What's Holding You Back?

What is holding you back from doing what you want to do? And which one thing, can you do today to take a small step towards what you want to achieve? I'm focused on practical meditation, on integrating what I have learned in the meditation room with the everyday life. I hope that this can be inspiring to you.

Love,
Carlos

Transcript

So dreams are really easy to create inside of us.

We can look at other people and we can start deciding for what they have.

But when it comes to taking action and,

You know,

Putting yourself out there,

Having to do the hard work.

So we tend to forget that what people have achieved is something that they've achieved because they've most of the time worked really hard.

Especially if it's like inner work,

If it's meditation,

If it's inner calmness,

If it's something that we can sense but not really,

You know,

Explain what it is.

And especially in this field of meditation it's like we can get lost a bit in what is meditation and try to look at other people and find out how can we like copy or get inspired from what they are doing.

So what's so important for me with meditation and with goal setting,

Because I'm very focused on the process but I'm also very focused on getting to where I want to get.

And I'm very practical oriented so I really want to make sure that what I'm practicing in meditation I take and I integrate in my daily life.

So what's holding you back from doing the things that you want to do?

For many people it's the fear of rejection,

It's the fear of failure.

But what's really terrible is that instead of really experiencing the pain,

Experiencing the failure,

We tend to ruminate on things and just,

You know,

Again and again want to desire it but then create that emotional contraction of being afraid of failure.

So what we're actually doing is that hundreds and thousands of times instead of going out there and doing what we really would love to achieve,

We tend to not do it but we create the experience of failure again and again inside of us.

You know what I mean?

So it's,

Sorry for saying it,

So it's stupid.

I know it perfectly well in my life.

I've been doing this.

I'm a master of doing this,

But I'm also practicing to become a master of doing the opposite which is to be brave and take the step into,

You know,

Uncertainty and trying to just follow my heart and follow my instincts and just be true to whatever I want to do in this life and achieve in this life.

This has meant,

You know,

A lot of different changes in our life.

Me,

My wife and our two daughters,

We've chosen to move out in the countryside and have this beautiful place two minutes from the water.

I'm very fond of cold exposure and that's a way that I use meditation to practice in extreme situations.

So we've made a lot of changes in our life which means that financially we're at a place where we don't need to make that much money to be able to have that freedom to do what we want to do.

So the reason for me sharing this is that if we look at other people being successful with something,

Let's look at our own lives and find out what could we do.

Just small things,

But because we need to be realistic that these things take time,

Especially the inner work,

Especially designing your life financially how you want to live.

It takes time,

But most of all it actually takes action.

So you're sitting here listening to this probably because you're in a place in your life where you maybe for many years have been on the path,

But want to take some more steps in realizing and achieving what you're dreaming of doing.

But you need to put in the hard work.

That's the truth of it.

I started this meditation process like when I was 30,

I'm 47 now,

So 17 years ago.

And it wasn't until last year where I dedicated myself to meditating every day and guiding meditation.

I've been guiding meditation since January 1st,

2020.

So this is the warm up to a meditation that has to do with taking action.

And this,

Everything that I say is just based on my life.

I'm not telling you what's right or wrong.

And that was what I was getting at in regards to meditation.

Meditation is what you make of it.

Meditation is what meditation is to you.

It's so important.

So we tend to have this image of a person sitting upright and legs crossed and very focused and very powerful.

But the truth is that meditation is all the time.

And it's so important that you just embrace it as you want to embrace it.

Make meditation you.

So let's get into the meditation.

Let's find a spot where you want to sit.

You probably already done so.

But but notice whether you are sitting in a posture that it's more it's more,

You know,

That you're sitting in that posture because it's more something that you've been inspired to do or you think is the right way of doing it.

Just take a second to just,

You know,

Notice whether you're sitting in your style.

Notice if it's OK to change a bit,

You know,

Get more comfortable.

That's actually what I'm trying to say.

And if it means leaning back,

If it means,

You know,

Laying down,

If it means whatever,

Just go for that.

The focus is to do this every day.

Let it become a really good habit,

A ritual that enriches your life.

All right.

You can choose to either close your eyes or keep them open.

The focus will always be the breathing.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Secondary,

The focus will always be the smile.

Just a little smile.

It doesn't need to be a big unnatural smile for you.

Just a little smile.

So a calm,

Focused inhalation.

A small smile.

And a calm,

Focused exhalation.

And a little smile.

The smile needs to be just so you can feel it in the eyes too.

And just notice how you breathe in through your nose.

How the air fills and lifts your stomach and your chest.

And breathe out again.

But really notice the quality of the breathing.

Notice the peace that you can create just in such few moments.

Just by being aware of your breath,

Having a small smile on your lips,

Your eyes.

And your mind will wander.

It will start reminding you of plans and what you've forgotten and bring up stories or whatever.

And just when that happens,

Just,

You know,

Have your smile ready to just acknowledge that.

And you can maybe even inside yourself just a mental note.

That's for later.

Thanks for reminding.

That's for later.

And then get back to your breathing.

Nice and easy inhalation.

Small smile.

Nice and easy exhalation.

Breathing in,

Breathing out.

And if you suddenly feel like,

You know,

Moving your body or stretching or yawning or whatever,

Just go for it.

Don't hold back.

Hold nothing back.

This is your meditation.

This is your meditation style.

Just be true to that.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Okay,

So let's just add one thing.

This is like building Lego.

It's like you can add more and more and more.

But it's important to get,

You know,

The basis and the routine with the basic stuff.

So breathing in and breathing out.

Small smile.

Relaxed mind,

Body.

So.

.

.

And now when you inhale,

Imagine inhaling into your heart.

Into your big,

Beautiful,

Warm heart.

And exhaling from your heart as well.

And you can exhale into your body or out into the open space.

Make sure that your exhalation is a bit longer than your inhalation.

Nice and easy inhalation into your heart.

Small smile on your lips and your eyes.

Nice and easy exhalation from your heart into your body,

Out from your body and into the open space.

And if suddenly,

You know,

There are movements,

Energy movements or body movements or whatever movements,

Mental movements,

Just go for it.

Just really be true to not holding back.

Nobody can see you.

I can't see you.

So just be true to it.

Right now my body is moving from side to side and my mind could be questioning it,

But I'm so accustomed to just,

You know,

Being open to meditation being me on the physical,

Mental,

Emotional,

Spiritual,

Social level.

Hmm.

So breathing in calmly into your heart,

Small smile on the lips and eyes.

If movement arises,

Be open to that.

If yawning arises,

Be open to that.

OK.

We have one more phase before we finish off.

So the first phase is just to,

You know,

Achieve that connection with yourself and with your breathing,

With your heart,

With your smile,

Being open to just being you.

If thoughts arise,

They arise.

It's the job of the mind to have thoughts,

So we can not have thoughts,

But we can definitely work in the way that we deal with thoughts.

So being compassionate,

Being open,

Not rejecting them,

But just put them aside for a little bit,

Coming back to your breath.

So having this as the main focus for your practice.

You can do this at the mall,

Or maybe not the mall right now,

But when you're shopping,

You can do it in the car.

You could do it when walking.

Meditation is now,

And now is always.

So really find relaxation in your meditation practice.

Don't make it a duty.

Make it something that's really enjoyable for you.

OK.

So let's move into the next phase and the final phase before finishing off.

Just calm your breath and calm your mind.

Just get ready to be open to what I share with you and then to meditate on that.

So there are two questions.

The first question is,

What's holding you back from doing exactly what you're dreaming of doing?

So what's holding you back from doing exactly what you're dreaming of doing?

You can rephrase,

But just meditate on that physically,

Emotionally,

Mentally,

Spiritually,

Socially.

What's holding me back?

Just notice whether it's something mentally or physically or socially or just get some pointers.

I'm quite sure that it's not possible to pin it all down to the very essence of it,

But I'll give you something before we finish off to work on.

OK.

Second question.

Which very small thing can you do today?

Not tomorrow,

But today,

Preferably after you've listened to this,

Which very small thing can you do that would help you take one step in the direction of what you're dreaming of?

Which one thing can you do today?

Breathe in,

Breathe out and meditate on this just for a little bit.

Which one step,

Which one little thing?

Remember the small smile,

Remember the nice and easy,

Comfortable breathing.

OK,

So just see if you can take a mental note of this and you can work.

I'll finish off giving you some different things that you can do afterwards.

So get ready to,

You know,

Finish off this meditation.

So this is practical meditation for me.

It's,

You know,

Using and combining different techniques and methods in order to look inwards and make steps,

Take action.

So what you can do finishing off when we're done with this meditation is take a pen and a paper and just write down what's holding me back on the one side and then turn the paper afterwards.

And then which one step do I want to take today?

Just a small one.

Tiny one.

That's how you eat an elephant.

It's taking small bites.

So thank you so much for doing this with me.

I'm doing this because I'm driven by making a change in my life so I can make a change in other people's lives and mainly focused on the children in these families that we are parents for.

They are the next generation and the next generation and the next generation.

So let's do what we can to make our lives better but definitely focusing on the lives of everybody else who's going to be here when we're not here anymore.

So thank you so much.

I wish that I could meet you in person,

Maybe sometime on Inside Timer on a live event.

So let's see.

Thank you so much.

Thanks.

Bye.

Reviews

I really like your relaxed, and honest approuch towards meditation and practical steps to take. Beautiful warm voice and sincere style.

That was really helpful and inspiring. I love your calming, deep voice as well! Thank you.

I loved everything about this meditation. Thank you