I’ve had the good fortune to try out several modern mindful meditation apps (Headspace, Balance, etc.) Sam Harris' Waking Up, however, had the introductory program that resonated with me the strongest.

Somewhere around the second week in, listeners are introduced to the (ultimately recurring) premise of beginning again. More specifically, our power to approach things with fresh eyes in the event we’re butting up against a wall that refuses to budge.

Listen to the clip here (just over 3 minutes long.)

He notes that this idea of beginning again is at the root of forgiveness. To lift from the clip shared above, “the only way to forgive another person truly, or one’s self, is to restart the clock in the present.”

One of my favorite takeaways from this approach is its function as a lens through which I can see the walls I’ll repeatedly run into. Later in the same introductory program, we’re reminded: the moment you notice this ghost of mediocrity hovering over your present, you can fully exercise it by just beginning again.

It’s not always easy accept, but we are indeed the ones in control of how we view and experience the world. Do your best to remember that.

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