tips for meditation

Tips for Meditation – What I Discovered After Struggling for Ages!

Have you ever tried meditation?

If you are like most people, the thought of meditation may seem like a waste of time. For most of us, our minds are constantly thinking about other things like…

“What am I going to wear today?”

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Did I send in that permission slip for my son’s field trip?”

Whenever we have a second of quiet time, we instantly reflect on all our to-do list items and wonder if we did everything we needed to.

Our minds are overwhelmed with so much information about all the things we need to accomplish in a day.

What I love about meditation is…

Meditation gives us the necessary break to connect with a higher power.

I tried meditation a couple years ago because I felt like I needed something, yet I couldn’t put my finger on what I needed. I felt like I was missing my purpose in this life, yet I had no idea how to go about finding it or what it was.

That’s when I started reading self help books.

Reading, Understanding, Awakening

I started reading self help books a little over 3 years ago and started listening to some inspiring podcasts. Back then the podcasts were more related to real estate investing, but nonetheless, there were some inspiring people who made their debuts on those podcasts.

One was Hal Elrod

I read this book called the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod almost 2 years ago.

Books are my life.

I enjoy reading self help books because I feel like I can always improve some facet of my life and they help me to reach for my goals.

In Hal’s book, he talks about the power of meditation.

He has this little thing called the Miracle Morning which is a series of things you do each morning to help you strive for your goals and live your best life.

It was fascinating to me.

I loved the book. I consumed the entire book in 2 days, then started reading it again!

I then started practicing this little Miracle Morning thing.

The one thing I struggled with was meditation.

Every time I tried to meditate my thoughts would overtake the silence and peace you are supposed to feel with meditation.

My thoughts would instantly go to…

“What’s for dinner tonight?”

“When can I be done with meditation and move on to reading?”

“Did I forget to pick up the dry cleaning?”

It was not at all what I thought meditation should be like. Honestly, I gave up on it for awhile and substituted some prayer instead which I was totally fine with.

I just felt like maybe meditation wasn’t for me. I couldn’t concentrate on quieting my mind.

The Power of Surrender

Fast forward a couple years and I read another book on meditation, surrender and being in touch with the Universe.

The book this time was The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein.

I read this book and started going through the guided meditation that Gabby has on her site.

Something changed.

I noticed that I was actually able to concentrate and my mind wasn’t racing as much.

I didn’t notice this the first time I tried meditation again, but after a few times of really being quiet and still, I noticed that I could clear my thoughts and really silence my brain giving me time to connect with my Higher Power. Gabby also had some guided meditation and music which made a huge difference for me.

There was this peaceful feeling that came over me and I knew that I was starting to succeed with having meaningful meditation. It was amazing. I now knew what Hal was talking about in his book and I started to feel God’s presence again.

Prior to reading Gabby’s book, I had been going through a mini depression. I blamed it on all the chaos that was surrounding our lives. We sold our house, lost the house we were trying to buy, moved into one of the duplexes we owned, were in the process fo selling a rental property, working on a flip, starting a new business and our kids were transitioning to school. It was complete and utter chaos.

I was starting to feel weighed down and burnt out.

I started praying that God would change my depressed and burnt out heart.

As He always does, God pointed me towards books. Every time I read a book, I learn something new and it seems He deepens my connection with Him.

This time, I knew this book was for me. I started to hear Him again and I felt fully guided and loved. Something I hadn’t felt for over 6 months.

I felt peace come over me and I realized that I have fully surrendered to God. It was an amazing feeling and it is one that I hope to help other people attain.

Fear, shame, and the pressure of this world can be so overwhelming and take away that joy that we are supposed to experience in this life.

When we fully surrender, it restores our joy.

That my friends is why I write. To help others restore their joy and to be more intentional with their lives. Our lives are so full and it is so necessary to take time out for silence, prayer and yes meditation. When you connect with that Higher power, something about you changes. When you are surrendered, your whole life can change and your perspective also changes.

Things that were once a task, now seem a little easier and gratitude has a whole new meaning.

I realized that meditation helped me connect with the Universe and God like I have never connected before. It helped me establish a peace I have never experienced before.

Tips for Meditation – Developing Your Practice

If you have tried meditation in the past and you haven’t been successful there are a few tips for meditation to help you:

  • Practice surrender
  • Consider reading different books about meditation. There are different types of practices so keep that in mind. One type may work better for you than another.
  • Consider guided meditation. There is an app called Headspace that I know others have used and really like. Maybe that would be your thing.
  • Be patient with yourself (don’t allow frustration to take over) and you can experience the calm I was talking about. This would be my biggest piece of advice
  • Make sure you allow time to be silent and to feel relaxed. Consider getting up early to meditate or put the kids to bed and try meditation. Any type of everyday chaos will affect your success at meditation.

So… the Secret to Meditation?

Aside from these tips, the secret to meditation in my view is continued practice.

Once you have successfully meditated and you feel this all consuming peace, you will be hooked.

One of my favorite quotes and something I live by is:

Your mind is a powerful thing. When you fill it with positive thoughts, your life will start to change. – Anonymous

You can do whatever it is you set your mind to.

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Article Author

Becky Wolfe

Becky Wolfe

Becky Wolfe is wife, mom, part-time Physician Assistant, and business owner who has created systems for everyday life chaos and is passionate about helping other moms do the same.
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