Forget about changing the world. “Make the next five minutes rock.”
It’s almost impossible — the hardest thing to do in life — to move against the stream. Against the ways we dodge the intensity of being alive. Against the mind’s tendency to follow thoughts in thousands of directions. Against the hustle of our capitalist society. Against addictions.
So, start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day — it was built (by slave labor) brick by brick, breath by breath.
Your desire to change yourself wholesale, to fix all of your problems tomorrow, to lose 50 pounds while finally accepting your mother’s flaws, is another way you avoid just taking the next step. Or maybe you want to save the world, end white supremacy, stop climate change, or impeach Donald Trump — none of these will happen unless many people take up the hard work of building power together, step by step, tough conversation by tough conversation.
I recently came across this phrase in an interview with a business consultant: “Make the next five minutes rock.” It’s become my mantra. Whenever I notice that I’m not present — writing, talking, having sex, whatever — I use it to bring myself back. It’s not about what, literally, I want to accomplish in the next five minutes. It’s a reminder to drop the storyline — that I’m a fraud; that I’m unlovable.
Because whatever is happening, I can manage to stay engaged for another five minutes…and another five…and another five. And being engaged in the present moment is the only way to move against the stream, which is where life happens.
Stop trying to get the whole river to flow another direction. Turn against the stream for the next minutes…and the next five…and the next five. Use your meditation practice to help you notice when you’re not engaged. The good and bad and gorgeous and rewarding things that make up a life are bound to happen.
Ready to get serious about meditation?
I wrote a guide to starting a daily meditation practice — get it here for free.
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