You can always begin again.

art by @biancacash

In meditation we’re taught that the thoughts that run through your head, are just that, they are thoughts. They come and go as quickly as time passes on a fun day, no one thought holding more or less importance than another. 

In meditation, with each and every thought you have, you identify that you have been thinking, you let the thoughts go, and you begin again by bringing your attention back to your breath.

What’s important about this is that it’s a continual process. You do this time and time again. You have another thought that pulls at you, or have become consumed by thoughts, you let go, and begin again. Another one comes in moments later, you notice, great, you’ve noticed which means you’ve woken up, and you begin again. There is no matter how many times you begin again, you just do, time and time again, you begin again. Every thought is of equal value, always ending with the same goal of letting go, and beginning again.

What if we adopted this same perspective in everyday, awake life? When the going gets tough, we begin again. When we don’t get what we want, we begin again. When we get knocked down, kicked down, we begin again. When our hearts are shattered, we begin again. Time and time again, we begin again. If that became embedded in our bones, if that became more than just a way of thinking but rather a way of living, I can’t help but wonder how much kinder, softer our world would be. I can picture all the art that would be created. The books that would be written. The dreams that would be chased, accomplished. The love that would flourish. Because the pain, the heartbreak, the let down would still be very real, and still, the body would naturally choose to just begin again. 

We let so much minutiae get in the way. Our limiting beliefs about ourselves, about the world we live in. Our circumstances too, they get in the way. The things that we cannot yet see how they would happen, what the path towards it would be, they take this back seat simply because we don’t see or understand the actual steps to getting there. And yet, if we kept going, kept trying, kept beginning again, we would have this ability to well, do anything.

What might be possible if I just begin again?

What if I allowed the thoughts to pass me by, and start again, time after time after time?

What does beginning again allow me to cultivate?

To begin again, to start over is a mentality I will be adopting for the month of August. I invite you to join me, and see what might be possible. 

The good news is, when you notice that you are not allowing space for beginning again, all you have to do is notice, maybe say, “oh, here I am again, thinking”, gently let go, and you guessed it….begin again.