Snail's Pace

Because my natural inclination is to rush to the finish, I have been amazed to notice that since I started meditating I have been able, for the first time in my life, to move slowly. The amazing thing about it is that in doing so, I appear to be moving even faster than before.

This is a strange paradox - by thinking more slowly most of the time, I am able to make better decisions even faster than before.

I always knew that my propensity to move quickly was linked to my propensity to make lots of mistakes. Now, however, I can see that, given the right space and time, moving slowly reduces the number of mistakes and somehow still allows me to work just as quickly as before. I'm not sure how the paradox works, but it does, and I'm stoked!

Monday Morning Space

This morning I have a lot of "to-dos" on my plate. In fact, this week (and every week in the immediate future), feels very full. It's on mornings like this one that I need to focus on how I will maintain a healthy body and mind in the midst of the busyness of business. Here are some ideas that I've gathered and am going to try:

1. Keep up my morning meditation - no matter how badly I want to sleep in. This is a tough one, but I think that as long as I give myself permission to go back to sleep after my meditation I'll be able to stick to it. For me, meditation is a cornerstone in maintaining space and balance in my mind.

2. Stretch between meetings. This is a new idea that someone suggested to me last week. I present myself to the world as an extrovert, but I'm actually introverted when it comes to gathering energy and resources. This means it's really important for me to take time between back-to-back meetings to re-ground myself.

3. Keep up my exercise program. Exercise is usually the first thing to drop off my list when I get busy, but luckily I have several commitments (classes, training sessions, etc.) that should keep me on-track. These commitments will keep me at about 70% of my exercise goals, and if I can squeeze in a couple of walks and/or runs through the week, my body will be very happy.

How do you handle life when busyness takes over? What do you do to stay on-track?

Meditation Thoughts

Some weeks, meditation is like a beautiful flower. Other weeks, it feels like a burden; a difficult requirement in addition to all of the other tasks on my plate.

This is such a week: I have to push myself out of bed to conduct my daily practice. It's hard!

Hopefully next week will be better ...

I just have to remember that meditation is an important part of my mental health, and hold onto the memories of transformative days when I discover new avenues of my brain that I never knew existed.