A message from today’s meditation:
We’re not just entering a new week, we’re cracking open a fresh year – a blank canvas, a cosmic reset button. But before we charge headfirst into resolutions and to-do lists, let’s take a deep breath. Because a mind riddled with anxiety is like trying to paint a masterpiece with a broken brush.
“Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.” – Paramahansa Yogananda
“Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.” – James Allen
“Whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. What is soft is strong.” – Lao Tzu
These aren’t mere platitudes, folks. They’re power chords for the symphony of your soul. A calm mind isn’t only a passive puddle – it’s also a raging ocean of clarity, brimming with strength and wisdom. It’s the eye of the storm, where your true self thrives, untangled from the weeds of self-doubt.
So, how do we cultivate this inner oasis? Meditation is a fantastic start, but the real gold lies in how you see yourself. Because let’s face it, we stumble, we falter, we’re human after all. And it’s usually in those messy moments that our minds turn into warzones.
But what if, instead of self-flagellation, we offered ourselves kindness? Imagine looking at your stumbles with the same gentle understanding you’d offer a friend. No judgment, no blame, just honest reflection.
When you become able to look at yourself with kindness regarding your own failings, then you’ve made great strides in cultivating a calm mind. The biggest disturbance in our minds is the deep disappointment we feel towards ourselves when we “fail”.
The truth is, self-criticism rarely leads to improvement. It just makes us feel like crap, fueling fear and negativity. But kindness? It’s the secret sauce, the missing ingredient that transforms mistakes into stepping stones. It gives you the space to learn, to adjust, to rise again, stronger and wiser.
So, this year, make a pact with yourself: treat your failures like fertilizer, not weeds. Let kindness be your compass, your unwavering north star.
Being able to look at yourself with no judgement will give you the space and the strength to be honest about what you see, and the beautiful thing about honesty is that it doesn’t exclude kindness.
Here are your guiding mantras for this epic quest:
- Breathe. Before reacting, inhale calm, exhale chaos.
- Forgive. Yourself first, others will follow.
- Learn. Not punish. Stumbles are lessons, not failures.
- Be kind. To yourself, especially when it’s hardest.
- Embrace fluidity. Be gentle, bend with the wind, rise with the tide.
This year, let’s ditch the pressure cooker and embrace the flow. Let your inner calm be your superpower, your secret weapon against the storms of life. Remember, you are not your mistakes, you are the masterpiece in progress.
Go forth, conquer, and most importantly, be kind to yourself along the way.
With love and boundless optimism.
– pierre –
Today’s LIVE meditation is: Jumpstart the week.