Do you ever think back to when you were a kid and time felt liked it moved a lot slower than it does now? I remember a summer when I was about six years old and still living on our farm in South Surrey; I thought Summer Vacation/Break lasted two years’ (not two months). Don’t ask me how I managed to have this mangled logic – for example, how could a two-year break not include any Christmases – but suffice it to say that the way I experienced time way-back-when was that it moved much slower, and it was experienced in a much more carefree manner.
Last week (July 20th to be specific) I reached a personal milestone of maintaining a daily meditation habit for two straight years. In other words, for over 730 consecutive days I’ve done at least one 10–15-minute guided meditation using the “Calm” smartphone app. Since last week I’ve been collecting my thoughts on how to best describe what effects this has had on me. The personal example noted above is what I kept being drawn to…that my experience of times’ passage has somehow slowed down and my level of peace (or contentment) has increased. These probably seems like vague statements so let me give a couple of examples of how these general perceptions have manifested themselves in my personal life experiences.
First, my perspective and experience of my work/job has fundamentally shifted (and improved). Daily activities have always included a great deal of reading, reviewing, writing, analyzing, and auditing (are you feely sleepy yet?). I used to find these tasks boring and would need to keep moderately caffeinated just to maintain enough energy and focus to slog through the workday. I’d often be halfway through a paragraph and find myself drifting off into a daydream or wanting to have a quick escape to check Twitter or some random news. Now, I manage to find each workday to be a pleasurable experience filled with many moments of discovery, learning, and just getting better at what’s required to have success in the role I’m grateful to be able to fulfil. This makes me reflect on Ryan Holiday’s book The Ego is the Enemy, which I read at the start of this year, in that somewhere along this two-plus year meditation journey, my focus has shifted from desiring to “be something great” and instead to “doing things great [or well]”.
Second, my own personal insecurities around the fear of missing out (FOMO) have lessened a significant degree as well. It’s not easy to articulate this shift in brief terms but suffice it to say that I’ve moved from looking outward for rewards and gratification and instead now (mostly) look inwards and pursue activities, endeavours, and learnings that are good for my physical and emotional wellness (such as meditation). This second example is tightly connected to the first one noted above in that, FOMO and wanting to be seen as something great, both put the focus outside of ourselves, for example, on what others think of us. Whereas looking inward, living (and finding joy) in the moment, and cultivating practices that help one do life’s tasks better, results both in increased contentment as well as having positive external influences; for example, your work quality, and with the daily interactions one has with those closest to us in our professional and personal life.
If you’re looking for a way to find greater peace and balance in your life (e.g., feel more calm, less insecure, and less rushed) meditation may be a practice worth considering. I’m the farthest thing from even what might be described as a novice in this area – I simply carve-out 10-15 minutes at least once a day to listen to a guided meditation on my smartphone. It’s a simple practice with profound benefits.
Thanks again for taking the time to read my latest post – you have almost infinite options with how to spend your time and I’m grateful that you’ve allocated a little bit of it to read this.
Coffee and Karma 