What's your tips for knowing when to push and when to slow down discipline wise?

[StarStruck]

Stop looking for a quick fix. If you have a structural problem, you need a structural fix.

I recommend the book "Mindset" by Carol Dweck.

 

[Ethos]

Motivation is what you are truly seeking. 

I have left two university careers on hold. Turns out, I hated them and just tried em because I wanted aproval. Also turns out for me that's not enough to motivate me thru it. 

Let me put an example. Let's say you want to learn a language. You focus on the goal "learn a language" but there's other variants of this issue, the motivation one, that needs adressing:

1.- Why do you want to learn it?. Think about this deeply, try to grasp the delicious behind it. You would be able to connect with people, love people, feel people if you break this language barrier, for example. Feel the pleasure of this running thru you and see if it feels better.

2.- How is easier for you to learn it?. Just "learning a language" is not enough. Perhaps your brain goes black and white when you think a bout learning apps like duolingo, but lights up when it comes to going to an actual classroom with people you can share. Perhaps that feels better for you. 

So yeah it is a tricky business I tell you. Consider this, "the better way" is not necesarily your way. When you are building motivation for something you don't actually want but need to do, it takes some time. The brain sucks at long term results so try to feel the pleasure of it at every step of the way, not just when you have what you want. This is the way.

[UDT]

Always push

[Nahm]

On 2/15/2021 at 2:39 PM, SamC said:

What's your tips for knowing when to push and when to slow down discipline wise?

I get that this is something very contextual and something one needs to learn for oneself. If anyone have any tips/mindsets that have helped them strike this balance between discipline and letting go of the need to having to do the thing however, feel free to share.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

@Leo Gura

Push what?

Discipline, what?

[Zigzag Idiot]

On 2/16/2021 at 11:19 AM, SamC said:

I meditated every day for one and a half year. I stopped because that itself became an neurotic addiction. Now I do it, but do hold it more losly. What I've found though, is that it's very easy to skip the meditation session now. It's hard, cause it feels like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. 

I want to let go of this whole dynamic where I feel like I have to do something yet at the same time do stuff that takes me closer to where I want to be. It's a paradox, a paradox I've yet managed to solve.

@SamC  I can relate, Very similar to my history with Centrring Prayer meditation.  
Consulting The I Ching specifically a revised edition called The Oracle of the Cosmic Way often gives me some pretty good guidance even when a part of me has continued on with not so smart habits. The oracle isn’t concerned so much with issues of morality and societal concerns but is always helpful in steering me away from blatant and not so blatant forms of egoic corruption. 
I gain in stability and groundedness when I am able to force myself to go through 2 twenty minute Centering Prayer meditations a day but it feels like I have to really bully myself to do it and then there are days when it’s just not on the table at all.

So I continue to consult the I CHING on a fairly regular basis.

 

[Loving Radiance]

16 hours ago, Byun Sean said:

On a 10 day vipassana retreat where you are doing mindfulnes/ meditation work 24/7 you will likely make more progress than doing just doing 20 minutes everyday for 6 months.

I second this.

Edited February 18, 2021 by Loving Radiance

[SamC]

On 2021-02-16 at 10:08 PM, Moksha said:

You do it by being Consciously present, not identifying with your thoughts, and allowing insights to arise naturally. By livewire I mean a direct, living connection with Source. Consciousness has a cadence, and will guide "you" if you let it.

Thanks for the input.

 

16 hours ago, Byun Sean said:

what helped me most:

 

1. Meditate or do spiritual practice precisely and with good focus (but don't try too hard or stress your mind out.)

2. Shorter quality sessions are much more valuable than longer sloppy sessions. (3 split up sessions of focused 20 minute sessions will likely give 

you better results than a single hour of practice where you lose focus halfway through. Its all about gauging how much you can handle in one sitting.)

Try to put in as much time and energy as you can but don't bite off more than you can chew.

 

3. Meditation retreats are awesome. Go on at least 1 retreat a year. Ideally much more if you are serious about enlightenment.

 They put you in an environment where everyone is eating, sleeping, and breathing meditation and spiritual work

in silence. Consciousness work can develop a sort of momentum on retreats where your spiritual growth becomes more exponential.

Ex. On a 10 day vipassana retreat where you are doing mindfulnes/ meditation work 24/7 you will likely make more progress than doing just doing 20

minutes everyday for 6 months.

4. Try out different techniques.

Spirituality is complex af and thus no matter what any teacher or guru may tell you, your path is unique and you gotta find out what works for you.

You have a unique set of childhood wounds, personality, and thus road to enlightenment (back home). 

So read a lot of spiritual books and try a lot of different spiritual techniques until you find a few solid ones that work really well for you and give you

great results.

I personally got great use of self inquiry techniques, standard vipassana meditation techniques, and kriya yoga.

 

5. Expect ego backlashes, feelings of despair, depression, panic, etc, as temporary signs of your growth on this path. On this path it's not all butterflies

and rainbows when you are ascending to the next level of consciousness.

There is a dark side to this path and you gotta be careful which is why lots of research and professional guidance is

important.

You can really easily mess yourself up if you do a spiritual practice incorrectly for a long time.

 Also a lot of times you might have

days where you just feel like garbage and

want to forget the whole path entirely. This is just your mind readjusting to the next level of awareness. Its purging all 

of your old baggage.

And then after that day passes you feel fine again and your ready to move forward again.

 

6. This is a long and messy journey. Most people spend decades of their lives pursuing consciousness and never reach enlightenment unless they are

spiritually gifted. I got lucky and was able to do it in 2.5 years. But you don't really know how deep the rabbit hole goes until you dig it up all the way.

Brace yourself, this is the hero's journey and the only road to the good life! 

Best of luck

GG GLHF

@Byun Sean Very good insights. Thank you man!?

[SamC]

12 hours ago, StarStruck said:

Stop looking for a quick fix. If you have a structural problem, you need a structural fix.

I recommend the book "Mindset" by Carol Dweck.

 

I'm looking for a lightbulb paradigm shift. Thanks for the recommended book.

10 hours ago, Ethos said:

So yeah it is a tricky business I tell you. Consider this, "the better way" is not necesarily your way. When you are building motivation for something you don't actually want but need to do, it takes some time. The brain sucks at long term results so try to feel the pleasure of it at every step of the way, not just when you have what you want. This is the way.

" enjoy the process".

10 hours ago, UDT said:

Always push

@UDT

David Goggins is that you?

 

9 hours ago, Nahm said:

Push what?

Discipline, what?

@Nahm Push against craving. It's hard to know when to let yourself go and when to push.

I feel like I need to do things and it's always a battle. I want to be driven by wanting to do it all the time ( on some level atleast) but than it's still hard because my subconscious mind tricks me that I shouldn't do this or that because than i deny the other part of me that don't want to do it, it's voice.

7 hours ago, Zigzag Idiot said:

@SamC  I can relate, Very similar to my history with Centrring Prayer meditation.  
Consulting The I Ching specifically a revised edition called The Oracle of the Cosmic Way often gives me some pretty good guidance even when a part of me has continued on with not so smart habits. The oracle isn’t concerned so much with issues of morality and societal concerns but is always helpful in steering me away from blatant and not so blatant forms of egoic corruption. 
I gain in stability and groundedness when I am able to force myself to go through 2 twenty minute Centering Prayer meditations a day but it feels like I have to really bully myself to do it and then there are days when it’s just not on the table at all.

Yeah, it's hard stuff. Thanks for the share.

Quote

So I continue to consult the I CHING on a fairly regular basis.

 

Could you consult CHING about when Leo's how to get laid series is coming out? Asking for a friend.

Edited February 18, 2021 by SamC

[Nahm]

5 minutes ago, SamC said:

Push against craving. It's hard to know when to let yourself go and when to push.

I feel like I need to do things and it's always a battle. I want to be driven by wanting to do it all the time ( on some level atleast) but than it's still hard because my subconscious mind tricks me that I shouldn't do this or that because than i deny the other part of me that don't want to do it, it's voice.

“The mind can not serve two masters”  - Jesus

? https://www.actualityofbeing.com/tools

 

 

[Loving Radiance]

12 minutes ago, SamC said:

Push against craving.

You give away energy by focusing on resisting & focusing on something that you don't want.

It's like you punching a fallen tree with agony because it blocks the trail home. Rather than being frustrated that the tree is blocking the path, focus on the area besides it. You live with it and embrace the energy that this encounter gives you.

On the path home to what you want you encounter many things that arise because of your conditioning. Use them as stepping stones to realize that they are not true and that you are in fact keeping your light small by clinging to them.