"My mind is led astray by every faint rustle." -- Mason Cooley
As a life coach, I have found that some of my clients have a hard time sticking to what it is they want to accomplish. They have good intentions to use their time well, and want to realize their goals, but find it challenging to stay consistent with their focus on what they want to do. The reason for that, I believe, is that their mind wanders aimlessly sometimes, and that's the very thing that gets them off track, which is why I encourage them to meditate so they can experience what it's like to focus their mind, as opposed to their mind disrupting their focus.
The great benefit of meditating is that it quiets the mind, and you can feel peaceful without all that mental chatter going on. It's like getting away from someone who can't stop talking, only that someone happens to be you!
The mind is definitely a busy, wandering thing, and unless we reign it in occasionally, it can get in the way of our ability to focus and concentrate, which is what meditation does for us. It helps us stay present so we won't be led astray by our thoughts, but it's also the very thing you want to experience not just when you're meditating, but in all areas of your life, so you can be productive and creative with your time.
By meditating with consistency, you carry over the same mental discipline into your daily life, and it can help you significantly with accomplishing whatever it is you set out to do. As a meditator, you have a better understanding of what it's like to truly focus, and once you've experienced your mind's ability to do that fully, it becomes your reference point for how to get things done without interruption or delay. "Be here now," said by spiritual teacher Ram Dass, really does apply to whatever you put your mind to so you can stay in the present to realize your goals.
I know for some people, it's hard to stay consistent with meditating, and they either put it off, procrastinate doing it, or simply allow themselves to be in "mind chatter mode" most of the time because it's so familiar to them. But if you can give even as little as 10 minutes each day to meditating, your focus and concentration will increase noticeably, and you will find yourself living your goals as opposed to just talking about them.
Another way to help reach your goals along with meditating is having a "project plan" that you can work with daily. It can be a vision board with your goals on it, which gives you something visual to look at, and can work like positive affirmations. Writing your daily progress in a journal also works well, or even having a "did this" list you can check off helps. Any of those things, along with meditating is a winning combination for creating the life you want.
Here are seven easy steps to help you stay focused to realize your goals:
1. Meditate each day, even if it's for 10 minutes.
2. Don't procrastinate or make excuses. That's your mind talking!
3. Work on your "project plan," e.g., vision board, journal, etc.
4. Talk about what you're doing to reach your goals with friends, family or partners. Let them be your support team.
5. Check something off your "did this" list daily until there's nothing more to do.
6. Acknowledge your accomplishments by doing something nice for yourself, e.g., a massage or a treat.
7. Stay consistent with meditating and your "project plan" until you've reached your goals.
By meditating each day, you'll find yourself less distracted when your mind is quiet and will appreciate that undisturbed time more and more. That same feeling is what you'll experience when you're focused on your goals, and if your mind happens to be up to its old tricks by trying to distract you or pull you away from the very thing you want to accomplish, you'll be that much more equipped to ignore it, and get on with manifesting your vision.
For more by Ora Nadrich, click here.
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