Discovering Myself in 21 Days – Day 8

As humans, we are bound to feel upset due to the behavior of others around us. Sometimes, it’s their stinging words, sometimes careless actions and at other times our own inability to deal with failures or retaliate, thus feeling defeated, discouraged, disappointed.

Although, all of this is natural and we have been experiencing it all our lives, subconsciously, we choose the Spotlight Effect. It’s like pinning a speaker on a Zoom meeting. We magnify and replay the same video of memories or experiences of pain and failure endlessly and choose to focus on the victims of fate that we are.

Little to we realise, we have the ability to switch the spotlight. Didn’t get it? We have the choice to replace negative or demoralising thoughts with positive reinforcements. It’s like a snap and a switch. But if it were that simple, wouldn’t everyone have the key to happiness and eternal self peace?

After being on a constant yo-yo pattern of ups and downs each time I experience something life changing, I have come to acknowledge, it is easy to roll down a hill. But it takes courage, faith and patience to climb a mountain. But where do you find the strength to forge ahead?

In meditation. It acts as the reset button in our lives. It’s like watching the ocean, completely bare; without another soul in sight. It has a calming effect. I did learn the technique of meditation a few years ago. However, it isn’t a college degree that you hang up on a wall. Once a graduate, always a graduate. Like breath and food, the mind and body need meditation every single day.

When I meditate, I feel like my mind has been reset – to focus on possibilities, to act on opportunities and to place the spotlight on the positives that life has bestowed me with. However, practising this breath work doesn’t come easy either.

Some days I am at it, without fail. And sometimes I am on a meditation holiday – that is, I skip doing it completely. As a result, I collect utter chaos over those days only to return to meditation when I can take it no more. It is like the Circuit Breaker that Singapore has put in place, starting today.

You take the time to step back, stay grounded, rest your system and break the circuit – whether of the virus or your own negative mind. Then, you bounce back with gusto!

Today’s Lesson: Meditation is the Reset button, the Circuit Breaker, the Spotlight Fixer. One that enables me to declutter my mind, kill all chaos and leap forward, rewired with positivity and energy. Just like the clear skies after a dark, stormy night.