What I Learned Meditating Daily for 5 Years Straight
This weekend marked a significant milestone for me. I had meditated for over 1,825 days which is exactly 5 years! I did this using the Headspace app which for me is a like a gym and place of prayer combined into one.
I used to struggle with discipline until one day I woke up and DECIDED that I was a disciplined person. Along with other routines, I made daily meditation in the morning one of them. Whether it was 5, 10, or 20 minutes meditating, I found time.
If I meditated more than once that day (Headspace has great singles on stress, worry, etc) even better!
I wanted to share a few lessons I learned from the journey and hopefully inspire some of you to take up meditation.
1. Be a Stone at the Bottom of a River
I used to be a very reactive person. I often would get quickly frustrated. I still do some times and thats ok!
What's not ok is to allow yourself to take action when these emotions are at their peak of influencing you. Whether it's anger, sadness, or even happiness and excitement, making decisions when you are most emotional is not a good idea.
This is where I look to our great ancestors, the stoic emperors and warriors like Marcus Aurelius or Seneca. Finding a way to be like a stone at the bottom of the river became my focus.
Like a stone wedged in a raging river, the emotions were the water that flowed around me but never swept me up in the current.
I learned to observe myself and what I was feeling without judgement.
If I was angry, I would tell myself "Oh, looks like Im feeling angry" and not "I am angry."
I am not my emotions, I only feel them when they occur. My brain doesn't know any better about how to process events.
That's where my mind must be strong enough to step in, calm my brain, and look to understand why we feel this way in the moment.
2. Be Curious About Yourself
It's impossible for curiosity and certainty to coexist in the same moment. To discover new things, we must leave the known to discover the unknown.
It's not about letting go of what you know but just temporarily putting it down to say "I don't know."
Ego is a common driver in the West and we often get caught up in feeding it what it wants; details, certainty, more and more.
However, ego becomes enemy quickly. When I feel something from my intuition, it's never strong. As the wiser version of ourselves, intuition will usually hint at the right path. This is where I try to use my ego as a tool and rather than ask for certainty I look to strengthen my bond to my intuition.
This only happens when Im curious to learn more about myself. What happens around us is in complete control through our perceptions. Viktor Frankl wrote in "Man's Search for Meaning" that many Holocaust survivors found meaning in their suffering at the hands of Nazi guards at Auschwitz.
In order to change ourselves we must change our perceptions which starts with the actions we choose to take. That's right, perception is actually a result of action. There is no perception or action without a hierarchy or value system because you need something to focus on.
When you remove that hierarchy constructed by your ego, then you are free to be curious and shape your perception. Deciding to not take action immediately is often key.
Most importantly, understanding that curiosity of perception is more about exploring and learning. It is not about finding "an answer".
3. Wish For The Things You Have Right Now
Peace of mind is rarely found in a past remembered or a future imagined. Instead it exists in the very moment and our willingness to embrace it.
It's easy to get caught up with what we want in the future for our careers or dwelling on things that could have happened in the past.
Doing so abandons the present moment which is the most important time. It's where life is lived and lived to the fullest. Don't waste too much of it living in your imagination.
I would like to thank Andy Pudicomb, Rich Pierson, and the amazing team at Headspace for all they do. Keep going. The world needs you!
Founder. Consultant. Writer. Yogi. Traveler.
4yResonated with everything you said here. I too am a meditator, and noticed how my reactivity has lessened, though I still stumble, which reinforces the practice of meditation. I especially liked your analogy of the rock at the bottom of a raging river. You’re flowing in life, not letting the external forces influence you. It’s santosha in yoga, contentment, even it times of great turmoil and changes, because change is the only constant.
GRB Account Executive | Salesforce
4yThat is amazing Omar M. Khateeb long may it continue and I look forward to see what other lessons you have learned once you hit 2,000 days!
President, Knees - Zimmer Biomet | Combat Veteran
4y💪
Co-Founder Quantum Surgical | Less Invasive Podcast | Medical Robotics, Imaging, AI
4yGreat example of commitment to daily meditation. Would be interested to know why Headspace app stands out among all meditation apps, what do you find most valuable in your daily practice?
Interventional Nephrologist | Medical Consultant & Advisor
4yGreat read man. Meditation is something I have gone back and forth with, but so does provide emotional stability and clarity. Love the analogy of a rock at the bottom of a raging river. And totally agree about not finding the answer, but learning more.