“Results are what Westerners look for and it messes them up. We practice meditation and work these practices over and over again repetitively because the result only comes from constant rigorous repetition.”–Posts from the Path
How does one do that, you might ask? How does one “repeat” anything when we’re in a constant state of resistance and overwhelm; when all of our impulses are screaming fight or flee; or we don’t even know where to begin?
To quote Tyler Lewke again, daily blogger for “Posts from the Path,” here’s how:
“Start now. Start where you are. Start with fear. Start with pain. Start with doubt. Start with hands shaking. Start with voice trembling. Just start. Start and don’t stop. Start where you are, with what you have. Just start.” –From “Just Start”
As you bid farewell to another year, take a moment to consider some of the ways you have grown and changed. Have you gained new heights of awareness, or adopted a supporting habit that lightens your load a little bit?
Have you taken even just one baby step towards cultivating a spacious life (…like just reading this far)?
All of it matters.
Even if it feels like you have nothing of significance to report, here’s my invitation: make a list of positive shifts you’ve experienced over the past year or two, and seal them in an envelop to open at this time next year. Write “Memo to Self” on the outside of the envelop and store it in a safe place that you can find later. Put a reminder note in your calendar. When you open it next December, notice if your successes have morphed into bigger ones, or newer ones you never saw coming.
You might be amazed how far you’ve gone, just by putting one foot in front of another.
