From Lisa L., on Wildmind’s Google Plus Community [sadly, Google shut down their social network in 2019]:
Meditating daily as part of the 100 day challenge has been very powerful for me. Practicing daily makes it clear that good sits and bad sits happen, which makes it much easier to sit even when things are difficult. I don’t worry anymore if I’m in the ‘right frame of mind’ to sit. I don’t worry about whether I’m ready to face the focused mind in my sitting. I just sit, and bring whatever I’ve got/dealing with, with me. And some days are a real struggle, but not necessarily the days that I expect to struggle. Some days are a joy, but not necessarily those days I expect to have an easy time.
Sitting on easy days and hard days means that I am able to deal with the good and the bad through the techniques I’ve learned from Bodhipaksa Dharmacari and others. When I was just sitting when I felt ‘capable’ of having a good sit, I didn’t give myself the opportunity to work through difficulties with these tools.
The biggest difference I’m seeing is actually in my life off the cushion. I’ve noticed that I’ve started applying the same curious beginner mind to investigating what’s going on in my own life. When my parents offer me some well-meaning advice I do not immediately assume this is meant as a criticism, and I am more patient and listen better. In a recent conflict with my partner, I was able to recognize that this one encounter was just one moment, and I didn’t let my feelings snowball, nor did I fantasize about how this might affect our relationship.
And all this happened in just 22 days. I can’t imagine how things will be in another 78.
