Can't see why meditation will benefit me and can't stick with it

[littleBIG]

I tried to build a meditation habit, but always failed. I think it's mainly because I don't see the benefits of it. How is focusing on my breath for 30 minutes going to help me? I saw no difference in myself at all before and after the 30 minutes of meditation, and I was insanely bored for the 30 mins. Maybe I should try another approach to meditation? I do have some limiting beliefs i would like to get past (i.e., starting a business is hard, being successful requires you to be busy with work, etc.).

[Sahil Pandit]

@littleBIG Fall off, get back on. Fall off, get back on. Fall off, get back on.

Eventually it will stick if you keep track a log of your meditation sessions. Plus, after a 30 day streak the way you feel will keep it a priority.

It IS a priority of yours, right? 

[Truth]

36 minutes ago, littleBIG said:

I tried to build a meditation habit, but always failed. I think it's mainly because I don't see the benefits of it. How is focusing on my breath for 30 minutes going to help me? I saw no difference in myself at all before and after the 30 minutes of meditation, and I was insanely bored for the 30 mins. Maybe I should try another approach to meditation? I do have some limiting beliefs i would like to get past (i.e., starting a business is hard, being successful requires you to be busy with work, etc.).

Sounds like you'd rather be spending your time starting a business and being successful so focus on that instead of your breath. 

think about living up to your fullest potential, think about why you limit yourself, think about how you prevent yourself from reaching the things you really want, think about your fear of hard work /  think about your fear of busy work (possibly wasting your time *not pursuing what you really want*) think about your priorities, think about your life, think about your death, think about the ramifications of not doing anything, think about the aspiration of success.

so much to think about, so start that contemplation habit. (which still involves you sitting down to "meditate")

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Truth

[Faceless]

@littleBIG

Why did you want to meditate in the first place? 

And why not walk meditating? 

What are you trying to accomplish with this meditation habit? 

 

[littleBIG]

@Sahil Pandit But why would I do it if there's no benefits and I don't enjoy it?

@Truth You're right. I'm going to start doing that instead.

[Extreme Z7]

@littleBIG As long as you do it, it counts.

[littleBIG]

@Faceless I was after the "benefits" people say, like increased focus, less stress, etc. I also wanted to examine my thoughts and limiting beliefs.

[Extreme Z7]

@littleBIG  Drop it. Drop the "benefits" chasing. Just do it.

[Faceless]

@littleBIG

I understand. 

Yeah examining your thoughts can be done just by examining the nature of thought itself. In that you will discover all about yourself “Beliefs and so on”...instead of examining thoughts you will examine to the whole of the stream of thought itself. Very efficient. Also this stress pretty much ends all together. You won’t have to “habitually meditate” at all. 

You will be in a constant state of meditation/attention. Free of thoughts shackles. 

You don’t need to participate in “habitual meditation” to do any of this. 

Inquire into the nature of thought. In that I think you will a significant change. If that’s what you want of course. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Faceless

[littleBIG]

@Extreme Z7 so then why do it?

[Faceless]

2 minutes ago, littleBIG said:

@Extreme Z7 so then why do it?

Hehe? 

Its not for everybody. That’s for sure. 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Faceless

[Faceless]

What kind of meditation were you doing? 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Faceless

[Rilles]

The mind is like a carousel, it spins and spins and spins, meditation is when the ride stops and you let the passengers finally get off and rest. One of the most important habits ive ever picked up.

[Truth]

5 minutes ago, littleBIG said:

@Extreme Z7 so then why do it?

He's leaning more towards existential investigation and enlightenment. 

[Faceless]

To me to understand why one wants to be enlightened should be explored first. Then one may find that to form a habit to stop another habit is rather contradicting. And not very liberating after all. 

I think one should learn there own true motives, tendencies, patterns, and there connections with one another. To understand  ones own movement in daily life honestly and without fear pressuring one into various forms of neurosis. 

Every thing is simple and beautiful when one lives life as an art.

 

Edited May 14, 2018 by Faceless

[Extreme Z7]

35 minutes ago, littleBIG said:

@Extreme Z7 so then why do it?

Why not?

In all seriousness, though. Meditation has been the greatest thing I've discovered so far. But you're not going to see it with out hundreds of hours of direct practice.

Just do it.

[Girzo]

1 hour ago, littleBIG said:

I was after the "benefits" people say, like increased focus, less stress, etc.

Those are peanuts compared to a real impact of the right kind of practice. Try Kriya Yoga if you are getting no results.

1 hour ago, littleBIG said:

I also wanted to examine my thoughts and limiting beliefs.

That's what contemplation is for, not meditation. You don't examine any thought, nor belief while meditating. If that was your approach then no wonder you have got no results.

[tsuki]

3 hours ago, littleBIG said:

I tried to build a meditation habit, but always failed. I think it's mainly because I don't see the benefits of it.

@littleBIG It seems like you're progressing. Meditation has no benefits.
Since now you have some spare time while you're sitting and meditating with no benefits, you could go ahead and ask that question for other areas of life. For example:

What is the benefit of living?
What is the benefit of dying?

Edited May 14, 2018 by tsuki

[Ry4n]

Try yoga then, more involved and the benefits might look more obvious to you (since its got the obvious physical benefits). Maybe you'd find it less boring?? 

[Viking]

why do you want to make a business? why do you have sex? why do you want success? 

for some future gain. you will never "arrive", the only arrival is the arrival to the grave.

no matter how much you succeed and have sex and all that stuff you will want more, you will never be satisfied. you will always chase your tail for some ideas such as "happiness" or "being rich" "having a successful business" whatever, but those ideas are in your head, what you expect them to give you will never be delivered. if you achieve some great deed in the world all the impact you had will not matter in 100 years.

the only solution is to let go of these ideas, illusions, being aware of them, and not pursuing the future and realizing now is all there is, thats how you become truly fulfilled (that is not to say you dont plan for the future). meditation forces you to be in the now, without past or future, just for this moment's sake, enjoying the present moment, without it giving anything to you. thats why we live. what meditation also does is it makes you more aware of the ideas you hold about the world, it detaches you from the self, because you become just the observer, which means you will see more clearly whats illusory and what's not, making it easier to live in the now. slowly convincing you that there is only now.

thats the most important undertaking a human can take on himself.

i recommend a lot to watch youtube videos of alan watts. there are tons of them and they are really good. it will slowly open your mind and you will see more clearly whats all this about.

start with this one