1. Create a peaceful setting. You can create a serene meditation space wherever you live. Pick a corner in your bedroom or living room. Clear away clutter and put down a cushion or chair. Light a candle or burn incense.
2. Relax your body. Take deep breaths.
Scan your body from head to foot. Sit up straight. Lower your shoulders and loosen
any tension spots. Close your eyes or hold them slightly open.
3. Quiet your mind. Observe your thoughts
without pursuing them. Gradually turn your attention to your breath. Count your
breaths if it helps you settle down.
4. Streamline your schedule. Bring your
new sense of ease into your daily routine. Pare down your to do list. Give
your full attention to one activity at a time.
Meditating On Setting
Specific Goals
1. Define a meaningful life. Consider what
a meaningful life means to you. Think about what achievements bring you the
greatest satisfaction.
2. Target priority areas. Identify what
you feel most passionate about. You may want to spend more time with your
family or advance your career. Maybe you want to go back to school or take up a
new hobby.
3. Visualize where you want to go. Picture what you want your life to be like
in a year or five years from now. Start setting short term goals that
will make your new path a reality.
4. Be flexible. Life is full of surprises. Be prepared for obstacles and
detours. View them as opportunities for learning and growth.
Meditating On
Repetition
1. Consider the value of repetition. Progress
usually requires persistence. Make a commitment to being diligent and
consistent. Look forward to how good you’ll feel when the behaviors you desire
become automatic.
2. Identify new habits you want to adopt. Form
tendencies that are good for you. If you’ve been watching television to relax
after work, come up with a list of alternatives like taking a walk or playing
ball with your kids.
3. Make an action plan. Figure out how to
implement your resolutions. Sometimes it helps to take it one day at a time and
give yourself rewards to reinforce your motivation. Writing out your plans will clarify
them in your mind. You can also post your resolutions somewhere as a reminder
to stick to them.
Meditating On
Evaluation
1. Review your progress. Once you start
living more deliberately, keep track of your results. Use your meditation time
to gauge how things are going and where you want to improve.
2. Reflect on your daily activities. Look
at the situations where you succeed in becoming more deliberate and the times
when you falter. Try to find the triggers that help to keep you on course.
3. Listen to feedback from others. Other
people can give us valuable insights into our own conduct. Use praise,
criticism and reactions from others as resources to help you develop.
4. Refine your resolutions. Becoming more deliberate is a lifelong process. Schedule
ongoing reviews to make mid course corrections and to stay up to date with your
changing needs.
If you feel like you’re just drifting through life, take
control by becoming more intentional. Meditations that train you to become more
deliberate will help you identify your personal priorities and get the results
you want.