Beginning Meditation For Busy People

For anyone who feels they could use a few extra hours in each day.

By Joseph (July 23, 2012)

For years I have been searching for a way to improve my mind; replace bad habits, change patters of harmful behavior, and get rid of the thousands of random useless “stray thoughts” that serve no purpose other than to clutter my mind and prevent me from living completely in the here and now. The answer came in a very short book by Maria Johnson titled, “Beginning Meditation For Busy People: How To Get More Done, Feel Less Stressed, & Be Happier”.

This book took me an hour to read unlike just about every other book on meditation that all seemed cluttered with silly rules (how does sitting in full lotus position accomplish anything but pain) and historical dogma. Despite the book's small size, its core contents can be summed up in just a few pages. Lucky for you I have done just that, while also adding a bit from my own experiences.

What is mediation?

Our brains are very inefficient and full of potentially harmful habits. Each day our brains conjure up thousands of useless thoughts. Many of these thoughts can actually be harmful. If only there were a way to weed out these “stray thoughts” and old habits so we can have complete control of our own minds.

Meditation teaches us to control our thoughts and in so doing control how we react to the world around us and its stresses. The result is that our mind learns to be continuously in the here and now helping us to achieve our goals without distraction. Undistracted by “stray thoughts” our mind keeps our most important values and goals above all else ensuring that our actions are consistent with those priorities.