For the past 5 years, I’ve been attending a 7-day silent meditation retreat in Northern New Mexico.
On the first day of the retreat, the teachers usually give some instruction about how you might want to approach the retreat. This is especially helpful for folks who have never sat on a retreat before.
One of my favorite things that my teacher says is something like this: If you come to retreats and are very rigid with the schedule, never missing a sit, then I would encourage you to skip some meditations and go for a hike or a swim in the pond. If you are the kind of person who skips a sit every day, I would encourage you to take a break from hiking and sit more frequently while you are here.
For most of our lives, we are on auto-pilot. We have schedules we adhere to and habits that are deeply engrained by the time we hit 35 or 40. Other than vacations, there is not a lot of variability in our routines. Especially if we have kids.
What I love about my teacher’s suggestion is taking the opportunity to break free from our norms. We so rarely get the chance to try something different or to try something a little uncomfortable that it’s worth seizing the opportunity to see what we might learn or where it might lead us.
Routines provide a certain amount of comfort and safety, but they can have the adverse effect of not allowing much room for growth.
Where are the places in your life where you can shake your routine up a little bit? Step outside of that comfy, safe place you’ve been in for months or years and try some new shit! Who knows, it may just be the next step in your evolution as a person. It might spark a new business idea or open up some space in your heart that allows you to be a better husband/wife/partner.
It could be the very thing that brings more peace, joy, and fulfillment into your life!