Emily Fletcher

The point of meditation is not to clear the mind. I would argue that the ‘point’ of meditation is to get good at life. So if you’ve ever tried meditation and felt frustrated because you couldn‘t stop all those crazy thoughts, here’s some really good news: The mind thinks involuntarily, just like the heart beats involuntarily. One more time, for dramatic effect: The mind thinks involuntarily, just like the heart beats involuntarily.

Why should you dedicate any of your very precious and limited minutes, every day, to meditation? Simply put, because it creates more time. Would you be willing to invest 2 percent of your day if you knew it would improve the other 98 percent?

Contrary to popular belief, stress is not helping you in the productivity or performance department. In fact, according to the Vedas, ‘There is no such thing as a stressful situation, only stressful responses to a given situation.’ In other words, stress is not what happens to you; stress is your reaction to what happens to you.

Remember that even a ‘bad’ meditation is better than no meditation at all. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good, and don’t let good be the enemy of done.

If you have effective tools to manage your stress levels and anxiety, even the biggest ‘setbacks’ can become opportunities for growth and innovation.

Mindfulness helps you deal with stress in the present; meditation gets rid of stress from the past; and manifesting helps you clarify your dreams for the future.

The habitual reaction, when faced with hard times is, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ What I would encourage you to think instead is, ‘Why is this happening for me?’