#3 How To Start a Daily Meditation Practice, and Why You Should
Have you noticed that if left to its own devices, your mind is often a pesky dickhead who always tries to hijack your attention and place it on a bunch of bullshit?
The antidote to that is a daily meditation practice, which I like to refer to as “The Art of Making Your Mind & Your Emotions Your Bitch.”
Instead of being a hater inner-critic, you can train your mind to be your biggest ride-or-die cheerleader.
Instead of focusing on the things that cause you stress and anger, you can train your mind to focus on things that you feel grateful for and that bring you joy.
And you can relax and get blissed out while doing it.
Today, I share some perspectives on meditation that you may have never heard, and how to get the most happiness bang-for-your-buck from the practice in just a few minutes a day.
Episode #3 Transcription
Hello, Joe here, and my mission today is a tough one because I am gonna try to convince you to form a habit of meditating every single day. And I know I have my work cut out for me on this one, but don't run away just yet. Hear me out, because today I'll be sharing some reasons for meditating that you might have never.
And you might just be missing out on some mission critical key elements to becoming the happiest person that you know. And I also share some methods for meditating that are fun, different, easy to do, match your personality, and are game changing for your mental health and your emotional wellbeing. And you do not wanna miss this, so stick around.
Just because you are struggling doesn't mean you are. Remember that. Remember that. Welcome to the Grit, growth and Gratitude podcast with Joe Specter, where we teach hardworking and growth oriented people, how to maximize their happiness and master their minds and emotions.
And now your host, He's a retired firefighter and mental and emotional fitness teacher. After sustaining a career-ending injury, the loss of multiple loved ones and a very near miss with suicide, he rebounded his wellness with a vengeance to gain unshakable inner peace and ridiculously unreasonable. This is Joe Specter.
Hey, team. Today we're covering some game-changing stuff to level up your happiness and resilience. But before I get into it, I gotta throw out a quick disclaimer. Even when I'm teaching on the deep, ancient, sacred wisdom of inner peace, I still can't help myself from dropping F bombs. So this episode isn't appropriate for all audiences, but it is appropriate for you.
So let me ask you a question. Why is it that you think, I'm so obsessed with meditation and I'm here trying to peer pressure you into taking up the practice? Is it because I'm some weird monk dude, or is it because I'm super lazy and I'm always looking for an excuse to sit around and do nothing and rest?
Hell no. I'm a high energy, hyperactive, ambitious motherfucker. Believe it. It's because my daily meditation practice literally saved my life. And if you want to hear the full version of that story, I welcome you to check out episode number two of this podcast. But take my word for it, no exaggeration. It is the fundamental building block to your happiness, inner peace, thriving relationships, and mental and emotional fitness.
And before I get into the why and the how of all of that life-changing magic that's gonna happen for you, I just wanna share a little bit of pushback that I get sometimes when I'm teaching this stuff. Oftentimes I hear people be like, what? You sit around for 20 minutes a day and do nothing? No way. I am out on doing that, bro.
Well, first of all, yes, I do sit for 20 minutes, sometimes even up to an hour a day, but it's not doing nothing. It's taming your mind. And second of all, it really only takes 10 minutes a day for it to be totally effective and life changing. Think about that 10 minutes a day for total mind ownership, inner peace, and maximum happiness.
There's no better bang for your. And another form of pushback I get is sometimes I hear people say, dude, I cannot sit still for that long. I'm not doing it. I'm uncomfortable with that. My mind is way too busy. And if you relate to that, don't worry. That is completely normal. And it can be for a number of reasons.
It's possible that that's just part of your natural temperament and personality. Like my son who has a D H D, or it could be because our culture is a total dick and it perpetually robs you of your attention span. It's like squirrel short Instagram, real short squirrel. But the answer to that is not to shy away from meditation because it's uncomfortable.
That's actually a symptom and an indicator that you need more meditation, and we need to gradually work up to a comfort level with sitting still with our thoughts and our bodies, and our minds and our emotions. And the third and final piece of resistance to a daily meditation practice. That I'm gonna try and deconstruct here is more of a mindset than something people actually verbalize. And that is the idea that self-care is selfish. Think about the analogy of the oxygen mask on an airplane. That isn't just a hypothetical, that's a real principle that carries over into regular life.
If you don't put your oxygen mask on first, you can't help your kiddos, your friends, or your fellow passengers. Right? Well, meditation is seriously one hell of an oxygen mask, so stick it on your fucking face for 10 minutes a day. Okay? Just kidding. But seriously, if you're hesitant of the idea of self, And you think it's selfish and you have a hard time taking time for.
Remember, the more you can calm your nervous system down and own your mind and emotions, the more you can be there for your loved ones. So it's totally a win-win. And today we're not doing any meditations. This is just my sales pitch to try to really encourage you to pick up the daily practice, but I did create a few meditations for you.
They're free. They're game changing, they're fun, and they're easy to do. And the link is in the show notes, so check those out. But in the meantime, let me share with you why I'm pushing this and how it could dramatically improve your. You see meditation more than anything on the planet is just like brushing your teeth.
It's like brushing your teeth, but for your mind, what? Let me explain. Most of us, well, hopefully most of us brush our teeth at least once a day, hopefully twice a day, right? And brushing our teeth is what we call an anchor habit. That means it doesn't require a lot of willpower or energy to accomplish.
It's just something that we do day in and day out, and we almost always do it, even if we're running late or we're really tired and that is how we wanna set up our meditation practice.
We want it to be easy and not require a lot of willpower and. And check this out. If you brush your teeth day in and day out and you floss and you use mouthwash, then you're probably gonna have a pretty decent looking grill. You're not gonna have a lot of cavities, and you're not gonna have stinky, nasty breath.
Right? Well, meditation is the exact same way. Just like brushing your teeth is oral hygiene. Meditation is hygiene for your mind and your emotions, and trust me, you don't want stinky emotional breath or mind cavities, okay? Nobody likes that. And when you're brand new to a meditation practice, It's pretty common not to want to do it.
Similarly, again, to brushing your teeth. It's like my kids, they never want to do it. They'd rather be on their tablet. They don't like the way the toothpaste tastes. I don't know. They have a million reasons. And the same goes for us with meditation. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, especially when you're new to it, and sometimes we don't like the experience, but just like with brushing your teeth with meditation, It doesn't matter what the experience is.
What matters is that you do it regularly so that you get the life-changing benefits from it. I mean, I guess with brushing your teeth every once in a while you're like, dude, this morning breath is so nasty. I cannot wait to get in the bathroom and brush my teeth. Oh my gosh, this feels so good.
And here comes that Listerine. Dude, my mouth feels amazing. So fresh and so clean. I've gotta tell everybody about this right now. I guess sometimes that happens. But it's definitely the exception rather than the rule, right? Well, the same goes for meditation. Sometimes people try it out and they don't like the experience and that turns them off to the practice.
But again, the experience doesn't really matter that much. In fact, if you do it a lot, You'll find that the experience varies. Sometimes it's amazing and it's just like blissful relaxation, or you have this emotional restoration and it's just incredible. But sometimes it sucks and your mind is busy or it's uncomfortable, but you still do it so that you can stay happy and healthy.
And the reason this is, is because just like with your oral hygiene, it's the cumulative effect of brushing your teeth day in, day out, month after month, year after year. That's what leaves you with a healthy mouth, good breath, no cavities, no gum disease, all that stuff, right? Well, again, the exact same thing holds true with meditation and your mental and emotional hygiene.
It's the cumulative effect that it has on your mind and your emotions and your relationships from doing it every day that we're going for. And just like how if you brush your teeth every day, you get all those awesome benefits. Let me tell you what happens if you meditate every day, week after week, month after month, year after year, you get so much awesome stuff.
Clarity, awareness, emotional regulation, patience, inner peace. Gratitude and my favorite happiness. Plus, you get so many health benefits, it really is just so incredible. And that's gonna lead me to my second analogy that I'd like you to use to frame your meditation practice. And this one is so important.
Meditation gives you access to your human dashboard. Think about the dashboard on your car. It tells you so many things, right? The speed you're going, if your engine is too hot or cold, if you're about to run outta gas or you need oil, or your lights are on and off. And most importantly, It can tell you if your check engine light is on and there's something critical about to happen.
Seriously, think about how much information is on that dashboard and how we kind of just take it for granted. Because most of the time you actually don't need to pay attention to it, right? You can just drive around and not look at your speedometer because you can feel how fast you're going and you can see the traffic around you.
And if you just put gas in your car yesterday, you know that you're good there. But let me ask you a question. How long do you think you could drive without looking at the dashboard at all before you ran into trouble? Not long. And what does trouble look like? Well, it could be a minor deal, like you get a warning for speeding, or you run outta gas and you gotta call an Uber.
Or it could be something mission critical, like your check engine light is on, you didn't notice it, and your transmission goes out and you have all these expensive mechanical bills and you've got no ride to work and your car is just a mess, right? And so with all of those potential negative consequences to be had, why wouldn't we just check in with our dashboard occasionally?
Well, the same exact thing holds true with your human dashboard and meditation. If you don't take the time to stop for just like five minutes a day and see how your heart rate is going. And check in with your breath and your mind and see what feelings are stirring up in your heart. It's no different than not stopping to look at your dashboard in your car, and if you just got like a total junker p o s, and you hate it, and you're hoping that you get into an accident, so it's totaled out and your insurance will pay for it, then who really cares?
Right? But what if you have a Ferrari and it's like this beautiful, incredible, handcrafted piece of machinery that's capable of doing all sorts of amazing things, but it needs the right fuel and it needs the correct oil, and it needs to be driven and maintained properly. Well, in that case, you cherish that car, man.
You're looking at the dashboard. You're taking it out for joy rides. You're checking the tires. You're popping the hood. I mean, nothing is going unnoticed in that bad boy, right? It's like the way I used to feel about my firetruck. Well, let me tell you people. You are the fucking Ferrari you are. Don't get it twisted.
You're an amazing human being and you deserve to have your dashboard looked at and checked out once a day for five or 10 minutes. And when you do that check in, you would be shocked at what the body and the mind are willing to tell you if you're just able to tap into it and be still for a. And look and listen and observe.
It really is incredible. And sure if you don't check in, you might get lucky and have no consequences. You might just run outta gas, or you might be driving around with the check engine light on and there's a mental, emotional or physical health catastrophe waiting for you around the corner, and you don't even know.
And so if you believe me that meditation is like taking a look at your dashboard, which trust me, it definitely is. Let me ask you a follow up question. Do you look at and observe the dashboard on your car more than you? Check out the dashboard of your mind, your heart, your consciousness, and your. If the answer to that is yes, no judgment, you are in the vast majority, but doesn't it seem like super backwards?
I think so, and I'm trying to change that for you because it is so incredible when that check engine light pops on and you could see it immediately and you're like, oh man, my heart rate's going up a little bit. Or I feel a little bit of tension in my jaw, my neck, because you're so in tune to your mind and your body and your emotion.
That not only do you notice before the symptoms get really bad, you can calculate what triggered your feelings and what those things mean and what you need to do to get back to being healthy. Maybe you need more rest or more laughter or more human connection or whatever. It's just wild and awesome to be so in tune with your machinery, and I want that for you.
And the icing on the cake is that there's a bunch of physical health benefits from it. It decreases your stress hormones and lowers your blood pressure and increases neuroplasticity in the brain and your ability to learn. It just does so many things to improve your quality of life and increase your longevity and protect you from illness and injury.
I feel like I'm in full on salesperson mode here. What's it gonna take to get you into a brand new two-door convertible meditation practice today? Okay. Enough shenanigans. Just kidding. There's never enough shenanigans, but seriously, the very last thing I wanna share with you today. Are two of the giant benefits that a daily meditation practice offers you.
If you commit to the practice daily, it significantly helps you hone in and strengthen and grow your muscles of focus and concentration. And why are those two muscles so important? Because they significantly affect your happiness and the way you experience life. If you've ever practiced meditation before, You've probably noticed that we choose a lot of times to place our focus onto our breath and then watch how long we can hold our attention there before we become distracted, and then every time we get distracted, we just come back to the breath.
It's an exercise of choosing where you want to place your focus, and then observing and growing how long you can maintain your attention on that focus. And every time we notice that we get distracted. We just come back to the breath. That's one rep. It's literally doing an exercise. It's like one lap around the track or one rep on the bench press.
And how does that exercise translate to you meeting your happiness potential and growing your resilience? Great question. I'm glad you. The answer is for most of us in life, the glass is actually not half full or half empty, right? It's both. You can always find things going on in your life that you're super grateful for and that you'd be devastated if you lost like the air in your lungs, the roof over your head.
Maybe your family's alive and safe, and you have food in your belly. But at the same time, you also always have shit that's going sideways in your life too, right? You have bills piling up. We have health problems. If you're like me, your mom had dementia and then she just passed away, maybe your relationships are in the toilet, you name it, right?
So with the daily meditation practice, Both are still true. The glass is half full and half empty, and you still need to process and honor the experience and the negative things in your life. But as you do that, you then get to choose the things that you wanna focus and concentrate your attention on. And so while you acknowledge and process the negative, You get to keep your focus and your attention on the areas of your life where the glass is half full.
And that, my friends, is really where the practice pays off. Because where you focus your attention and what you hold your concentration on generates the majority of your thoughts and feelings. And if you leave it to your mind to just do it on its own, the mind is a dickhead and it's gonna focus your attention and your concentration on all of the stuff that's painful and that sucks.
So fuck that noise. Meditate daily and you get to take control. And that is a superpower. And to add to that, eventually after you've been meditating daily for a while, you gain the ability to control how you respond In any given circumstance, it is absolutely the most amazing feeling to never lose your cool and not make moves that you regret.
It's so incredible. So like when somebody pisses you off, let's say they cut you off in traffic. That's your stimulus. And then when you react out of anger, you lose your temper, you tense your muscles, you raise your blood pressure, you honk your horn, you yell, you flip 'em off, you get into a fight, whatever.
That's the response. So you have a stimulus and you have a response. Well, meditation cuts right in between the stimulus and the response, and it gives you the ability to have space. And in that space is your fucking sanctuary, because in that space, stress, worry, anger, anxiety, all the bullshit that the mind creates, it can't survive.
And sometimes to create that space, It just takes one breath, and when you've been meditating for a long time, you've been practicing coming back to your breath, and then when something shitty happens, you start to feel that negative emotion. Come on. You just automatically take a deep breath. Oh, and that space is so awesome.
And then you get to respond to whatever circumstance you're facing and whatever negative emotion you're feeling in a calm and calculated way of your choosing. You might choose to get back to the breath and back to the good vibes and back to your music. Or maybe you still have to respond with aggression.
Maybe somebody's trying to attack you and you have to punch 'em in the face, but you don't do it because you lost your temper and you feel like an idiot and your emotions made a total bitch out of you. You do it because you called the shots and you made the decision, and that's the way it goes with the mind for some reason.
Either your mind and your . Emotions are gonna make a punk out of you or you're gonna punk them out. There's no middle ground. It's just the pesky nature of the mind, and that's why I like to call meditation the art of making your mind and your emotions your bitch. Your pain and your rough circumstances in life, they're valid and they're definitely real. No doubt about it. I have suffered a lot of physical and emotional pain in my life, but there is a giant difference between pain and suffering.
Pain is inevitable. Life deals it out, and there's just no way around. But suffering is avoidable. And what suffering is is the repetitive thoughts and feelings that your mind creates about your pain. So again, your pain is real, and we're not dismissing that. But the mind amplifies your pain and turns it into suffering and suffering.
Fucking sucks. And meditation and emotional processing are the antidotes to suffer. So as we close this episode out, I'd like to give you three takeaways to remember. Number one, meditation is just like brushing your teeth, but for your mind, and you don't want funky mind, breath, or emotional cavities.
Number two, meditation gives you the ability to look at the dashboard of your life, and it's super important. And number three, meditation gives you the superpower of creating space and making your mind and your emotions, your bitch, and you want that superpower. And remember, the goal of meditation is not to control your thoughts.
It's to stop letting your thoughts control you. And so before you head out the door, I wanna ask you to do something. I want you to give yourself the gift of setting aside 10 minutes a day to invest in you. Why? Obviously because you're awesome and you deserve it. So check out my free meditations. The link is in the show notes.
They're 10 minutes or less. The first one is designed to maximize your happiness by beefing up your focus and concentration muscles. The second one is designed to help you process and release some of your anger if you're in . The middle of a temper flare. And it's an amazing tool to go to if you're right in the middle of feeling the heat.
And the third one is a deep rest meditation. It's designed to give you some much needed recovery and self-care and to restore your nervous system, and you definitely deserve that. So other than that, go out there and have fun, meditate, stay calm, and stay strong. Until next time, peace. Thanks for listening.
This has been Grit, growth, and Gratitude with Joe Specter. Your source for mental and emotional fitness. Just because you're struggling doesn't mean you are failing. Remember that?
