Quality Over Quantity
The Sixth of Seven Lessons from 1,000 Meditations
This is the sixth of seven articles about the lessons learned from one thousand meditations. If you missed the last post, check it out here:
Last year, I set a goal to meditate every day to cope with my lifelong companion: Anxiety. I recorded my sessions and managed to reach 1,000 meditations by the end of the year, blowing my primary target out of the water. Quality over quantity is the sixth of the seven lessons I learned during my meditation journey.
New habits always seem to take up a lot of time. You might have to buy new clothes, prepare a plan, or simply find the time in your schedule. In the beginning, all you want to do is work on your new hobby — it’s exciting. It’s better to counter balance this impulse with small steady steps towards your goal; the value of your actions is greater than the sum.
It is the quality of our work which will please [us] and not the quantity. — Mahatma Gandhi
It’s hard to be human when an organ the size of two cupped hands demands that everything be boxed up and sealed tight with a beautiful bow. Whether it be a web of ideas including unanswered questions of existence or the release of the latest iPhone, compulsive thought consolidation is a symptom of humanity.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the love child of grind culture and the capitalist appetite: burnout. There’s always something next on the list, another chore to be done, another article to write. We measure our best days on how many extra tasks we add to the list and forget about what has already been accomplished. Following this kind of behavior will quickly lead to exhaustion.
Those extra assignments almost never get completed and leave one drowning in the fallacy that nothing got done that day. The best way to change that is by gaining awareness, setting realistic expectations, and giving yourself credit where it’s due. This can all be accomplished with a quality meditation practice.
I spent my year trying to hit my meditation goals along with fostering a slew of other new habits, responsibilities, and opportunities. I would stress out if I didn’t meditate two or three times in a day. Can you believe that? I was anxious about meditation!
I laugh about this now, but it haunted me throughout the year whenever I would increase my goal, or have a tough day. Thankfully, I readjusted my expectations and became happy with at least one solid meditation session a day. A study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon shows that meditating for as little as three minutes a day can provide significant benefits.
Consistent meditation practices are attainable for even the busiest of bees. Any habit for that matter, can be integrated into any schedule. Set achievable goals and produce adequate work — don’t worry about how many hours you’re clocking. Every second counts for something, make it worth your while.
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