This is Day 42 of How to Be a Better Person in 365 Days (365 Challenge) October 2011 Challenge. View list of tasks: 365 Challenge Overview

Hi All! Welcome to Day 42 of the 365 Challenge!

Today is Day 42 of 365 Challenge, aka: How to Be a Better Person in 365 Days. You’ve gotten this far, and have done every day’s task with due diligence (it’s okay if there were delays as long as you ultimately did them), let me congratulate you. It’s not easy to get this far – it obviously shows that you’re serious about your growth to take action and follow-through.

Growth is not supposed to be easy. It takes courage to step up against resistances. It takes strength to push through even in face of doubt. It takes passion and love for being the highest of yourself. You see, it’s easy to coax yourself into skipping tasks or dropping the 30-day program because that’s just the simpler way out. Sometimes it’s the result of our very defence mechanisms at work – they are threatened by the exploration, which threatens their very existence. They erect barriers to prevent what’s underneath from being uncovered and examined. It takes a different kind of person altogether to hold yourself to your original commitment of going through the program when you first signed up.

So far in the challenge, we’ve covered important habits like gratitude, waking early, kindness, inner dialogues, bettering ourselves, and more. Today we’ll be working on meditation.

Meditation

I’ve written a lot already on my experience with meditation, how I got started and the benefits of meditation, which I invite you to read here first: 20 Surprising Benefits of Meditation Everyone Should Know

Meditation is not an goal or achievement. Meditation has no seeking or desire. In meditation we become aware of our desires and goals. If some one is seeking any goal through meditation then it is another game of mind and not worth pursuing it.

Whether you practice meditation in your daily routine or you only do it sporadically, meditation brings you increased clarity and centeredness within yourself. People who meditate regularly experience a huge slew of benefits, compared to those who don’t.

Today we’re going to take a breather through meditation.

Your Task: Meditate

Start on a new page or blank page and/or however, you choose write. On top, write “My Meditation”.

Clear your mind before you start. Take a few deep, slow breaths.
Follow the 5 steps outlined in: How To Meditate For Beginners: 7 Easy Steps Of “Spontaneous Meditation”
Meditate for as long as you want, till you feel cleansed, purified, refreshed and good to go. I recommend 30 minutes to start off. If you want to meditate longer, that’s even better. (Back when I went for the Vipassana retreat, I underwent almost 100 hours of intense meditation, and processed a lot of latent memories and thoughts I didn’t know were there!)

Observe all the thoughts (your inner dialogue) going through you meditate. Don’t engage in the thoughts; just sit and observe, as an external observer of reality would.

Day 42 Reflection for 365 Challenge

Is there anything you learned today?
If so, what is it? Write it down.

Share Your Answers!

Share in the comments and tell us you are doing. Report back at the end to share your progress!

Love. Kindness. Justice. Service. Virtues are the very meaning and purpose of our lives, the content of our character and the truest expression of our souls. For people of all cultures, ethnicities and beliefs, they are the essence of authentic success.

Virtue (Latin: virtus, Greek: ἀρετή “arete“) is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. Personal virtues are characteristics valued as promoting individual and collective well being. The opposite of virtue is vice.
Virtue means power, strength, inner quality. Virtues are the content of our character, the elements of the human spirit. They grow stronger whenever we use them. As a six year old once said, “Virtues are what’s good about us.”

Each of us has both Strength Virtues we can rely on, and Growth virtues that are the challenges of our character. A lifelong learner never gives up hope that at any moment, we can awaken a virtue by choosing to live it. The Virtues Project is all about bringing virtues to life.

Acceptance To consider circumstances, especially those that can not be changed, as satisfactory.

Accountability The quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions.

Ambition Having a strong desire for success or achievement.

Assertiveness Disposed to or characterized by bold or confident assertion.

Beauty The quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit. Aesthetic harmony.

Benevolence The disposition to do good.

Bravery A quality of spirit that enables you to face danger of pain without showing fear.

Caring to give care. A concern for…

Charity Generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering. Aid given to those in need.

Chastity Purity in conduct and intention.

Caution Avoidance of rashness, attention to safety.

Cleanliness Careful to keep clean : fastidious, habitually kept clean.

Commitment The firm carrying out of purpose.

Compassion Sympathetic awareness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.

Confidence A feeling of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances. Faith in oneself.

Consideration Thoughtful and sympathetic regard for the needs of others. Careful thought.

Contentment The quality of feeling satisfied with one’s possessions, status, or situation.

Cooperation To associate with another or others for mutual benefit/to achieve a shared goal

Courage A quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear.

Courtesy Polite, respectful or considerate behaviour mindful of other people.

Creativity The ability to create. A quality involving the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations of the creative mind between existing ideas or concepts.

Curiosity A desire to find out and know things.

Defiance Bold resistance.

Dependability Reliable, worthy of reliance or trust.

Detachment Freedom from attachments’.

Determination Firmness of purpose

Devotion A great love or loyalty, enthusiastic zeal.

Diligence Conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation. Persevering determination to perform a task.

Discernment The ability to distinguish; judgement; Discrimination; To distinguish between things; To perceive differences that exist.

Discretion Being discrete in ones speech, keeping secrets.

Discipline The trait of being well behaved and under control.

Eloquence Powerful and effective language. Fluent, persuasive and articulate speech.

Empathy Identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives.

Enthusiasm A feeling of excitement. Exuberance: overflowing with eager enjoyment or approval.

Excellence The quality of excelling; possessing good qualities in high degree.

Faith Complete confidence in a person, plan or set of beliefs etc.

Faithfulness Steadfast in affection or allegiance; loyal.

Flexibility Adaptable, able to be changed to suit circumstances.

FocusConcentrated awareness and effort.

Forbearance Restraint under provocation; patience: good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence.

Forgiveness To cease to feel angry or bitter towards a person or about an offense.

Fortitude Strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage.

Friendliness Agreeableness is a tendency to be pleasant and accommodating.

Frugality Prudence in avoiding waste. Being economical with resources.

Generosity Giving or ready to give freely, free from meanness or prejudice.

Gentleness Moderate; mild, quite; not rough or severe.

Grace Elegance and beauty of movement or expression.

Gratitude Being thankful.

Helpfulness The quality of providing useful assistance.

Honesty Truthful; sincere; not lieing or cheating.

HonorNot disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent. Worthy of being honored.

Hope The general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.

Humbleness Modest; not arrogant or boastful.

Humility A disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride.

Humor The ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing, comical, incongruous, or absurd.

Idealism High mindedness: elevated ideals and conduct; the quality of believing that ideals should be pursued.

Integrity Moral soundness; Integrity is consistency of values and actions. Unbroken completeness with nothing lacking.

Impartiality Fair. An inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally without bias.

Industry Diligent, hardworking.

Innocence Guileless, not guilty.

Joyfulness The emotion of great happiness

Justice Fair, impartial, giving a deserved response.

Kindness Friendly, helpful, well meaning.

Knowledge Part of the hierarchy made up of data, information and knowledge. Data are raw facts. Information is data with context and perspective. Knowledge is information with guidance for action based upon insight and experience.

Liberality An inclination to favor progress and individual freedom the trait of being generous in behavior and temperament.

Love A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

Loyalty Steadfast in allegiance to one’s homeland, government, or sovereign. Faithful to a person, ideal, custom, cause, or duty.

Magnanimity The virtue of being great of mind and heart. It encompasses, usually, a refusal to be petty, a willingness to face danger, and actions for noble purposes.

Majesty Great and impressive dignity.

Meekness The feeling of patient, submissive humbleness; a disposition to be patient and long suffering.

Mercy Clemency: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice.

Moderation The avoidance of extremes in one’s actions or opinions.

Modesty Freedom from vanity or conceit. Not inclined to boast.

Obedience Willingness to obey, to be controlled when necessary, to carry out orders.

Openness Ready and willing to talk candidly.Unsecretive.

Orderliness Neatness and tidiness. A personality trait which involves the organization of things into a state of order and symmetry. The quality of appreciating method and system.

Patience The ability to endure delay, trouble, pain or hardship.

Peace Freedom from mental agitation; serenity.

Perseverance Being persistent, refusing to stop despite failures, delays and difficulties.

Persistence Never-ceasing, relentless.

Piety Humble devotion to a high ideal.

Prudence Wise or careful in conduct. Shrewd or thrifty in planning ahead.

Punctuality The quality or habit of adhering to an appointed time.

Purity Freedom from defilement. Undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material. Unsullied by sin or moral wrong.

Purposefulness Having a definite goal.

Reliability Can be trusted to do something.

Resoluteness The quality of being firm in purpose.

Resourcefulness The ability to act effectively or imaginatively, especially in regard to difficult situations and unusual problems.

Respect Admiration for others. Treating people with due dignity.

Responsibility Having control over and accountability for appropriate events.

Restraint Holding Back.

Reverence Profound awe and respect.

Righteousness Adhering to moral principles. Holiness.

Selflessness The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Self Sacrifice The giving up of one’s own benefit, especially giving up one’s life, for the good of others.

Service Work done by one person or group that benefits another.

Sensitivity Heightened awareness of oneself and others within the context of social and personal relationships.

Silence Inner peace. Being silent.

Simplicity Straightforward; not complex or complicated. Unpretentious.

Sincerity Free from pretense or deceit in manner or actions.

Sobriety Serious, solemn and calm. Free from intoxication.

Spontaneity Natural, not planned.

Steadfastness Firm, resolute; determinedly unwavering.

Strength Capable of exerting great force.

Tact Consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense.

Temperance Moderation and self-restraint, as in behaviour or expression. Restraint in the use of or abstinence from alcoholic liquors/intoxicants.

Thankfulness Warm friendly feelings of gratitude.

Thrift The characteristic of using a minimum of something. Saving.

Tolerance Tending to permit, allow, understand, or accept something; tending to withstand or survive.

Toughness Strong and durable; not easily damaged.

Tranquillity Serenely quite and peaceful; undisturbed.

Trust Having confidence in others; lacking suspicion.

Trustworthiness Able to be trusted or depended on; reliable.

Truthfulness Accurately depicting what is real.

Understanding Comprehension, assimilation of knowledge. The holistic awareness of facts.

Unity Freedom from division. Oneness.

Vitality Exuberant physical strength or mental vigor, energy.

Wisdom The trait of utilizing knowledge and experience with common sense and insight.