Yes, you read that right... Day three to Day eight... consider it a wink.  Today is a new day.
And every little thing
will be
Alright.
Yes, I skipped a few days. Why, you ask? I couldn't tell you.
You see the past few days have been hectic for me. Busy with working overnight shifts, when I'm usually working day shifts.... Busy doing an extra day of work, shooting photography for a beautiful wedding I was lucky enough to be a part of.... Fun, but full of "to-do's" and I didn't sit down much at all that day.
All of this yes, is stressful. Yes it's work. Yes it takes time. But I've realized that one of the things that would've helped me to feel back to my normal self, back to my baseline, would've been to meditate. Five, ten minutes and I know I'd feel a thousand percent better and less stressed. Because meditation helps me to feel like myself again when I find I'm doing things for other people too much. It's a way for me to wash away the "junk" that doesn't matter and find my inner peace again. That's a huge reason why I love it and want to make it a daily practice.
So knowing the benefits and knowing the last few days I REALLY needed to meditate, why didn't I? I resisted. I chose to not meditate.
I thought about it a lot.
But I made a choice not to.
Not a choice I'm proud of, but one I had full power over. Now I see. Now I know.
I think my resistance comes from a place of being so comfortable with pain and struggle, that doing things like meditating, that feel GOOD and peaceful, make my mind feel uncomfortable. It's not my norm. It's not what I'm used to and therefore, it seems scary.
Let me say again... it SEEMS scary. It's not, really, scary. What's to be afraid of? The nothingness? hehe
But our minds often trick us into believing that the unknown is frightening and to be avoided. This is what I'm coming up against lately. And this, I believe, might be the time some BIG changes occur.
I'm going to resist resistance to meditate. I'm going to do it no matter what I feel, or what it seems like I feel. Because sooner or later, I'm going to realize it's full of beauty and love and peace...I'm going to FEEL that and know it's my truth. I'm going to allow it to wrap me up like a loving blanket and accept it into my world.
And when I do, I'm going to once again see how powerful change can be. I'm going to prove to myself, as I've done through many other transformitive moments, that I can CHOOSE who to be, what to do, what to believe and how to live my life, by my own standards. My own will and my own power is what makes that change. And I CAN.
Ps. I did meditate today to a different meditation off the books from the "challenge." But it felt right and I was so very happy to have done it! Today was the third time I've meditated after working out and stretching. I lie in a pool of my own sweat with a smile on my face and a deep breath in my lungs and feel greatful for m
"I am a wondrous miracle of life."
Today's meditation was delayed. I had a resistance to doing it yesterday morning, as I intended to do. Nothing seemed to be in my way. I woke up early, I ate my breakfast, sat down to do my meditation, and instead was enveloped in all other social media; emails, messages from friends, etc... It felt like I had to "time" to do my meditation and before I knew it, it was time to leave for work! I told myself I'd do it after work, no problem, but as most of us do, when we don't plan something in our schedules or when we don't do what we schedule to do, we simply forget. I went to bed remembering I hadn't accomplished my goal today, of doing one meditation every day for 21 days. I felt like I let myself down and my inner voice was beating me up.
Ps. This is not a good way to ease into dreamland for a good night's sleep.
So today I have decided to do two meditations, one from yesterday and one, as scheduled, for today.
But first, I want to mull through what that resistance was yesterday. Why do we distract ourselves from what we say we really want? Meditation could be replaced by so many other things, like changing your job, putting yourself "out there" for finding love, saving money, starting a new habit (such as meditation), or quitting a bad habit... We tend to resist the change. And I think that's all it was for me yesterday - Fear of change.
Well, lets start again, back on track, a new day, a new moment, a day with less fear, a day with an open mind and an open heart....
Oo.THOUGHTS.oO
"Our capacity to love and celebrate other people is directly connected to our ability to fully loves ourselves."
Day three's meditation is all about excepting oneself with love and appreciation for who we truly are. Realizing we are each miracles is the most powerful statement for me, because I've come from a past of self doubt, of "not-good-enough" feelings and this all results in self criticismIt and frustration with who I am (thinking I have to change x, y or z to be someone "special"). In this way, I needed this meditation to remind me that YES, I am a miracle.
We are all miracles.
"Relationship with oneself... Excepting oneself allows the whole world to except him/her..."
It's a miracle that I'm here, alive and well. It's a miracle I've been through my past struggles, traumas, loss and heartbreak, but also that I've triumphed through obstacles, overcome roadblocks and have made the conscious choices to be who and where I am today, despite it all.
We all can look into ourselves to find these tiny miracles that make up our complete self. Although we are not our past, our future or our experiences truly. We are Spirit, our inner Higher Self. This I am learning to know.
Accepting who we are with love and appreciation... "We have the opportunity to love, accept and celebrate ourselves."
Day three's mediation came with resistance for me. And it seems fitting considering the topic. I have resistance to knowing myself. Perhaps I'm afraid I'll find someone who's really "not good enough" as my ego has lead me to believe... Perhaps I'm afraid of what it will feel like to let go of all those false attachments to myself and be FREE to be me, Spirit, whole....Love.
"We are made of the same essence as the angels, the stars and God himself."
It may take time to break down those false beliefs about who I am and what I deserve in my life. After 30+ years of having those beliefs drilled into my conscious I shouldn't expect to change overnight and let love fully in. But little by little, with help from my "tool bag" where meditation is one of the "tools," I'll get there, someday.
I absolutely love the thought that Deepak provided in today's meditation. It feels like a affirmation that would be an amazing reminder to love and accept myself. That it's a choice, not a prison. That I have power to believe in myself and therefore others will follow suit.
"Today, I choose to except myself. I choose to be aware of what it is like to simply be, without self judgement. I choose to live each moment, knowing that I AM is enough to sustain me forever. I choose to sit quietly and open my heart to myself, expanding until my being fades into the infinite. Today, I behold myself and know deeply that my capacity to love others, and for others to love me, is directly connected to my capacity to love myself. Today, I choose love."
"I am a wondrous miracle of life."
~Nameste~
 "I am a radiant spiritual being."
Oo,THOUGHTS.oO
Today's meditation is all about reconnecting with who you are, at the spiritual level. The spiritual being that I am is actually truer to my "real self" than any other labels I can box myself into, from my day to day life, (wife, work etc.), and also from my past, (unworthy, undeserving, unintelligent, etc.). All of these labels are either roles I choose to play or roles I choose to allow myself to believe...
"Spirit includes love, compassion, equanimity joy, creativity intuition and bliss..."
When meditating I always seem to remember myself, my truest self, my Spirit, my Soul... That personal realization is key for me to be my best self, and therefore give my best self to others. Rather than listening to my inner critical thoughts, I can listen to my inner Spirit, that only comes from love and compassion... There is no game, there is no agenda...
"When you turn your attention to the one who is observing you are connecting to your Spirit, your Higher Self, Source, your Soul..."
It's difficult in today's day in age to remember we all are really spiritual beings having a physical experience. When our lives are too overloaded with work, tasks, jobs or things we "think" we need to or should be doing, we loose touch with what really is. I'm beginning to understand this. I'm learning to have faith in the fact that I already have inside whatever it is I am in need of, everyday.
"Let go of the struggle and endless quest for improvement, but instead be open to your true self..."
Today I'm going to take intentional time out to connect to my Spirit. A minute here or there, especially when I'm thrust into the rat race of daily work or other stressors, can make all the difference in how I perceive my world.
~Nameste~
“The one you are looking for is the one who is looking.” —Francis of Assisi
Centering thought for today is:
"Today I am open to the presence of miracles."
Oo.THOUGHTS.oO
"Miracles are described as extremely rare, extraordinary events that defy the acts of nature... I believe that miracles happen everyday... here, in our own lives..."
I have always told myself that I believe in the mundane miracles of life. What I mean by that is, there are ordinary things we do, we say or that we experience in our day to day lives, that are truly not ordinary at all. Things like saying "How are you?" and answering "Good, and you?" seem very ordinary. I say this and get asked this on a daily basis and it has now become part of my life in such a way that it no longer has meaning. That is because we choose to detach the meaning from the "ordinary" thing, when in reality, it's a miracle. When I think of what it means to have someone ask me how I'm doing, it really is a act of love they are giving me. They are sending their loving energy to me by showing they care. That is nothing to disregard, but rather to appreciate.
"When we pay attention, we begin to notice the miracles in our lives..."
I do still believe in mundane miracles, like the fact that we live in a world where we can go anywhere we want, we can eat a variety of foods, dance, sing, watch the birds fly and the oceans lap at our feet... The sun comes up daily and goes down to cue the magnificent moon to shine on us. We experience life, right now. We learn from it, we grow, we strengthen, we struggle...but we live.
I think the mundane "ordinary" life mentality is just that, a mental grouping of thoughts. Thoughts we can change. And as I get older and as the stresses of life (bills, work, pressures from others, etc..) continue to tug at me, I can choose to remember just how miraculous this mundane life really is.
"Invite yourself to trust that your meditation experience today, and each day, will be exactly right in the moment."
The statement above was a big "ah-ha" realization for me. I am one who attempts perfection at all times, in all I do. It's one of the themes of my personality that I've held onto since I was young, drilled into my brain at an early age. The notion that perfection is what we should aim for is ridiculous! Life is far from perfect, and perfection in my "true mind" doesn't even exist. I know this because the idea of perfection boils down to one's perspective of what perfection looks like, and we all know there are many forms of perspectives. Who's to say one is better than another?
When it comes to making meditation a habit, I've struggled with doing it "right." I think that's the reason I've never been able to make meditation stick in my daily life, a goal I've wanted for a long time.
It feels amazing to center myself through meditation. To feel grounded and back in my truth. Obviously if I've felt these effects before I must've been doing something "right," right? So now I'm onto a new perspective. My "perfect" is going to be whatever I feel that day, at that moment.
I must TRUST in my ability and know I'm doing all I can, with the given day, moment and time of my life.
~Nameste~
 So, I've been a fan of Oprah for years.... (Really, who hasn't??! That woman is an incredible inspiration!)
I've also discovered Deepak Chopra in the last few years while walking my journey of personal development. These two individuals have put in place a wealth of knowledge to a great many people in helping to transform lives through the power of love, experience and sharing. So.... When I heard they were getting together to do a 21-day meditation challenge, I was hooked! Meditation for me has deeply enhanced the way I view my life and my purpose in it. Besides the physical, mental and emotional benefits to meditation, it just seems to me an almost necessary tool to use in my daily life. As like many people, I've struggled with anxiety in my life. Exercise and diet have helped me to feel physically more at balance, but part of anxiety is that your mind runs constantly, worry sets in and fear lives out loud. Sometimes even a run or a good weight lifting session can't quiet that beast! In the past I've meditated, but sporadically... I now am ready to make it a habit. So this is why meditation has appealed to me. I know by making it a habit I will only benefit. Hopefully I will learn to be more gentle with myself. Hopefully I will learn to balance my life in a more anti-anxiety way. MY INTENTION:Through this 21-day challenge I intend to add meditation into my daily practice, as a habit, a daily ritual, so that I learn to be more open as a person in all the relationships I have with others, become more clear on the person I am and allow room for reflection, focus and balance in my life.“The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart.” —Buddha
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