4 Common Challenges To Building A Meditation Habit

(And How To Overcome Them)

Meditation doesn’t need to be fancy, pretty, or even exciting. You just need to pay attention.

Below are four of the most common obstacles that most people experience when trying to create a daily meditation habit.

1. “Quieting your mind.”

This is by far the biggest misconception about meditation: it’s not about clearing your mind and emptying yourself of all thoughts. If your goal when you hit the cushion is to stop thinking, it means you need to change your objective.

The easy advice would be to say “just embrace all your thoughts” and the pack of chattering monkeys in your mind. But that can be too overwhelming and create more of a hurdle for many beginners.

The best objective is to keep it simple.

Merely set an intention and pay attention to the intention. Listen deeply with a beginner’s mind by approaching each session as if it’s the first time you’re meditating.

Listen so deeply as if someone was about to tell you something important.

2. Not enough time.

This is the biggest excuse why people don’t start a meditation practice or give up quickly. But the truth is, you don’t find time, you make time. In the same way, you make time to shower and brush your teeth every day, put meditating in that same category of “non-negotiable” things you do.

Sure, life can get in the way on any given day, but to prevent this, do your meditation first thing in the morning. If you miss it, implement a backup plan to carve out 5 minutes to close your eyes and become quiet. If you are unable to do that, then commit to resuming first thing the next morning.

Here’s a helpful principle to follow: You can miss a day, but avoid missing two days in a row.

Only by making your meditation practice a high priority will you receive the long-lasting benefits.

3. Low motivation.

Like with anything, start with “why.” Knowing why you want to have a sustainable meditation practice and how your life will change is a huge motivator. Spend time defining your vision and why you started meditating in the first place.

Celebrate the little victories along the way to help maintain momentum. Acknowledge yourself after each daily session and keep a daily tracking sheet. After each day you complete, tick off a box. At the end of each week and month, observe all the completed days and delight in your progress. It will teach your brain that meditating is fun, beneficial, and thus something to look forward to.

4. Resistance.

There will be days when your mind will sabotage you. The brain dislikes anything that deviates from our current routines and habits. This is normal and part of every journey when you are starting something new. Therefore, expect difficult days and know that on those days, it is even more important to push through and complete your practice.

Meditating on those days when you face challenges and resistance is an offer for greater insight and wisdom.

Stepping out of your comfort zone, and witnessing what that feels like can enhance your practice and deepen your relationship with meditation.

Thanks for reading. Meditation changed my life, so I truly hope this piece can offer you some insight into deepening your practice.

If you are interested, you can listen to my two free meditations. I’d be most humbled.

And here are some more tips and advice for deepening your meditation practice: