For the most part, the tasks that we are required to do are not difficult. However, if we neglect them long enough we can make them seem almost impossible. For one thing, just the mere fact that we have allowed a large amount of work to accumulate will make it difficult for us to complete our task because we are only capable of doing a certain amount of work in a short period of time. If we have a habit of procrastinating, therefore, our tasks will always seem challenging. Secondly, if we have consistently decided to overlook what needs to be done we will begin to build up a tendency to avoid our difficulties. That avoiding energy will push against us whenever we are trying to get some work done.
Thankfully, even if we have gone some distance in the wrong direction, we can still overcome unfortunate habits to establish a more productive character. The process for doing so just like working to achieve any other goal is to find a method that works and repeat it. This effective method, called mindfulness, allows us to leave our old habits behind and exchange them for new and better ones. It works by directing the mind to just one moment of awareness at a time. That way we don’t have to deal at once with all of the problems that we have allowed to accumulate. We just need to deal with one discrete moment after the other. Using this approach, the work we have accumulated will get smaller and smaller as we work on it one moment at a time.
Over time, we will gain more confidence in our ability to use mindfulness to overcome difficulty and we will no longer allow our problems to pile up. So how do we get started? First we need to commit ourselves to improvement. That means we will need to devote resources to our meditation practice, the most valuable and important of which is our time. Secondly, we need to find a meditation practice and teacher from whom we can learn to practice. Finally, we need to find a space to practice where we will not be distracted. If you are willing to commit your resources to meditation, we will supply the teachers and the meditation space. We’re confident that your progress in meditation practice will then follow as a matter of course.