PhotoCredit: https://dribbble.com/shots/3474877-Free-Your-Mind
My niece asked me to braid her hair this morning. I had been staying with my family for a few days between board meetings. I guess this was a great sign, she trusted me enough to style her for school.
Braids? No big deal. Except, the request was for Dutch Braids. Crap. YouTube to the rescue.
I had confidence in myself (just) but I wasn't confident she would sit still as I attempted #thelook? I was pleasantly surprised. She was. VERY.
This little being that couldn’t follow a single instruction all weekend miraculously became an angel.
Nothing puts your workload into perspective like a weekend with a six-year old and a three-year old. Multi-million dollar negotiations are nothing in the face of determining toy ownership or adjudicating who built their lego faster.
My inner three-year old is much like my nephew. Highly distractible. We get up to all sorts of unproductive mischief together. I had so much silly-fun with him over the weekend.
My niece and my inner six-year old share a lot in common too. More serious. Highly aspirational, never satisfied and always searching for something bigger and better. My inner six-year old is a critic; extraordinarily discerning and relentless.
I could see the reflection of my inner six-year old in my niece as I tried to teach her to meditate the day prior. She fidgeted, suggested better uses of our time, and couldn't focus. Today, she sat like a pro. She had a bigger prize. "Dutch Braids" was her 'little m' mantra.
We all have that inner three-year old and inner six-year old. My inner three-year old will not meditate. We will do one breath but then we are off looking for dirt piles to dig in or cupboards to empty. Like most of us, my inner six-year old will meditate but she needs to know what is in it for her. We need to be clear about the bigger prize.
Our other excuses for why we don't meditate are garbage. Or resistance if you need me to be nicer about it.
The bottom line is that it’s hard for all of us to sit still. We lose sight of the bigger prize. Our inner-six year old wins out, distracting us with a catalogue of complaints. A catalogue of other things we could be doing. The critic takes hold of our mind and our solitude becomes an endless parade of ideas.
Fighting six-year olds and fighting busy-ness are the wrong responses to the inherent problem. The goal is not total zen. The goal is for a micro-moments of calm in a busy mind. Sips of peace when drinking from the fire-hose of chaos.
Meditation is like Dutch Braids for your brain: functional, instagrammable and transformative. It's just that one will transform your look and the other your life. Not a bad prize in the scheme of things.