The 21 Day Motivating Meditation Challenge completed over the week end. 53 people decided to take up the Challenge and add meditation to their lives. 53 people decided it was time to do something different. Get up a little earlier; try something that may be uncomfortable in the beginning; stick with it even though it may be challenging; come back to it even though some days were not what was planned. 53 people decided to make a change because they had heard so much about meditation and they wanted to see what all the hype was about.

What the hype is about is taking control of your life. If you want something in your life to change, if you are frustrated with something or someone in your life, and you want change, remember this: IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU. You (or I for that matter) cannot change anyone else. We cannot change what is. What we CAN change is our self. We can change our attitude, our reaction, our interpretation… we have a lot of control over our selves. If we want something to change, we have to change ourself.

As many of you know, my mom has Alzheimer’s. She is great. She shows up every day 100%. She knows what is important for her. She just doesn’t remember something from one minute to the next. If something is bugging her, I will not hear the end of it until it is resolved. If there is something on the counter that doesn’t belong there, like the colander, which doesn’t have a home, she will ask me about it until she doesn’t see it anymore. Since we have been moving, everything doesn’t necessarily have a place. And for me, out of sight is out of mind, so I need to see the things I have to deal with. If I want my mom to stop asking me the same question over and over and over, I have to deal with the item… I have to make a decision on where it goes and put it there, or just stick it somewhere out of sight. Then my mom will stop asking about it.

But I have noticed, a bit too often, I resist. I don’t want to put the colander away. I want it on the counter. I fight nature. And probably as no surprise to you, I lose that battle. Mom only sees that colander and keeps asking and doesn’t remember that I have already answered her 100+ times. She is relentless. So the only person who loses in this situation is me. My blood pressure goes up, I get frustrated, I want to scream.

Obviously this colander doesn’t belong on the counter. Where does it go?

But it can all change. I don’t have to suffer from any of that. All I have to do is to deal with the item right away.

If I want the situation to change, all I have to do is change myself. Don’t resist, deal.

When I deal, in the end, I am happier, my mom is happy, and the random item is safely put somewhere (probably never to be found again).

Change starts with ACTION. We can think about things until the cows come home (where are those rascally cows anyway…) but until we take the first step, everything will be–guess what!!!– exactly the same.

53 people took action and tried meditation. They took the step to make a change in their lives. They took a step forward in recognition that perhaps life could be better, calmer. Perhaps they could be more centered, more in control of themselves.

So where does that leave you? Just know that if you want to see change in the world, it begins with YOU. All change starts with 1 person and that person is you.

“As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change toward him.” Mahatma Gandhi

PS: The colander has a new home now!