Tips To Stay On Track During This Meditation
When starting something new, there tends to be a lot of fear around one particular area, which is that you might be afraid you’ll start this with the best intentions, and then at some point you’ll fall off the wagon. I get it. I used to feel that way too. And want to say a couple things:
1) If something happens and you skip a day or stop the meditation, don’t beat yourself up! This isn’t a place to shame yourself or feel like a high school drop-out.
Instead, if that happens, use it as an opportunity to either recommit to yourself to keep going and get back on the horse, or examine why you might have stopped and decide for yourself if you want to continue.
2) You can ABSOLUTELY do this. Even if you’ve never meditated before. Even if you’ve tried before and have never been able to do it. Changing a habit might seem hard but you can do it. And here are some tips to help you stay on track.
I wanted to send along some pointers on how we can all stay on path because I know how easy it is to sign up for something and then just not do it. Especially when this one goes on for 40 days.
My intention for us all is that we stick together for the 40 days of this meditation. I KNOW we can do it if we decide to. There are things that might (will/likely) show up that could get in the way…that is the case for anything we commit ourselves to.
So hopefully these pointers will help us to keep it going even when those things show up:
1) Commit to yourself for the 40 days. So…make the choice to do it and don’t be wishy washy about it.
Yogi Bhajan says that commitment is the first step to happiness. And as a recovering non-committer, I can say that this is absolutely true. When you commit to something, you set something in motion. You break patterns and habits. You feel a sense of pride when you complete it. You show yourself that you are willing to stand by your word and your commitments to yourself. Try it.
Also…Decision fatigue can be a real thing…so if you’ve tried to have a daily practice before, but spent a lot of time going “ugh…should I meditate today or not” and found it was just one more thing on your to-do list dragging you down…I totally get it.
But sometimes just making that decision at the outset of something that you’ll do it, no matter what, takes away the “should-I-shouldn’t-I-maybe-I-can-skip-a-day-hmmmm” fatigue and you get on a roll with it and you actually start to feel GOOD about yourself that you’ve committed to something and done it every day. You build up the evidence in your favor that you CAN have a daily meditation practice, and it gets easier, and I’ve found that can actually spill over into other aspects of my life and leave me feeling really accomplished and great about myself!
So commit, and commit to committing, and see how that goes!
2) Know why you’re doing this.
They say in business that knowing your “WHY” is the most important thing to get through those lulls and dips. Same is true with your meditation practice. Know why you’re doing this.
Are you doing it to complete something (anything) for 40 days? Are you doing it because you have some super specific goals you’re wanting to accomplish? Things to bring into your life? Feelings to shift? Are you wanting to dabble?
Stand behind why you’re doing this so when it gets annoying, boring, or you just don’t feel like doing it (which all will happen), you can lean on that “WHY.” Bonus points for writing it on a sticky note and putting it where you can see it (bedside tables and bathroom mirrors are great for this!)
3) Decide right now how many minutes you will do this for every day. I recommend 7, but if 3 is all you can do…that’s awesome! And better than nothing. Once you decide, stick to that number every day, don’t jump around. That way, every day, you will know exactly what to do. The less you have to think about, the better, like we said above.
4) Remember that it’s only 7 minutes a day (or 3 or whatever length you choose).
It’s easy to feel burdened by having to do something every day, but if you remember that it’s only 11 minutes out of your ENTIRE day, it’s easier to get it done.
Plus you probably spend way more than 11 days scrolling around Instagram. You can do this.
5) Pick the time of day you will do it and set a timer/put it in your calendar.
As Marie Forleo says…”if it’s not scheduled, it’s not real” and I agree. Although you might try different times of day throughout these 28 days and that’s ok (and important to find out the one that works best for you) make sure whatever you choose is in the calendar and set a reminder.
6) Pick a mantra or saying that will help motivate you when you feel like skipping a day.
You will feel like skipping. It happens to every one. But it’s those moments when it’s really important to recommit to yourself. So pick a saying to help motivate you. Some examples are:
“I am not willing to suffer anymore, therefore I’m excited to do this meditation”
“I am doing this for my best and brightest future”
“I honor my absolute best life, so I’m excited to do this meditation”
“I’m doing this because I’m tired of shit the way it is and I’m willing to try something different”
“I’m doing this because I made a promise to myself and I want to keep it”
7) Make your meditation space fun, enjoyable and beautiful.
Make it special. Carve out a corner or your room, or a whole room all together. Put things in there that make you happy, that feel good, smell good, and make you want to be there.
8) Build in some accountability.
This group is perfect for that. You might want to make a pact to yourself to come in here and comment every day on the daily check-in post, just to be held accountable. But if this doesn’t feel resonant, find some other form of accountability, whether that be telling your partner or a friend to ask you about it every day.
9) Use a meditation tracker!
One of our awesome members just shared this great “habit tracker” from Danielle LaPorte with us. Let’s make it visual! This also reminded me of those strings of rings I used to make as a kid to signify fun things coming up I wanted to count down to…like Christmas. 🙂
You can also use the app Insight Timer which has a daily tracker and little stars to reward you when you reach your goal.
It’s easy to let ourselves go when we feel like no one is watching.
Change happens because we commit to ourselves to make it happen. Changing our patterns is the first step. We are here for you and here for questions so definitely reach out to the group if you get stuck!