Chapter Intro
If you missed the introduction post to this series you can read it here.
One feature of the book that I consistently get good feedback from readers on are the blank pages after each chapter. These blank pages allow you to take notes as you read along.
Since this is edition will published on the blockchain I encourage you to get a stack of blank paper or a notebook to use to take your own notes as you read along with this series. This will allow you to reap all of the benefits of the book and allow it to have the most impact.
At the end of each chapter there is a “Putting It Into Practice” section that will prompt you to take notes and, for some chapters, will include meditation exercises.
As always, list any questions you might have in the comments below.
Chapter One
You may have been drawn to meditation for a variety of reasons: to reduce stress; to heal from anxiety or depression; increase productivity; or just create a better life for yourself. The beauty of meditation is even if you begin your practice for a specific reason you will quickly start to experience unforeseen benefits in all areas of your life. What I’ve learned is meditation has the uncanny ability of seeking out exactly what is broken or unbalanced within you and fixing it. This allows you to become the best version of yourself, the greatest gift you could give the world.
The series of events that led me to meditation began when I was in my early twenties. My diet was bad, I wasn’t exercising, and I was making poor life choices until eventually, a terrible depression set in. I was going to college at that time and ended up dropping out rather than subject myself to the embarrassment of panic attacks during presentations or class discussions. The panic attacks grew to be so random and so severe that I eventually stopped socializing and became afraid to leave the house. This crippling limitation that appeared to come into my life so suddenly baffled and angered me.
In hindsight I understand that anxiety and depression actually took root in my psyche over several years. Each time I backed away from a fear and didn’t stand up to it the fear got a little worse and gained a little more power over me until the point it had full control.
One summer night, in the middle of a deep sleep, I had an experience that forever changed my life. At the time the extraordinary experience left me with more questions than it did answers. Over twenty years later I’m just beginning to understand it. Although I’m not ready to share the full details of this experience yet I can say that I’m sure it was the catalyst that led me to this spiritual path. It was terrifyingly transformative, consciousness-expanding, and in hindsight very sacred. Afterwards I developed an intense curiosity for all things spiritual and an unwavering desire to fight against anything that was holding me back from living my best life.
In the following months I spent countless hours reading self help books, some of which were slightly beneficial but only provided a temporary fix. After a few months of searching I was drawn to a small book on meditation in a local bookstore and it changed my life. I developed a regular meditation practice and stuck to it faithfully every day, even if it was only fifteen minutes.
Soon an idea came to me. I began to desensitize myself to the panic attacks by purposely putting myself into situations that I feared would trigger the anxiety and panic. Each time I did this I became stronger and the anxiety and panic attacks became less severe until they eventually subsided and I started to get my life back.
What I quickly learned is meditation is the best way to liberate you from whatever barriers are keeping you from being the absolute best version of yourself. We have simply forgotten how awesomely powerful we really are. Through the gift of imagination and the intelligence to bring our ideas to fruition, there is literally nothing in this world that we can’t accomplish. Ask yourself, what would you attempt in life if you knew, in your heart, that you could accomplish anything? How would you live each day of the rest of your life if you had no fear of failure?
The sad truth is many people in life come close to achieving their true potential. One reason is that there are many external roadblocks that prevent us from relearning how powerful we really are. But none of these external barriers can compare to the damage we inflict on ourselves, often subconsciously, through negative self talk. Most of us are truly our own worst enemies when it comes to living the life of our dreams. Meditation will quickly make you aware of the quality of your inner thoughts and how they impact you.
As you begin a daily meditation practice you will also start to notice that you are so powerful that your own inner thoughts and expectations are creating your reality in nearly every moment. If you constantly dwell on negative thoughts you will have a horrible day. Think good, positive thoughts, and despite what life throws at you, it is easier to find your calm center and work through the challenges more quickly and easily. Perception is so vital to our happiness and success that I’m devoting an entire chapter to it later in the book.
"As you begin a daily meditation practice you will also start to notice that you are so powerful that your own inner thoughts and expectations are creating your reality in nearly every moment."
Before I found meditation, negative self talk looped in my head almost constantly. By continually thinking negative internal thoughts and constantly comparing ourselves to others, many of us fall into a rut of sabotaging the quality of our own life experience.
“I’m not smart enough.”,
“I’m not as good looking or successful as they are.”,
“This certain person doesn’t like me.”,
“This idea will never work.”
Sound familiar?
Nelson Mandela said, ”Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”
This quote is important because I’ve come to realize that subconsciously most of us know exactly how powerful we are and it terrifies us. Why? If we admit that we have the power to transform ourselves and accomplish anything in life it’s impossible to blame anyone or anything else for our own unhappiness.
"If we admit that we have the power to transform ourselves and accomplish anything in life it’s impossible to blame anyone or anything else for our own unhappiness."
Pause and think about this for a moment.
Most of us have heard of the word, “institutionalized” and know its meaning but few of us realize that we have become institutionalized ourselves. Nothing illustrates this concept better than my favorite film, “A Shawshank Redemption.” As unbelievable as it seems, it is common for prisoners who have been incarcerated for decades, when released, to find themselves unable to deal with freedom. Freedom terrifies them. Some even end up breaking the law to get back into prison. These people, who at first grieve because their freedom has been taken from them, strangely begin to find security and comfort behind the bars that keep them in bondage.
"As unbelievable as it seems, it is common for prisoners who have been incarcerated for decades, when released, to find themselves unable to deal with freedom. Freedom terrifies them. Some even end up breaking the law to get back into prison. These people, who at first grieve because their freedom has been taken from them, strangely begin to find security and comfort behind the bars that keep them in bondage."
The same phenomena occurs in our daily lives. When we’re young, most of us have clear dreams and aspirations but if we’re not mindful, as the ocean erodes the sand, the routines of life slowly wear our dreams away. After a few years our dreams are pushed back into the farthest corners of our minds and are likely labeled as naive illusions.
As our daily routines literally become etched onto our brains, even though we may be miserably unhappy in our lives, we lose our ability to even imagine a different way of living. We become so dependent upon the routine itself that we forget that other options that would make us far happier exist and are just a decision away!
As you will experience, meditation is many wonderful things but first and foremost it is a process of relearning who we really are and unleashing the awesome power that each and every one of us possess. We are like sleeping giants that merely have to be awakened.
Putting It Into Practice
Let's take a moment to assess your strengths and weaknesses.
What are you really good at?
What things about yourself would you like to improve?
What are your personal and professional goals for the next year?
List the answers to these questions in the Notes page at the end of this chapter. After a few months of meditation practice, revisit these notes and use them as a guide to see how far you’ve progressed in your development.
All for now.
With Gratitude,
Eric Vance Walton
Poetry should move us, it should change us, it should glitch our brains, shift our moods to another frequency. Poetry should evoke feelings of melancholy, whimsy, it should remind us what it feels like to be in love, or cause us to think about something in a completely different way. I view poetry, and all art really, as a temporary and fragile bridge between our world and a more pure and refined one. This is a world we could bring into creation if enough of us believed in it. This book is ephemera, destined to end up forgotten, lingering on some dusty shelf or tucked away in a dark attic. Yet the words, they will live on in memory. I hope these words become a part of you, bubble up into your memory when you least expect them to and make you feel a little more alive.
Pick up a copy of Ephemera today on Amazon.
Most of us have experienced a moment of perfect peace at least once in our lives. In these moments we lose ourselves and feel connected to everything. I call these mindful moments. Words can’t describe how complete they make us feel.
These moments are usually fragile, evaporating in seconds. What if there was a way to train your mind to experience more of them? It’s deceptively easy and requires nothing more than a subtle shift in mindset. My new book, Mindful Moments, will teach you to be much more content despite the chaos and imperfect circumstances continuing to unfold around you. Upgrade your life experience today for only $15.99 on Amazon.com.
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