For the past four days I have been using the app “Headspace” in order to start being more active about my meditation and more mindful in my actions. I really like the app because it keeps track of your progress and gives you a counting feature for your meditations, so you can have “streaks” like you would on snapchat. When you open the app it gives you the option to check in, where you can plug in your mental and physical state and add emotions.

Today’s meditation was called “Lion Mind” and it was about this idea that we must follow our goals with a lion mind, not a dog mind. If you waved a bone in front of a dog, and then threw it into the corner, the dog would follow it with its eyes and then chase after it. While a lion, would not follow it, but keep it’s eyes on the person waving the bone – who is a much larger prize for a lion than a measly bone.

This philosophy can be used during your meditation by having a lion mind. Instead of letting yourself be distracted by your thoughts keep focused on your breathing, which will in turn help with being mindful, connected, and in the moment. 

Lion mind can also be used in your day to day life to set your goals and achieve them. For example I want to finish school and get my bachelor’s degree. In order to do this I must stay focused on achieving this goal – which means not letting myself be distracted by other thing’s (or people) like I have in the past.

I think some people are lucky enough to already have this mindset about things and therefore are able to achieve a lot. I however, have been very all over the place with everything in life. I want to be so many things, and try so many things that I have never honed in on any of them. I’ve played piano. Danced. Done gymnastics. Acted. Been in musical theater productions. Drew. Painted. Improvised. Vlogged. Done photography. Modeled.

All these things that I want to do and be but have only started. I never saw anything through to the end. Maybe it was part laziness. Maybe it was distraction. This meditating has calmed my mind. I see my goals, and I want to achieve them. I’ve realized that there is no right moment to start. Nothing will just come to me. I was so afraid of failure that I didn’t even try. So here I am! Sucking it up and trying. Everyone has to start somewhere – lion mind is a great philosophy in order to achieve these goals.

-Mindfully, Lilu