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how motivated are you?
When your motivation and enthusiasm for practice wane and you cant sustain even a mediocre level of effort, what do you do?!
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Let's see if we can help....
I sit and meditate.
I let myself 'come home' and realise that all the apathy, the lack of concentration and the lack of motivation are the fruits of suffering. They taste so sweet, but leave an acrid taste in the mouth and unsettle the system. They are so easy to succumb to, but ultimately in the end serve no purpose watsoever to my progress.
And by "sit and meditate" I don't necessarily mean literally. I find something to do.
The old adage that "The Devil finds work for idle hands" is very true.
I immerse myself in a task and accomplish something, all the while aiming to keep my mind free from unnecessary chattering thought. I just "do" something but eliminate the commentary...
I might bake a cake, or do some gardening or take the dog for a walk.
But don't just sit there thinking "Ooooh...wallow, wallow wallow..... what shall I do......?"
Who cares?
-Do something !
You owe it to yourself, to the Dharma and to the Sangha to do something!!
but the problem would be that the first page would say in big letters
STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF and the rest of the pages would be blank for the reader to note their favourite poems, odd sayings or observations.
I rather liked that approach ..... but this is not aimed at anyone in particular. Just a very general self-help note
Now, I always like to think that no matter what, we are responsible for our own destinies actually (I'm in some sense an existentialist). With it, after my embracement of this philosophy, I consciously do not regret; nor do I feel demotivated as a direct consequence - I simply cannot! If I am demotivated now, then I cannot regret my demotivation later in the future. With this, I get myself charged as a super high-energy power source (unless I'm in Physics class!) for almost everything I do with gusto.
This is my life - my ONLY life, so well, live it.
When my motivation and enthusiasm for everything waned, I sought treatment for depression. It is helpful.
Specifically to practice - I try to sit every day, no matter how unmotivated I feel. Even if I only manage 10 minutes, I think it's helpful to keep up the routine every day. If I'm feeling sick or just anxious and unhappy, I might do metta meditation instead of my usual Zen practice.
If you feel perhaps that your mental attitude is seriously out of kilter, then guidance and support from a therapist can be invaluable.
I will be the first to admit that I personally have never felt the depths of a depression that have compelled me to seek help from a professional counsellor or therapist... But I do know that many have.
The importance, if you do this, is to not happily settle for the first one you go to, or are recommended to...
The vital thing is, to find someone with whom you can connect, and who has resonance in their support for you....
But if it has crossed your mind, then it is likely that you may well benefit from such a venture. Don't dismiss it.
That's all I feel able to say on the subject. Others, I'm certain, will give you very sound and supportive additional input.
Be well, relax, and don't push yourself too hard.
Remember Right Effort and The Middle way are more constructive.
Go easy on yourself, and be kind to You.
I prefer "This too shall pass"
Bodhikusama, what is your definition of great, heroic and continuous effort? I think it's all dependent on circumstances. Seems that it sometimes takes an heroic effort just to get out of bed and feed the cats (like now, when I've got a bad chest cold!). Just try your best.:thumbsup:
Missing practice for a day (or week, or month) isn't that bad either, is it? I don't think that the Buddha is going to be too disappointed in you! Last year, at my sensei's intro to meditation class, someone asked him "I couldn't make it last week, did I miss anything important?"
Sensei said "Oh, too bad! Last week, everyone else got enlightened without you. You'll have to work extra hard to catch up now!"
Same thing - knowing that this too will pass stops people getting bogged down in their suffering and making a meal of it.
Hello!
Maybe you could look at what you are wanting to gain from climbing this spiritual mountain. What is your true motivation or is there a hidden agenda that you are not aware of.
When I first started off on this path it was because I suffered from depression and panic and I wanted to be free from it so I started to meditate which, after many months has changed the way I see things but the irony is, now that I am changing, I no longer want to be rid of my panic, I just aim to see it for what it really is - which I have.
The thing is, progress is slow and unspectacular but if you stop looking for something miraculous to happen and give up all hope of fruition, it means you accept who you are then real changes start to happen. We all need to look at ourselves with honesty and compassion and say, okay, this is me and accept who we are then real progress will come because we are no longer in conflict with ourselves!
If you lack motivation sometimes and feel this is too hard, ignore it and carry on sitting; ignore all the chatter that tells you to try something else. It is just the lazy mind and a mind that wants instant gratification, and we all do it at some time or another. Tell the ego to bog off and sit!! Have patience, be kind to yourself and stick with it.
As you progress you will find you ease up on yourself and your motivation will come naturally. This path does take discipline and there is alot of dirty laundry to air but it is worth it, trust me.
Eight months ago I was panic ridden, depressed, full of self pity and self obsessed and today I am still some of those things, sometimes, but I can let them go - they do not have the same hold they once had, but, life now holds a richness and clairity I did not believe was possible.
I wish you all the best in your practice - keep up the good work!