It’s that time of year—the time where we find our New Year’s resolutions difficult to keep as life quickly moves forward. It’s not our fault. We all get excited about the creating new, healthy habits and leaving old, less healthy habits behind. But more often than not, our grand expectations prove to be our downfall, and we give up before we’ve even given ourselves a real shot at success.
Over the years I’ve established many resolutions for myself. Some have been successful and some haven’t. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of using the start of a new year to become a brand-new person, and instead, turned inward and learned to listen to myself and focus on my mental health as much as my physical health.
So now that we are well into the year, I am going to challenge you to improve your health and well-being in one step—by beginning a simple meditation practice.
What Meditation Isn’t
Before you say no, hear me out. Meditation is not defined by sitting for long periods of time in mind-numbing silence, reciting chants, though that’s how most people think about it. It is simply an exercise of contemplation and reflection, which leads towards a greater understanding and appreciation of your own self.
This exercise can be done in many different ways and is usually guided by our intention to transform our internal dialogue. We could all use some work in that area, right?