New Year’s Resolutions can be real downers.
If we’ve tried and failed at something before (and how hasn’t?), something sad happens: working toward a goal turns into a chore. It feels heavy, difficult, maybe even hopeless. And not many feelings are less motivating than those.
Up until a few weeks ago, that’s how I felt about meditation.
For God knows how long, I’d been trying to make meditation a part of my daily life. And I came up with every excuse in the book not to. After some reflection, I realized why: I didn’t know if I was doing it right. I didn’t know whether it was working. I didn’t know which kind of meditation I should do. I was so uncertain, and that was making it almost impossible to believe I’d ever meditate daily.
But then, I stumbled upon a new idea that totally changed my mindset.
The idea came from Josh Kaufman, a writer and researcher who studies learning and skill-building. In his...