A beloved friend mentioned the value of thinking about something that I’m grateful for when I first wake up… and I’ve discovered a lot of value in taking her quite literally.

I’ve noticed a lot of mind activity in the morning, a strong habit of starting to think about things immediately upon waking up. I haven’t even opened my eyes sometimes and my mind is off planning my day, making decisions, accessing the day before, etc, etc, etc. That’s a pretty tricky habit to break, since I’m not even awake yet!

A Distraction Practice

So, what to do to help the mind relax its early morning vigilance?

I stop the train in it’s tracks by focusing it on coming up with something that I’m grateful about. My eyes are about to open, my mind gets going and I say, “Hey mind, what am I grateful for right now?” This usually does the trick; the cycle has been broken and peace reigns. If not, if my mind is really persistent that morning, I can ask it to think of 10 things to be grateful for and that can keep it busy for long enough to disrupt the habit.

Morning Meditation Starts the Day with Clarity

Really, this whole focus started with the observation by some teachers on The Grand Adventure that a group of us were waking up with a lot of chaotic mental activity and bringing that into our mornings together. It was suggested that we all do a morning meditation. That we get up, go to the bathroom and immediately go back and sit on our beds and meditate for 15 to 20 minutes. No drinking water, no brushing our teeth, no shower, just wake up and meditate as soon as possible to clear the mind and start the day from that place. I’ve been doing this for months now, and wow is it helpful! It seems to make an enormous difference to my whole day whether I start with a clear mind or a mind set on automatic as you can imagine.

 

The few minutes between waking up and meditating were still getting to me though… those I wasn’t able to do much about. I noticed that if I started meditating right when I woke up, before I even opened my eyes, which is typically when my mind started working, I would just go back to sleep! So, the gratitude exercise has turned out to be a very useful one!

I imagine that there are lots of others, and ways to improve this one… want to share your’s?

Enjoy,

Elena

I was watching an intense professional tennis match yesterday and I realized something… that if I give up then I lose.

Simple, right?

The two athletes were really well matched, both extraordinary players. Number 1 and number 5 in the world. And one of them started winning. Really started winning. It became pretty clear, score wise that he would win the match.

And the other player kept playing. He kept playing hard, going all out our for every shot, full tilt, putting everything he had into it.

And losing.
And going full bore.
And losing.
And dedicating his entire being.
And losing.
Putting all of his focus and intensity into it.
And losing.

Point after point after point, he went for it.
And point after point after point, he lost.
And still he was there 100%.

It was amazing. If he had given up at any point, I would not have faulted him. He was clearly losing. And yet he kept playing his best, point after lost point after lost point.

He was fully motivated internally regardless of what the score was, regardless of whether he was winning or losing. Even when he was sure to lose, he kept his determination to play his best.
And he did.

And I realized that, that was a lesson to take home. Just the day before I had given up in the middle of losing every point. And I realized that that was a pattern that I could break now.

I had learned the secret.
Don’t give up.

Even when I’m losing every point, keep giving everything I’ve got.
When I’m losing is not the time to change strategies, it is time to stay determined, to stick with what I know to be right for me, even when it isn’t working in the moment. Even when I am clearly losing the match.

He won the match in the end.
And I can win in the end.

In fact I will win in that moment, long before any end, because I will be my own safe harbor, my own rock, my own measure of success… my own judge of whether I gave up too soon or persevered.

Patience, determination and belief in myself.
Especially when things seem bad.
What a beautiful lesson.

Thanks, Nadal and Djokovic, you are amazing inspirations!,

Elena