Award winning author, nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, and led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course for employees called Search Inside Yourself (which had a waitlist of at least six months).
He asks everyone, “how could you sustain your meditation practice that it becomes so sustaining? Here’s a few suggestions.”
- Have A Buddy
Yes, this goes for just about anything. That accountability partner that holds you accountable for things you commit to. You’re more predisposed to being successful than to not having a buddy. Look at a gym routine, for instance. The best workout I’ve had since 2009 just happened a few weeks ago when one of my students, who’s a brilliant pianist, wanted to rock out a gym session with me.
1 hour later, tons of intervals later, battle ropes, non-stop burpees, squats, among so many other exercises – my body was completely shell-shocked to the point I stumbled out of the gym.
“We suggest finding a “mindfulness buddy” and committing to a 15-minute conversation every week, covering at least these two topics:
a. How am I doing with my commitment to my practice?
b. What has arisen in my life that relates to my practice?We also suggest ending the conversation with the question, “How did this conversation go?”
We instituted this in our mindfulness-based emotional intelligence program (Search Inside Yourself) and found it very effective.” – Chade Meng
2. Do Less
This always goes back to the micro wins rather than macro. I’m not saying go running 30 minutes before it feels like a chore. I’m saying walk/run for ten minutes. Also, put some good tunes in your ear; better yet, a podcast that’s inspiring. However long the podcast is, you walk for that time and practice gratitude and affirmations….which is another thing you can listen to.
3. Take One Breath A Day
“There are two reasons why one breath is important. The first is momentum. If you commit to one breath a day, you can easily fulfill this commitment and preserve the momentum of your practice. Later, when you feel ready for more, you can pick it back up easily. You can say you don’t have 10 minutes today to meditate, but you cannot say you have no time for one breath, so making it a daily practice is extremely doable.
The second reason is having the intention to meditate is itself a meditation. This practice encourages you to arise an intention to do something kind and beneficial for yourself daily, and over time, that self-directed kindness becomes a valuable mental habit. When self-directed kindness is strong, mindfulness becomes easier.”
Excerpt From: Timothy Ferriss & Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Tools of Titans.”
These three simple rules from Chade Meng could help you with your meditation, and just getting started on big projects at work, working out, even committing to making your lunch in the morning.
In addition, don’t forget to practice joy loving-kindness, which is a technique that is used just by walking down the street, looking at someone and thinking to yourself “I wish for this person to be happy, and I wish for that person to be happy.” That’s it. You’ll be happier than the previous 10 seconds. Try it!
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