Tag: Meditation

Half Way Though #40DaysPresent – What I’ve Learned So Far

Published on by Amanda FakhreddineLeave a comment

So, I’m officially on day 22 of #40DaysPresent.

I’ll be honest, I’m actually surprised I’ve done this for 22 days straight. When I first spoke with Lizzie Muse about a 40 Day meditation – she told me right off the bat that if you missed a day, the clock reset, and it was back to day 1.

Unlearning habits is a hard thing to do. But do you know what’s also hard? Creating NEW habits.

At first it felt weird. I played the mantra on my phone, got into my seated position and closed my eyes. The first time I did it, I felt silly.

Why?

I was judging myself.

I was thinking “What am I getting myself into? Why did you think this was a good idea. How many breaths was that? It’s 8 short inhales, to one big exhale… what count am I on?”

But I stuck through it. And slowly, I started to melt into the 10 minutes of meditation.

The more I opened myself up to this new experience, the more I took out of it.

About a week ago, I bought a card deck called “The Universe Has Your Back.” I have added it to my mediation – I’ll lay out all the cards in a row and do my 10 minutes. At the end, I pick a card and use what it says as my focus for the day.

It’s been incredible how much awareness this brings to me every single day.  Why? When I carve out time for myself, I’m able to find MORE time to work on myself. People have messaged me saying “I’d love to mediate, but I don’t have time”.

We DO have time.

I started finding pockets of time when I put my phone down. When I stopped mindlessly scrolling through Instagram all the time, I found pockets of 5 – 10 minutes, where I was able to write a note, clean a corner, or just read a book.

The time was there all along.

I’ve learned the value of my time in these last 22 days – and I am so grateful.

I cannot wait to see what I learn in the next 18 days – and how I can continue this journey to fully enjoying the present every single day this year.

 

Why I’m Doing #40DaysPresent

Published on by Amanda FakhreddineLeave a comment

Like many people, I consider my phone to be my third hand.

How else am I going to know what’s going on at all moments? How many people liked my last post? What if someone texts me and I don’t respond within 10 seconds?!

It’s been something that I realized, but wore like a badge of honor. If I’m always glued to my phone, that must mean I’m doing something important. It means that I’m in high demand. It means I’m working hard. It means I’m busy.

Right?

A couple weeks ago, Blake said something that got my mind racing. “You come home from work, and then, you are back on the phone still working.”

My first reaction? Um, I think you can all guess that. I was angry. I was appalled that he would think that I would be choosing someone else over him. I was emotional because here I am trying to work two full time jobs so we can have a little bit more money to put on a house.

In a flurry of hand waving and tears, I retreated to our room, trying to figure out what went wrong.

And then it hit me. Even though I was physically sitting right by him, I wasn’t there. I wasn’t present in the present. I was present in the white, blue and grey colors on my phone.

So, #40DaysPresent came to be.

Why 40 days? According to many religious, spiritual and yogic practices, 40 days is how long it takes to break negative habits, and embody new experiences.

Yesterday was my first day. I put a phone usage tracker on my phone,  and was shocked that I spent 5.5 hours of my day on my phone. SHOCKED.

AND that was with me consciously trying to put it down and putting my phone on Do Not Disturb after 7:30PM.

What am I challenging myself to do for 40 days?

  1. Meditate every morning for 10 minutse
  2. Track my phone usage, and to be more cognizant of when and WHY I pick up my phone (using RealizD – free app, no they did not reach out to me. I found them on the app store)
  3. Turn my phone to Do Not Disturb at 7:30PM.

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One of the biggest things I noticed yesterday, is that opening up Instagram & Facebook have just become a habit. So, going forward, I want to make sure I have a reason to open it – what am I hoping to accomplish/feel/find out by opening the app in that moment? Will it add to my present time experience, or will it take away from the present?

Being present in the present. That’s the ultimate goal. Every day is filled with 24 hours, and we don’t get those 24 hours back. We don’t get a moment to press “rewind”, and we definitley don’t get a “do-over”. For me, I want to savor every moment of my life – the good, bad and the ugly, and I don’t want to miss those beautiful moments because I’m tied to a back-lit screen.

You can follow along (or join me), by checking the hashtag #40DaysPresent, or my IG story (which will be LESS populated than it has been, but I will be on there)!

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Published on by Amanda FakhreddineLeave a comment

“Let no one but you, define you.”

This hit me like a ton of bricks today, so I’m sharing it with you. We, as people, are always trying to define things and measure their success. However, YOU are the only one that is able to define who YOU are, and YOU are the only one who is able to define your success. No one else. Not that magazine. Not that news article. Not your coworker. Not your boss. Not your friend. No one.

Just you.

When I’m teaching TRX or leading my challenge groups, I always stress that you need to define success for yourself. You need to set your limits, and only YOU know when you are pushing yourself. I’m just the person who is there for that moment to guide you – but you yourself are your only leader, your only definer and your only measure of success.

If you want me to help guide you through your fitness challenges, let me know. My next challenge group starts on 10/10, and will focus on strengthening our bodies through PiYo and our mind through some Yoga. Send me a note if you are interested 🙂