I Used to be Glass Half-Empty

My Journey Towards a Daily Meditation Practice

Doubtful, gloomy, pessimistic… whatever you want to call it.. that was me. I spent my whole life (all 23 and a half years) looking at the glass half empty. My happiness, relationships, and accomplishments were all evidence of my lack of confidence, gratitude, and enthusiasm. I found myself constantly thinking “why me?” and I felt that no matter how much work or energy I put into something, I was never yielding the results I wanted. 

My search for happiness started low and slow… My mom (one of the most knowledgeable and intuitive people I know) had been trying to educate me on the benefits of a daily meditation practice for a long, long time before I actually started. I believed what she was saying about its benefits and how it could help me change my life, but I just wasn’t ready to apply this new practice to my already busy and hectic schedule.

How could this be, you ask? I was at least somewhat miserable at any given time in my life. I was lazy, sad, and thought that a meditation practice would only help me cope with my hardships, not eliminate them. I can see now that using meditation to cope with my adversity would have been greatly beneficial for me, but like most, I wanted a quick fix, and meditation sounded like work. 

I tried to start a meditation practice several times before my routine stuck. I would meditate one day, feel good about myself afterward, and then not meditate again for months. Until one day, it just kind of clicked. I can’t say for sure what caused my spiritual awakening or how I switched my habits to create lasting change (maybe the universe just wasn’t ready for me and my good vibes???). Now I want to share this experience with others who are possibly facing the same struggles that I did. Meditating has honestly changed my life and I work every day to continue on a path of love, consciousness, and purpose. I want to share with you how I became glass-half-full. 

One day, I finally got so sick of my every day “Sunday Scaries” that I decided I was going to meditate. I realized these feelings of anxiety were a million times more harmful than 15 minutes a day of relaxing “me” time. So I started using the Breathe app. I really enjoyed it for the breathing exercises, sleep meditations, as well as emotion regulating meditations. I eventually began doing Oprah and Deepak’s meditation programs which really upped my meditation game. I began listening to Oprah’s “Super Soul Conversations” which opened up my mind and my life to a world of amazing, spiritual individuals as well as their experiences and teachings. I then began to dive deeper with more books and videos. 

This new information and way of thinking had me mesmerized. Everything I was learning was making me wonder.. What if the universe WAS conspiring in my favor? Contrary to my previous belief of the world being out to get me. When I began to expect that life was going to work out in my favour, it really did. Maybe I just had a better attitude and mindset which helped me to effectively roll with the punches, but regardless, I was seeing a change and I was beyond excited about it. Long story short - I completely changed my life just by changing my mindset and attitude. It wasn’t easy at first, as we all know our fight or flight emotions are addictive, but let me tell you, emotions of joyfulness, gratitude and well-being are far more addictive. If you’re interested in knowing more about some of the books, videos, and podcasts I’ve been into comment below and I’d be very happy to share!

Xoxo,

Maddie