In case you missed Sunday's email...

"Why is this so difficult??"

I remember thinking this to myself about making daily time for mindfulness and meditation.

A few years ago, I was just getting started with mindfulness.

I was familiar with the benefits of a mindful practice, since I'd been doing yoga for a while. I knew it helped my body and mind in a number of ways.

But meditation was a lot trickier.
I felt resistance every step of the way...
And I had so many questions!
  • Am I doing this right?
  • How long should I meditate for?
  • What type of meditation should I do?
  • Should I use an app? Which one?
I had read about meditation online. And my roommate at the time was really into meditation.
I really though I could figure out a way to make it work on my own.
But the habit wouldn’t stick.
Months went by, and I was still an occasional meditator at best...
Even though I enjoyed it, understood the benefits, and was interested in making it a priority, I always found excuses to not meditate...
A little while back, I surveyed Mindful Ambition readers about what gets in the way making daily time for meditation and mindfulness.
You echoed the same challenges I faced when getting started:
  1. We're busy, and don't have time.
    "Life has been so hectic..."
    "Often, it feels like I don't have the time. I struggle to fit everything in of a day."
  2. We procrastinate.
    "I just forget to do it..."
    "I check email first-thing in the morning, instead of meditating."
  3. We feel confused.
    "I'm unfamiliar with where to start..."
    "I'm unsure of how to get started/proper techniques/benchmarks that help give me a sense of if it is working."
  4. We don't understand the fundamental principles and benefits.
    "It feels like a waste of time"
    "It doesn't seem fun..."
  5. We're uncomfortable slowing down.
    "A generally busy mind that isn't used to settling down..."
    "Patience..."
  6. We feel intimidated.
    "My mind is a mess so meditation feels hard."
    "I fear that i'm not going to be good at it."
The fact of the matter is: It's hard to be mindful every day.
And it's doubly difficult when you're just starting your practice...
If you've dealt with these challenges, know that you are not alone! In addition to the survey responses, I've heard the same from many other
people in conversations and emails.
But don't fret! I have some good news.

If you've struggled to live more mindfully in the past, you are not the root of the problem...

You just need to try a new approach.

“When you grow a tree, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the tree. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. You may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the tree…"
~Thich Nhat Hanh

No matter what you've tried (or haven't tried) in the past, what matters most is how you move forward from where you are today.

In seeing these challenges come up again and again with Mindful Ambition readers, I knew I had the opportunity to help out.

So I decided to develop a new online course to help you build the foundation of a sustainable mindfulness practice.

I'm not the world's leading expert in this space...But I have learned a ton trough my own journey.

And I can't wait to share my best learnings with you in this course.

Before I go, a couple questions...
  1. Do the challenges outlined above resonate with you? Did I miss something important that gets in your way?
  2. How do you think your life might change if you developed the foundation for a sustainable long-term mindfulness practice?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Patrick

PS: For some more reading on these topics...You might be interested in these articles:

  1. Use the 20 Minute Life Checkup to Get Your Priorities in Order
  2. The Daily Wins Checklist: An Accountability System for Your Most Important Priorities