Giving up something good, to get something great!
I don't know if you follow me on Instagram but I have been having a lot of fun making reels lately. Reels are a newer feature on IG that lets you record a short video and then add audio snippets to it. I did one recently about getting up at 4:45am to meditate every morning with an audio of Michael Scott from the tv show, The Office. (If you missed it, you can check it out here).
The gist of it is:
Is it easy (to get up at 4:45 am)? No.
Do I like it (getting up at 4:45am)? No, I don't.
But do I do it? Yes, I do. 😂
While there are some mornings I magically wake up before my alarm goes off, most days that is not how it goes down. I get up, roll my sleepy self out of bed, turn on the coffee pot, and go sit down to meditate.
It's not easy and it takes more sacrifice than most people realize. It doesn't just mean that I get up earlier in the morning, it also means I have to go to bed earlier so I can actually get up. I have to reverse engineer my life. If I don't go to bed on time, I can't wake up in the morning.
This also means I sacrifice time with Dave and Parker in the evening. I am in bed by 9pm reading and head to pillow at 9:30. While I allow for flexibilty in case we have a date night or an evening with friends, I try to stick as close to my habit as possible.
Why do I do it?
Because the benefits far outweigh the costs. I know how much better I feel when it’s done. I know that after I meditate I am more in tune with myself, I’m calmer, and I feel more grounded. I also know that no matter how the rest of my day turns out I have already dedicated time for myself. We all live busy lives and it isn’t always easy to find space in the day for you, so if I can make that happen first thing, I am already heading in the right direction.
This reminds of a book we used to read Parker when she was little called, Can't -Wait Willow. It was the story of a girl who had been waiting for the circus to come to town. The day had finally arrived and she headed off, money in hand, to buy a ticket to see the circus.
On her way there, she was distracted by various things that she wanted to do that all took her time and money; ice cream, soccer with friends, a lemonade stand, a stuffed elephant, and a cage filled with birds.
By the time she gets to the circus, she has spent all of her money and the circus was over. The circus master sees her crying outside and asks her what is wrong. She preceeds to tell him how she spent all of her money and missed the circus.
He gives her a ticket to come to the circus the next day (everyone deserves a second chance) but reminds her that sometimes you need to learn to say no to little things that are good to end up with something truly great!
So many great and applicable lessons from a children's book!
Would it feel good to hit snooze and sleep in? Would it feel good to stay up late and hang out with my family or friends? Maybe, it might feel good in that moment, but I can honestly say I’ve never regretted getting up to meditate. The compounding effect of getting up every morning not only helps make it easier to get up the next day but it also helps me to be a better, kinder, and more compassionate person.
Creating space in your life for meditation, or any other practice, isn’t always easy. But will it be worth it? Yes, it will!
Are you working on creating space in your life for something great? I'd love to hear about it. Let me know in the comments! 💙