Gradual decline, Exitement and Happiness

Content I found interesting:

A podcast with a meditation teacher. I love how Duncan Trussell always finds the right balance between deep questions and silly jokes.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZgKhPAPYkMZl5Slt3cO6W?si=ebecff3ceca2423f

Thoughts and realizations:

I know what meditation does to me, I know the benefits, I have felt them.

But still, there are moments when my habit starts to decay, moments when I start to neglect my practice.

Even though I know what’s best for me, sometimes, I still walk away from it.

These moments come with a progressive decay in my mental clarity, low self-estem and low motivation.

This downgrade in my potential is so gradual that I don’t notice it arriving. I only realize it when I feel my mind starting to resist something, when it starts to develop deep aversions or cravings for something.

Only then I become aware that my lack of practice is the reason of this performance decline.

It takes some time from the moment I start to neglect the practice until I feel the consequences.

This is why it is difficult to maintain a meditation practice, not only because it takes time and commitment to see some real progress, but also because, when you stop, it takes time to see the  consequences.

Appreciate your progress, and even thought you think you feel good now, continue to do what brought you here, because your progress may start to decay without you noticing it.

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(A thought that originated from the podcast above)

Too often we confuse excitement with happiness.

If you look closely enough, you will notice that excitement is really just a kind of anxiety.

Think about the times you were really exited, there is a kind of tension related to it, your mind is not at peace.

How crazy is it that people confuse anxiety with happiness?

Take a moment to think if you have been living for excitement or happiness, think about the important decisions you made in life, were they made in the search for peace or in the search for novelty.

Have you been searching for something new? Something that excites you?

Or have you been searching for perfecting old skills and relationships?

Think about this deeply because this is the base of your present condition. This informs you about your present level of anxiety or happiness/peace.

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Money brings comfort

Comfort is not peace

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Send me anything you found interesting this week

See you on the next one

Gonçalo Delgado