Speak
- Touch
…And play with thoughts of what you want. You must make your dreams so real that you forget what is “real” and what isn’t. I suggest spending some time meditating on what you want in life. If you want a mate, figure out what kind of person you want in your life and what you need to attract that person. If you want to change your career path, meditate on that. Meditate on the type of son, student, entrepreneur, or friend you want to be.
Visualize. Do what is right. Find your peace in playing with your imagination.
Phase 4: Trusting Your Intuition/Self-Conversation
To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men, — that is genius.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Meditate on it.
Your First Month of Meditation
- Will change you.
- Might hurt, be at times boring, or feel difficult.
- Will empower you as a human being that acts from a frame of causation and not effect.
- Will help you be more comfortable in your own being.
- Will be tough at times and a high at others.
- Will show you how you’ve always had infinite potential.
And so much more. Give it just one month and I assure you that you will never be the same.
If you found this material to be thought provoking and useful, please share it on Stumbleupon, Twitter, Facebook, and wherever it is you share with friends. And, by all means, let me know what you think in the comments section! If there is something you don’t understand, please let me know also and I’ll explain more.
-Juda
P.S. Here are some awesome resources to help you on this journey. Some are easier reads than others, but I’m confident you can handle it, since you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t a bad ass.
- Think and Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill
- Self Reliance, by Ralph W. Emerson
- The Bhagavad Gita
- Tao te Ching, by Lao Tzu
- Unlimited Power, by Tony Robbins
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