How long does change take?
This small article was in a recent newsletter I get in my email, and I thought it was interesting... Especially for someone as impatient as I am!!
"How often have you started a new program of change in your life
only to feel discouraged three days later that "nothing is
happening"? Or maybe you actually stick with a new ritual or a
new diet for a whole two weeks and you see some change … but it's
not happening fast enough.
What do you do? Before you decide that everything really is
hopeless, take a moment to look at the process of change with the
help of this magical principle: "A small change in the present
produces a larger change in the future." This is the basic
principle we use in spellwork and it means that if you make even
the tiniest change today you will see bigger change in about a
week. And that bigger change will lead to an even bigger change
in about two weeks. And so on.
So let's suppose you've started working with a new magical
practice. Say you've decided to start meditating for 15 minutes
each morning-nothing fancy, just sitting quietly and clearing
your mind as much as possible. On the first morning of meditating
you will probably notice an immediate change because your mind is
quiet at a time when it normally is not. You're content that your
new program of meditation is going to be useful and helpful. More
importantly, a small and highly contagious molecule of change has
been born.
Now what happens a week after you start meditating? Maybe you've
had a really hectic week and you feel tired and irritable. All of
sudden it seems like the 15 minutes of meditation is too much-it
takes too much time when so many other things are pressing on
your time. It seems like nothing is happening, no change is
occurring.
But "nothing's happening" hardly describes what is going on
inside you. That highly contagious molecule of change that was
born the day you began meditating has been busy reaching out and
touching and transforming other molecules inside you. Now a
greater percentage of your molecules than ever before has the
quality of quiet that you create during your meditation. The more
quiet you have inside you, the more you're able to listen to your
inner intuitive voice, the better your work will be, the better
your life will be … but it's still too small a percentage for you
to notice.
But if you stay with your new meditation practice that small
sense of quiet will begin to spread. It's like the example of
starting out with a penny and doubling it every day for 31 days.
Here's what you get at the end of each week:
Day 1: $0.01
Day 7: $0.64
Day 14: $81.92
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 31: $10,737,418.24
So at the end of the month you have over $10 million. The same is
true with your new meditation practice but the key is how long it
takes you notice. If you ever take the time to observe your life
you will be amazed by how easily you are hypnotized by the
incessant buzz and hum of daily activities. There's voice mail
and email, gossip, your car running low on gas, the need to feed
the cat, or all of your troubles at work. There are a million
things that take up your attention while this small quiet
molecule formed by your daily meditation goes around and changes
you from the inside out.
The difficulty lies in being aware of change. In the example with
the penny doubling, it may take you 31 days-when you already have
$10 million in your pocket-before you notice that something has
shifted and life is different. But it's worth it, right? I'd say
$10 million is worth it. So, as they say, don't give up on change
five minutes before the miracle happens. Stick with whatever
you've decided to do to change your life and prepare to be
awestruck!"
Copyright (c) Alan Joel and Stephanie Yeh 2006. All rights
reserved.
http://www.shamanschool.com
"How often have you started a new program of change in your life
only to feel discouraged three days later that "nothing is
happening"? Or maybe you actually stick with a new ritual or a
new diet for a whole two weeks and you see some change … but it's
not happening fast enough.
What do you do? Before you decide that everything really is
hopeless, take a moment to look at the process of change with the
help of this magical principle: "A small change in the present
produces a larger change in the future." This is the basic
principle we use in spellwork and it means that if you make even
the tiniest change today you will see bigger change in about a
week. And that bigger change will lead to an even bigger change
in about two weeks. And so on.
So let's suppose you've started working with a new magical
practice. Say you've decided to start meditating for 15 minutes
each morning-nothing fancy, just sitting quietly and clearing
your mind as much as possible. On the first morning of meditating
you will probably notice an immediate change because your mind is
quiet at a time when it normally is not. You're content that your
new program of meditation is going to be useful and helpful. More
importantly, a small and highly contagious molecule of change has
been born.
Now what happens a week after you start meditating? Maybe you've
had a really hectic week and you feel tired and irritable. All of
sudden it seems like the 15 minutes of meditation is too much-it
takes too much time when so many other things are pressing on
your time. It seems like nothing is happening, no change is
occurring.
But "nothing's happening" hardly describes what is going on
inside you. That highly contagious molecule of change that was
born the day you began meditating has been busy reaching out and
touching and transforming other molecules inside you. Now a
greater percentage of your molecules than ever before has the
quality of quiet that you create during your meditation. The more
quiet you have inside you, the more you're able to listen to your
inner intuitive voice, the better your work will be, the better
your life will be … but it's still too small a percentage for you
to notice.
But if you stay with your new meditation practice that small
sense of quiet will begin to spread. It's like the example of
starting out with a penny and doubling it every day for 31 days.
Here's what you get at the end of each week:
Day 1: $0.01
Day 7: $0.64
Day 14: $81.92
Day 21: $10,485.76
Day 28: $1,342,177.28
Day 31: $10,737,418.24
So at the end of the month you have over $10 million. The same is
true with your new meditation practice but the key is how long it
takes you notice. If you ever take the time to observe your life
you will be amazed by how easily you are hypnotized by the
incessant buzz and hum of daily activities. There's voice mail
and email, gossip, your car running low on gas, the need to feed
the cat, or all of your troubles at work. There are a million
things that take up your attention while this small quiet
molecule formed by your daily meditation goes around and changes
you from the inside out.
The difficulty lies in being aware of change. In the example with
the penny doubling, it may take you 31 days-when you already have
$10 million in your pocket-before you notice that something has
shifted and life is different. But it's worth it, right? I'd say
$10 million is worth it. So, as they say, don't give up on change
five minutes before the miracle happens. Stick with whatever
you've decided to do to change your life and prepare to be
awestruck!"
Copyright (c) Alan Joel and Stephanie Yeh 2006. All rights
reserved.
http://www.shamanschool.com
posted by Amethyst Rising at 1:00 PM
4 Comments:
I tried doing the "double the penny" thing, but creditors kept taking it from me. It never got a chance to grow!
I look at the whole thing as this, no one ever learns by looking ahead to the future. They only learn by looking back to the past. So there's never any reason to doubt patience, because chances are you won't even see life's progress unless you look back on it years from now, right?
Assuming that, why be impatient? It doesn't get you anywhere!
I guess.
Wait, what were we talking about?
I usually only get impatient when someone else is impeeding my progress... If I only look backwards, (or even in the present) I would be too depressed to even get out of bed most mornings...
I've read and heard that it takes 21 to 27 days to engrain a new habit. If you can make yourself do it for that period of time, then reflexes kick in and it becomes habit and you do it as part of your routine after that. I believe change is the same way. You should give anything new AT LEAST a month before you can really expect to see any difference.
I haven't put this in practice, lol. I've just heard the theories and the testimonials that it works.
I should try it.
jules
Yeah, I guess that's true, huh? Looking back on my life is depressing as hell. What was I thinking!
Amethyst, just... slap me.
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