Motivation

[BrendanL]

Hello all.

I do a simple breathing exercise for ten-fifteen minutes a day. After reading one of David Michie's books I figured it was an ideal first step into getting my life into a better shape than it is now, not that I can complain much about my current circumstances.

Michie said that it was important that meditation is something that you wanted to do, not a chore that you had to do. He also said that the more you did it, after a while you would get to the stage where you craved meditation and wanted to do so for longer periods of time.

The problem I face right now is that much of the time I am meditating more as a 'have to' than 'want to'. While sometimes meditation brings me a real sense of peace and content, more often than not it just brings me agitation. I was told about the myriad of benefits meditation had, but not only am I not feeling them like I was told it would be like in the book, but instead I feel like I'm putting in all this effort and all I'm getting out is frustration and stress. Sometimes I feel like maybe this just isn't for me, but I told myself that I wasn't going to give up just because it was hard.

So how can I turn meditation into a 'want to'?

I feel I need to change it from being a pointless negative into something that does some real good to me personally. I really need some personal motivation to meditate. Does anyone have some stories of what meditation has bought them?

[pollyanna]

Hi Brendan,

if you click on the links below you will probably find the answer you are looking for:-

Well, this is interesting......

Optimal Learning

Doctor John Stickle's - LifeFlow Review

Principles of Meditation & Entrainment

Hope you find this helpful and wish you much peace and joy

[BrendanL]

Thanks for the links.

I don't want to sound biased but at this stage I would rather not try to rely too heavily on a guided meditation with an instructor talking through the speakers. I did download the course though and will investigate it over the next few days.

One of the things that I feel I need to pin down is what is it that daily meditation can give me that is most important personally? For a long time I have wanted more energy and enthusiasm in my everyday life, a general sense of joie de vivre. I also wanted to have a greater sense of direction with career goals, and wanting to develop my skills further so that I'm not getting left behind.

Michie's book told me that meditation was an ideal pathway to this better state of mind, along with dozens of other benefits. He said that even a few minutes of meditation every day would bring an immediate and appreciable difference.

Sadly I have been slogging it out and keeping it up every day since December 2012 and the only thing I have gotten out of it so far is one more source of frustration and stress. This brings everything he said about the practise into question.

So how can fifteen-twenty minutes of breathing meditation every day help me in these areas that are most important to me? Also how long do I have to do it before I actually get anything out of it? Thanks.

[GilesC]

Originally Posted by BrendanL

Thanks for the links.

I don't want to sound biased but at this stage I would rather not try to rely too heavily on a guided meditation with an instructor talking through the speakers. I did download the course though and will investigate it over the next few days.

The "Discover Meditation" course you download for free from here isn't really what I'd class as a Guided Meditation. yes, Michael gives some guidance to get you going, but once you're meditating, the track is silent until the bell at the end to signal the end of the meditation.

So how can fifteen-twenty minutes of breathing meditation every day help me in these areas that are most important to me? Also how long do I have to do it before I actually get anything out of it? Thanks.

The practice of meditation help to improve our awareness and bring us more into the present moment, not just when we're meditating, but also in our daily lives. Only a small handful of people will get some 'revelation' when they first start doing it, and notice a massive difference; whereas for most the effects are gradual over time (but they are worth it). With greater awareness and presence in our daily lives we become less distracted by the things of the past that we cannot change, or the things/fears of the future that haven't happened, and we better our focus on what is needed right here in the present moment, allowing us to function better at the tasks at hand, as well as having better awareness of the things around us that will help us to achieve what we want (it ties in somewhat with the law of attraction in that sense).

I guess it's a bit like going to the gym... at first you're keen to do it, then after a while it becomes a bit too 'samey' and you may think it's boring, but as long as you keep the intended goal in mind, which is to improve yourself, then you can ensure you stick at it. Yes, sometimes it can feel hard, or feel like a chore, but don't beat yourself up about it, just do it anyway... knowing that you are doing it to help yourself.

As for how long it will take for you to notice anything... that depends on your own situation and where you're at. Typically it could be a few months before you look back at how you were when you started and say "hey, actually things have changed for me, and I didn't even notice".

Hugs

Giles