So,
In my opinion,
The worst part about working towards a big,
Ambitious goal isn't all the hard work that I'm going to have to put in to get there.
It's not even the fear of failure.
The worst part about working towards a big goal is the impatience I feel about not being where I want to be yet.
At the time of this recording,
It's a few weeks after the new year,
And a lot of people,
Including myself,
Are setting big goals and New Year's resolutions.
So I think this will be a relevant one.
This meditation is all about having patience while working towards your dreams and goals for the future.
If you're new here,
Welcome.
My name is Amber.
I'm a consultant for a Fortune 100 tech company,
And this is where I teach meditation for people who live in the modern world.
One of the things that we talk about here is how to be content in the present moment if you're the kind of person who tends to focus on or work towards the future so that you can thrive both today and tomorrow.
If that resonates with you,
I hope you'll join our small but growing community.
And with that,
Let's go ahead and jump in to today's meditation.
So I've been thinking about goal setting a lot,
And the thing that stands out to me is how uncomfortable it feels to be impatient,
Especially if you have a clear and compelling vision of the future.
Whether it's the person you want to be or something that you want to accomplish.
It's this deep itch that you can't scratch.
And I've noticed that my mind will start kind of wiggling away,
Searching for some means of distraction to try to soothe the pain of longing and give me the illusion of being closer to my goal.
And everyone's physical and emotional experience will be different.
So I invite you to close your eyes,
Slow down the breath,
And sense into the body now.
Just for a minute,
Visualize the goal that you're working on.
The one that keeps you up at night.
And then notice what feelings come up for you.
For me,
I get the feeling of longing for something that I don't yet have.
I feel it in my upper chest and in my face.
I feel a pain when I notice a gap between where I am and where I want to be.
And at the same time,
I also feel myself pushing away the present because it isn't the future that I want.
And I'll just give you a few moments here to have your own experience,
Noticing how it feels in your body and in your mind.
And wherever you go,
Don't forget to bring the breath with you.
If the feelings are intense,
Be gentle with yourself.
Focus your attention on your inhales and exhales to give your mind an opportunity to settle down a bit.
And I don't know if you'll resonate with this,
But there's also a feeling of sadness and waste.
Because I remember a time when I longed for exactly what I have now.
Exactly in the way that I'm currently longing for something that's yet to come.
And of course also,
There's a part of me that knows that once I achieve my goal,
There will very likely be a next one and a next one and a one after that.
That's one of the reasons why I love meditation,
Because it helps us experience today.
Not judging,
Just being here with however it is right now.
And now I invite you to switch gears and come into the present moment.
Whether you're in bed,
In your car,
At the office,
Or somewhere else,
Set your vision for the future aside.
It'll come.
Or it won't.
We don't really know.
But what we do know is that you're here.
Right now.
Wherever you are.
However you are.
Hearing whatever you hear.
Feeling however it is you feel.
If the mind wanders and starts thinking its thoughts with gentleness and with firmness,
Guide it back to the present moment.
Give yourself a few nice deep breaths and come back to experiencing this moment however it is.
Whenever you feel ready,
If the moment is right,
You may start to feel a quiet and gentle feeling of contentment start to creep over you.
The feeling that this day is enough.
Thank you so much for meditating with me today.
If you like this meditation,
You might like to check out a recent one I did called Weekend Meditation for People Who Work Too Hard to help you reduce anxiety about relaxing on the weekend.
Don't forget to rate or leave a comment and I look forward to seeing you again next time.
