Before I begin my day most mornings, I meditate and then take a cup of coffee on a walk to a park near my apartment.
Through the whole process, I try to stay present for whatever is happening in the moment.
Sitting and being still.
Watching the coffee filter through and fall into the carafe.
Listening to the sound of my own footsteps.
Not trying to accomplish anything or solve the problems that incessantly pop in my head. (I’m pretty sure my mind thinks it can rid the world of every problem that has ever existed between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. every single morning.)
The result of this process is clarity.
Usually at some point along the process, I begin to feel fully alive.
Fresh and full of ideas.
And that’s where solutions come from.
It’s almost like entering a tunnel in the dark, only to emerge into light on the other side.
All the incessant thoughts hold back my creativity, but once I let them go and just exist, there is room for true creation to happen.
Roughly, here’s what I do:
- Gently begin paying attention to the present moment.
- Notice when my mind starts thinking about the past or the future.
- Observe my mind. (The book says you and your mind are different things, uhhh . . .)
- As I observe my mind thinking and wrestling with thoughts, I choose not to engage.
- Return to paying attention to what is happening in the present.
At a zoomed-out level, I’m getting myself in a space where I’m calm. There is connectedness in my brain and I’m not worrying about anything or planning for the future. I’m just in the present.
The exact process for getting there will look different for each human; it’s an experimentation process to find what works for you. It’s worth the time to figure it out.