Hi everyone!

Congratulations on your successful completion of 21DMC! In line with the end of 21DMC, our server shift has finally been completed. The site now loads a whole lot faster, which means a better usage experience for all of you. Thank you so much for your patience and support in the past few days!

With the end of 21DMC, let's now do a quick review of the meditation charts for the past 3 weeks:

Week 1: Round-Up


* Kudos to AH888, Amanda, Annamarika, annanbananamc, Apu, Ariane, Bob, christinick, Dule, elezhara, Faiz, fufu, ganeshmuthiah, ilianaki94, Ish, Luis_magalhaes, Matt, MissOhlsson, niem, nrwilson, Praying Mantis, Saf, seremina, serenity89 and Vellata for committing to your daily meditations and reporting duly in the group threads in week 1

Week 2: Round-Up


*Kudos to AH888, Apu, Atira, Bob, elezhara, fufu, ilianaki94, Ish, irvine, Leah, Luis_magalhaes, niem, nrwilson, Praying Mantis, Saf, serenity89, Vellata and zoom6628 for committing to your daily meditations and reporting duly in the group threads in week 2

Week 3: Round-Up


*Kudos to AH888, angelo, annanabananamc, Apu, ASLO, Atira, Bob, elezhara, fufu, ilianaki94, Ish, ksbisnauth, Leah, Luis_magalhaes, Matt, MissOhlsson, niem, Praying Mantis, serenity89, toowacka, Vellata and zoom6628 for committing to your daily meditations and reporting duly in the group threads in week 2

Huge Applause to the Following 21DMC Participants

The following 21DMC members have meditated for every day of 21DMC, and deserve special applause and recognition. I'm incredibly proud of all of you and you should be extremely proud of yourself!! These members are:

1. AH888
2. Apu
3. Bob
4. elezhara
5. fufu
6. ilianaki94
7. Ish
8. Luis_magalhaes
9. niem
10. Praying Mantis
11. serenity89
12. Vellata

Last Task: Create Your Action Plan

It's been an amazing 21 days. I don't know about you guys, but it feels like so much has happened in the past 3 weeks. Many of you reported gaining new insights about yourself during your meditations, and that's not a coincidence. Our meditation sessions allow us to take a step back and be in tune with ourselves, something which many don't do in our modern society.

While 21DMC is coming to a close, you should know beyond anyone else that it doesn't just end there. A habit is for life, and to continue experiencing the benefits of meditation moving forward, it requires that you commit yourself to this wondrous habit. You've seen what meditation can do for you by just doing it for a short 21 days, and now it's up to you to decide if this is a habit you want to continue to practice, moving forward.

For the last task of 21DMC, I'd like to invite you to think deeply about the following questions. Write as much as you need to for each question, then share your answers with all the other participants here:

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
4. Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
5. If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

Forums Closing on 2 November, 11:59pm, GMT

Every challenge has to come to an end, and the same for 21DMC. Now that 21DMC has ended, the 21DMC forums will subsequently be closed on 2 Nov, 11:50pm, GMT. That's 3 more days, as of the writing of this post.

Please post your answers to today's fast, update your 21DMC journal, and make your replies to other 21DMC replies within the next few days. Remember the Personal Excellence Forums will continue to be here, so you can continue to hang out here, post in the other forums, and continue on the friendships you have fostered in these short 21 days.

And with the start of November, means a brand new November Challenge! For more information, please visit the Challenges section. I'll be posting the details there soon!

Thank you all for your amazing participation, and I'll see you in the November challenge!

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

1.How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
-It had it's ups and downs, but life is just like that. Overall it was an adventure. For me, I really enjoyed the "group atomosphere." I loved posting and reading other people's posts. This is the first time I've participated in a "meditation-along."

2.What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC?
-Normally, meditation is a completely solitary activity for me, like when I go jogging. But I think the group thing really added a richness to the experience. Plus I think this was a great group!

What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
-My perception hasn't changed as far as my deep belief in the positive physical and emotional health benefits. But my skepticism that this experiement could work out well over the Internet has now been dispelled. And that has a lot to do with our awesome moderator, Celes.

Celes, you deserve kudos for and excellent job organizing and managing this challenge!


3.Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
-Mostly that my emotions are just as strong, and my opinions just as deep, but the more time I spend practicing stilling my mind, the easier it gets to NOT let those strong emotions and judgments rule my behavior.

4.Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
-Yes, most definitely!

5.If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
-Accountability is key! If I can find a forum, or a partner, or a group, it will be easier to be consistent in my meditation practice. The second important part is that it has to be fun. I looked forward to meditating not only for how it made me feel, but I also got to share, and I looked forward to reading other people's posts, too.

Peace!

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
It has been a fantastic experience to finally give meditation a good go. It was always something that I wanted to do regularly but only did on the odd occasion. It was great to do it as part of a community and share in the experiences of others. It is easy to put things off in life so 21DMC was perfect in making meditation part of my daily routine.

2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
Before 21DMC meditation was a mysterious, slightly confusing but alluring activity that I read much about, and that I wanted to experience for myself. I was dubious of the benefits (e.g. spacing out), but recognised I wanted greater peace in my life.
After 21DMC my perceptions of meditation has certainly changed. I now see meditation as a powerful form of practice-based psychology, allowing me to watch my mind and the consequences of my thoughts. It increases peace and awareness from moment to moment, and helps put into practice the intellectual concepts I hold.

3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
I think I have a greater understanding of just how scattered my mind can be, and how distracted I can be at any moment. 21DMC has also helped highlight how focused on results I can be, at the expense of enjoying each moment and the experience of life.

4. Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
Absolutely, I plan to continue meditating on a daily basis for 20-30 minutes, perhaps longer if possible.

5. If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
I have made meditation part of my morning routine, and will continue to write daily notes on how the meditation has gone. I will begin meditating with my wife so we can share the experience together. I also would like to participate in meditation retreats to practice in a more sustained manner.

And I would also like to thank Celes for organising 21DMC! Reading everyone's posts over the past few weeks has highlighted what a positive impact 21DMC has had. Celes you have really created something special, and have had a big impact with me personally. Thank you, and keep up the awesome work!!

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

It was a fun time, it was very interesting to see everyone's experience and to be able to share mine. It felt a bit of a chore to have to update the journal every day but having people interested in reading it made it ok.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?

I was already meditating on a regular schedule before the challenge, I mostly just increased the period of time. I had some new experiences and if anything, it confirmed my previous impression that meditation is a very vast and deep discipline.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

Well, I've learned that if I do it lying down, I fall asleep. Huum seriously, I don't think I learned anything that I didn't already know about myself, for me the benefits were better awareness, daily tranquility, peace of mind, and inspiration.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?

Oh, sure. I was doing it before the challenge and I'm even more convinced that it's highly beneficial now.

If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

I'll keep on the current path - having a set time for it every morning, and keeping a big virtual pile of thematic meditation mp3s to use.

As I see it, my day is less pleasing without meditation, so there's no reason not to do it.

Final Thoughts:

Well Celes, thanks for organizing all of this, I'm sure it was hard work, especially with all the site / server things going on. Well done for you.

Action Plan Moving Forward:

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

Simply amazing. There were many emotions involved (sadness, happiness, fear, relaxation, etc.) and it's so hard to just describe it. In short, my journey felt like it lasted forever. The first week was normal but the rest 14 days was full of many negative emotions and feelings of anger to improve in my life and doing things I normally never would, meditating was the main element that helped me took HUGE decisions I would otherwise be too afraid to take. Adding meditation to my life has been a life changing experience.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC?

I thought it was some type of exercise so I never had any interest in it. I thought it was just a Chinese process in which people blank their minds or pray to Buddha.

What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?


I think it's something we should all give a try at some point in our lives and then choose if it's for us or not. I think any form of meditation can help us more than we could ever imagine and am so glad I got to be in 21DMC


Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

I've learned I can do so much more than I offer right now. I really did love but, unfortunately, love isn't pink roses and the harsh reality of the heartbreak came. I realized I am still so immature in many things. I learned not everything needs a happy ending in order to be happy. I had a "sad" ending but I learned SO much more due to my errors and the sudden trauma. I love being single because if I would still be in love I wouldn't had acquired my new friends, my motivation to never give up and my realization that everything happens for a meaning, we just gotta know how to deal with it and that when we change, everything changes.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?

Hmmm that's a tough question...I want to..but I'm a bit scared of my sleep paralysis to be honest...I started having sleep paralysis right after I got a severe injury in my birthday on July this year but it's become more common since I started meditating. I gain so much clarity from meditating it affects my sleep because my head is more relaxed then my normal confused thoughts. I plan to continue still but will investigate this.

If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

I'm gonna re-start my calendar and this time schedule my 30 minutes of meditating daily 5 pm each day. If I feel I need to add more time, less time or change the hour I'll find out this way as in 21DMC I concentrated more on meditating than actually establishing an hour.

EDIT: I just noticed I forgot to thank you Celes! I thought I had written it so simply thank you Celes...for everything. You don't know how much the things you do means to us. Good luck in the upcoming projects!

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
I have enjoyed it thoroughly. Some moments have been more difficult than others, finding the correct position, adjusting the breathing, stilling the mind, observing and shaping thoughts.

2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
I was acquainted with meditation and always found it beneficial. Meditation is an excellent mind tool which helps to structure and focuses my thoughts.

3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
With consistent practice I go deeper into myself and join with my subconscious. It is like a mental cleaning that leaves the mind sharper and clearer. If I was a car the cleaning would not only include the bodywork and the interior but also servicing the car especially the engine to make it perform at its peak.

4. Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
Yes, I would like to develop more of the different ways of meditating to add to my mental skill set.

5. If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
By trying as many ways as possible to meditate - I will then discover which method will work best for me on different days and use it.

Thank you Celes for this splendid challenge and to every participant, I really admire the courage of everyone sharing their knowledge and adding to the dynamic of the challenge.

1.How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
It was Amazing

2.What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
No, before 21DMC I already had done meditation but its the same, the difference was that I kept track of my insights : )

3.Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
I remembered that Happiness, peace and love, come from meditating, if I stop meditating those things dissapear, well love doesnt, but with meditation the energy love becomes more intense : )[/u]

4.Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
Yes definitly : ) Meditation is for life

5.If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
Meditate every day(if possible)

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

It was pretty hard at first, but after a few days of trial and error, I figured out what worked for me. I feel more relaxed and happier in general. It's like a lot of things in life have somehow become easier just because of the way I look at them.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?

I used to have a pretty negative perception of meditation, partly because my fundamentalist Christian upbringing said it was pagan and wrong. I haven't felt that way in many years, but for a long time I thought meditation was just for "new-agey types" who didn't really know what they believed.

Having done it consistently for a few weeks now, I realize that meditation should be part of any religion and is what prayer truly means. I'm also seeing it as a good way to deal with stress and anxiety.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

I've learned that I worry about a lot of things that aren't worth worrying about. By being able to simply observe my feelings I can recognize them for what they are. Just because they appear doesn't mean I have to buy into them. By the same token, if a feeling keeps appearing over and over, there's probably a reason for it. Over the past few weeks this helped me realize that I was spreading myself too thin, and that was causing a lot of worry. It didn't take long to see that the part-time job that was eating away at my time and energy was a big contributor to my stress and had to go. So it went!

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

I've seen so many benefits I definitely want to do it moving forward. I've pretty well built up the habit of doing it when I wake up, so this next month I will work on adding a session at bedtime as well. I will just make it part of my getting-up and going-to-bed routine.

1. It has been a great journey and great month.
2. My perception of meditation itself hasn't changed much. I have done it before for some periods of time. My perception of world however has changed a lot.
3. When I was through the last day of this challenge I thought: "Why did I have all that resistance towards meditating, specially knowing, where it takes me? Why was it so hard to start a regular practice, when it seems so easy now and takes almost no effort from my part?". I still have no answers to those questions other than it could have been some instinctive acting, based on limitating belief.
4. Of course, I would very much like to keep a daily meditating as a life long habit. I've been meditating every day after challenge now as well.
5. I will make a meditation journal, where I'll keep writing daily notes. I will do a summary of events and coincidences in my life, that happened during this challenge and put them in the first page of my meditation journal for inspiration (and there have been a lots of them!). I will also write down all other coincidences, that have happened to me during previous attempts to cultivate this habit. And of course - keep meditating every day.

Thank you, Celes, for leading this challenge! Group accountability really helped a lot to get started now!

P.S. From what I noticed, annanbananamc is missing from the final participant list.

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

It has been an amazing journey for me. Its life changing. Meditating is one of the things I always wanted to try, and somehow I found so many excuses, but then this challenge came along and I know right in that moment I have to take the opportunity, I did and I made it happen.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?

In the past I thought meditating is a complex thing to do. I thought you should be deep in trans or something. But then again, I always wanted to do it, and I know those are my excuses. And now, my perception of meditation took a 180 degree turn. Its not easy, but I know now that in everything, If I put my heart into it, its possible.


Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

Yes. A lot actually. I mean, First I never thought I could make a commitment to do it every single day, And I did. I learned that is all about committing myself and knowing the there will be roadblocks but I can do it. I also learn that in this journey that I am taking now, not just the meditating challenge, but the whole thing about knowing myself and so on, I learned that its all a process. Life is a process.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?

Of course! It was kinda weird yesterday when I do it and then wanted do the updating afterwards, I get used to the fact that after meditation, I get to report my progress. But yeah, I had my meditation and my beginner's yoga. So coooool!

If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

You know, I feel like all of this serves me better. And I would not take this opportunity slips away. Meditation is part of me now, and I know, that there will be times that I would not feel like doing it, but I will remind myself of this challenge, and how proud I am that I did it.

Thank you Celes and everyone, My deepest and greatest gratitude!

Thanks Celes!
_____________________________________________________

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

It was awesome!

2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?

My perception of meditation was different. But now it has changed since I was meditating daily and realized what daily meditation is like

3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

How much I focus on negative thoughts :/

________________________________________________________________
I am having doubts about my answer to other questions, so I did not answer them.

Anyway, thanks for the challenge, Celes!

"Love is a state of Being. Your love is not outside; it is deep within you. You can never lose it, and it cannot leave you." -Eckhart Tolle

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

This was a good experience for me. As with other things I've tried to make into a habit, having the challenge was very motivating for me. I felt the accountability each day. (And, btw, I also completed meditation every day of the challenge, but was not on the list!)

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?

I am not sure that my perception has changed a great deal, but I feel more dedicated to the practice. I know the benefits, yet often don't 'allow' myself to experience them.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

I am not sure that I learned anything new about myself, but did get time to reflect more on some essential questions about myself. Why do I need a challenge to add something so beneficial in my life? Why do I think of meditation, yoga, exercise - as something to be earned, and easily skipped when there is too much 'work'? These are things I will continue to explore.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?

Yes, but to be completely honest I doubt I will be as consistent without the challenge and forum platform.

If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

The best thing I learned is that it is possible to just get up and do it - even a short meditation. It doesn't require a great deal of planning or a large piece of time specifically staged in preparation for the experience. In fact, I will end this post and do a short meditation right now!

THANK YOU for the challenge and all the new connections....

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
Whats the most innermost wish of every of the 7bn individuals in the world?
To go on a holiday of a lifetime, and what better than a trip to meditation that revels your life.....thats what the journey has been, a sensational holiday that's now going to last a lifetime
What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC?
Meditation was a on-and-off affair, but now its changed to a marriage with the soul.....i would skip a day maybe and linger back the other, but after the self endearing experience, meditation is sure to be something that's going to cling to my heart forever
What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
Meditation is the natural therapy for a lost soul.....its like the king Midas, every day that begins with meditation changes to spiritual gold
What you desperately crave from the outside, is all easily found from the inside
Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
Every day was a new revelation, every moment a chance to open up to a new crevice never explored before....every day of meditation helped me learn so much about me
Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
When you see a golden light, you dont shy away from it, but instead try to pave your way towards it, this is the golden light and for sure i'm not going to drape myself with darkness running away from it but instead fully embrace and move forward with it
If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
I usually meditate very early in the morning, and so every day at the crack of dawn, i'd prep up have a productive session of meditation.....
So the alarm is set, every day is to be a new day but every new day is to have the same age-old start of meditation

Meditation is the acknowledgement with the inner self

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
To be honest I could've done more. Though looking back I don't really know how. I did meditate and i gained a lot of insigh from it but being able to record every thought and experience felt like a luxury for me. Make me wish this didn't happen during October just when i was working in a Halloween store but perhaps because of it i was was more open to meditating.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how? Yeah a lot of my perception of meditating has changed. It gave me a lot of perspective on what i was doing and how i could do things differently. Before I thought meditation was something i had to plan for to make sure it fit in my schedule but now it feels like I can use it whenever i need a quick break or build on something i need to understand.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what? i learned how much I enjoy the feeling of tranquility. I didn't think i would be able to have that during the time i spent working at a halloween store but now I think I can make everyday count by meditating and reflecting on myself.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward? Yes I would very much like to continue. Its a shame I couldn't do as much as I wanted to but sometimes doing what you can can be enough. Because in the end, I'll still be meditating regardless of whether i wrote once or twice or every day.

If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
I think i spend a few minutes everyday meditating. once i get more into it i'll start extending my time a bit more. I think i'll also write down what i've experienced and build on that

Hi everyone! Here are my responses:

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?

I've enjoyed connecting with others over this topic and sharing experiences. This process has also given me a more objective look at my own meditation practice.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC?

My perception of meditation has not changed.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?

I've learned that it's difficult to expect myself to be able to do a formal meditation every day, although I can easily incorporate a few minutes of prayer/visualization into my day or simply bring mindfulness to my daily activities. This process allowed me to see how often I am actually able to meditate. I am glad I do it as frequently as I do, but realize that I don't do it as much as I would like.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?

I will definitely continue practicing meditation, probably at the same frequency. Right now my priority is to increase my flexibility, so I don't want to create any rigid/routine habits. I plan to maintain what I've been doing.

This has been a great experience!

Life Coach and Manifesting Artist
http://www.CoachingWithChristina.com
http://www.BotanicBoutique.com

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
Its been a wonderful experience.

2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
I thought that it was kind of weird... If I had know it would have been this great I would have started years ago. 


3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
I have learned a lot about myself that we would be here all day But the big thing is I believe in myself and that there is so much more to life. 


4. Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
Do you really have to ask? YES!!!!! And I am will be a full/one/true with myself. 


5. If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
 Continue meditating and I have thought about still keeping track of my meditations. I like AH88 idea of having a form...

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
It's been really fun and I've enjoyed the community a lot. It's always easier to start something when you know you have support around.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
I've been doing mediation a little before but never got a good plan for it in my everyday life. I didn't/don't feel I could do it without guidance. But I've always enjoyed how good it made me feel and so when I saw this I got really excited. Now I feel I'm getting the hang of it better and can adjust myself to what fits me best at the current session.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
Yes, I think there's a lot I've learned and that I'm learning every time I meditate. The thing that got most clear to me during this challenge was how bad I was at planning time for myself and how important it is to look at the "whole" perspective before settling on a decision.


Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
Yes, I'm definitely implementing meditation as a daily habit in my life. I've been told to do it even twice a day and for the days that it's possible I will, but I feel as long as I can keep to at least once a day I will be doing a good job with myself.


It's been really nice joining in on this with you all and I wish everybody good luck on their journeys.

"when I'm sad, I stop being sad and be awesome instead" - Barney Stinson

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
It's been great. I liked that this was a simple challenge focused on only meditating. I think that by focusing so much energy on one topic we can really get the most out of it. I hope there are more challenges like this in the future. I thought group participation was great and it was nice seeing the forums so active.

What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
Before the challenge I was very focused on not thinking. I thought that's what meditation was really about. To achieve a peace and stillness in the mind. I that since so much of our daily thoughts are unconscious and can be destructive that meditation would be the remedy for that.

Now I perceive meditation as simply observing my inner world. Whatever comes up I observe without judgement or labeling. I do not resist thoughts. If a thought comes up I do not engage it and stay detached from it. Now that I am no longer resisting thoughts though I notice that I often now do come to states where my mind is quiet and peaceful.

Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
Yes. I learned about my perception of my inner state and unconscious thought. I had been resisting thought and trying to get the voice in my head to just be quiet. I thought of this as a huge personal problem that had to be fixed. Now that I am not resisting thought and trying to keep my mind quiet I find that I am much more conscious of my thought and more readily recognize when a negative or demotivating thought comes up.

Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward? If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
Yes definitely. From now on I will meditate in the morning since it is such a great way to start my day. I will also try to take time to meditate at work during breaks when I can. Nobody will care if I sit at work breathe deeply I could be helpful even if it is just for a couple minutes. I will also meditate for a short period before bed since it helps me fall asleep.

Thank you Celes for running this challenge!!

1. How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
The journey has been nothing short of fantastic! Honestly, I never thought I'd be able to keep up with it--but I did, and it feels great! I always wanted to incorporate meditation into my life but I didn't know how or where to start. This was the perfect way for me to get started. I really enjoyed writing in my journal everyday and reading other people's journals as well. It was nice getting involved in the forum community and seeing how positive the others are here

2. What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
Before 21DMC meditation was something I always thought the wise and old participated in. I didn't feel that I would have the discipline to meditate and that it would be far too difficult for younger people to start up. But now, I realize that anyone can do it as long as they have an open mind and believe! I see meditation as a powerful tool to relax and bring more order and peace to my life. It gives me greater clarity and I'm no longer worrying about a million different things. I also have far more control on my mind and thoughts.

3. Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
I realize that I am a lot stronger than I think. I also realized that with effort, I can control the thoughts I am feeding into my mind and bring them into control. Deep breathing has also had a positive effect on my health.

4. Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
Yes, I definitely want to make it a life-long habit!

5. If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
I am going to try to meditate in the mornings because that is more convenient for me. However, I also want to add a daily night session just before going to bed. I'll write my meditation goals daily and keep track of my progress.

Thank you so much Celes for this wonderful challenge!

How has the 21DMC journey been for you?
It has been great, I really enjoyed it !
What was your perception of meditation in the past, before 21DMC? What is your perception of meditation now? Has it changed? If so, how?
In the past I thought meditation was just impossible for me, it was too boring and complicated. My perception of meditation now is entirely different, I find it has great benefits. Anyway I am not the person I used to be, I have changed a lot and so has changed my opinion about meditation. The great thing about meditation is that it is simple, it can be done anywhere and at any time and it does not require any special material. It is this simplicity I like and also the fact that with meditation, I am less anxious and more zen and grounded.
Is there anything you have learned about yourself through your meditations? If so, what?
Yes, I have learnt that I am generally very tense (101 breaths to be able to relax and lean my head on the wall). Meditation tends also to make things less complicated, more simple and straightforward.
Would you like to continue practicing meditation moving forward?
If so, what are you going to do to ensure that you cultivate it as a life-long habit?
Yes I want to continue meditating. I will meditate every day in the evening. I do not think I have anything special to put into place to respect that. I will make sure that even if I don't feel like meditating I will do at least 5 minutes every day (and more when I have more time).

Thank you very much Celes for this challenge