“You may start each day intending to spend half an hour on your zafu, practice walking meditation in the park, or write three haikus capturing the essence of your insights. But you’re out of yogurt and broccoli, there are 237 unread emails in your inbox, your taxes were due last week, and your child has knocked out a tooth skateboarding or needs you to buy Japanese print fabric for a history project. So you put off meditating or working on your memoir for one more day. And then one more.” writes Anne Cushman (Lion’s Roar, 4 Jan 2016).
If this sounds like you, don’t worry. Anne has a 6 step plan for getting you to your daily goal. The steps are:
- Set Your Intention
- Establish a Cue
- Round Up Your Supplies
- Do Your Practice
- Reward Yourself
- Track Your Progress
Does this seem like a lot to remember? It’s not really so hard, especially for meditators, because practice is its own reward and you can let go of progress. So just 4 steps.
If you’re like me, you can even lean on someone else inspiration. I often lean on Pancho. His practice: walking between home and Reed. No special supplies needed. And, as long as he remembers to go home, no special cues either. That’s the real deal.
Here’s my new resolution for 2016: go to sleep (much) earlier. I already know my biggest hurdle: Step #2 – Establish (and Respond to) a Cue. My problem is that I’ve spent the better part of the last 60 years developing the wrong cues. Wish me luck.
Read Anne Cushman’s full post on forming a new habit.