Dear friends.
Welcome to this meditation which is designed to encourage you to take one step in the direction of your goal.
But let us begin as usual by taking one step that is important in our everyday lives.
Stopping for a moment to just let things be.
So,
Whatever might be on your mind just now.
See if you can let it go.
If you can let it be.
Few things are so important that they cannot wait for a few minutes.
So relax.
Let your body sink into the chair or onto the cushion.
If you feel any tension anywhere.
See if you can just bring your mind to it and decide to let it go.
Drop the shoulders.
Relax the face.
Allow your hands to sit on your knees or wherever seems comfortable.
You might find it helpful to close your eyes.
But in all this,
There is only one rule,
One recommendation.
That you allow yourself to relax and feel comfortable.
Let's see if we can all do that for the next 60 seconds of gentle music.
Just one minute.
Welcome back.
I hope you are feeling a little more relaxed now.
Have you ever had the experience of being faced with some awkward or challenging task?
If you're like me,
You might have decided to work on something simpler just to clear the decks.
Something that will give you the feeling that things are moving.
Now sometimes we are surrounded by such confusion that it helps Forst to clear the text.
Especially to attend the important matter of clearing your workspace.
But in all this,
We have to take care.
Busyness can be an escape from the important task to be done.
That awkward job is still hanging over us.
And the more we put it off.
.
.
The less enthusiasm we have for it.
Before we go on to consider how we might climb this mountain.
It might be useful to ask ourselves,
Why do we put off the awkward job?
There are any number of reasons,
And some of these might resonate with you.
The fear of making a mistake.
Uncertainty about what is to be done.
A sense of overwhelm if the task appears big.
Could be suffering from the sin of perfectionism.
There can even be the fear of success.
What if this idea works?
What then?
And of course,
They can be the daughter in our minds and in our workspace.
Let's have another one minute pause now.
So that we can each examine what it is that causes us to procrastinate.
Welcome back again.
The title of this meditation is The Magic of Just One Step.
And the solution to our problem lies in those six words.
When we are faced with an awkward task.
Something that we might be inclined to postpone.
There is one idea that will get the work moving.
The idea of taking just one step.
Think of it like this.
You are setting out on a long road journey.
If you were to consider all the twists and turns of the journey before setting out,
You might decide to give the road trip a miss.
But what really happens minute by minute on the road trip is much simpler.
You turn on the power.
Or the engine and you carefully move your car forward.
There may be difficult intersections and twists and turns along the way.
But if you deal with them one by one in each present moment.
You will find yourself at the journey's end and all will be well.
It's the same,
The very same,
When it comes to tackling a difficult task.
Years ago I came across words to the effect that every impossibility can be divided into a number of steps.
Each of which is possible.
Nearly 400 years ago.
Rene Descartes advised dividing difficulties into as many parts as needed to solve them.
What Descartes advised has equal application in our own time.
We are encouraged to divide each difficulty.
Into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.
So if you find yourself faced with something that you've been putting off,
Remember to come back to this meditation.
And remember,
The magic of just one step.
The next question.
What might that step be?
It might be simply writing down the title of the job to be done.
What are the steps that are needed to be taken?
Is there any part that can be worked on just now?
If you need more information,
Just list that fact.
And ask yourself,
How might you access that information?
If you need help from someone else,
Just list that fact.
And decide how to approach the person who can help.
Magic of taking one step is this.
The enormity of the job or the perceived enormity of the job.
Is drastically reduced when you see it broken down into its constituent parts.
Even listing the parts,
Will encourage you to take the first step.
All you have to do is take one step today.
You don't have to commit yourself to going any further today.
But having taken one step and deciding what the next step will be.
What appeared initially to be an insurmountable task will be shown to be a series of possible steps.
And just think of the good feeling that you'll experience when you begin to tackle this task,
Which has been troubling your mind for so long.
You'll find a burden lifted.
You will harness power and enthusiasm for so many other things.
When you take this one magic step and open the flow of energy.
And so to end this meditation,
This talk,
This reflection,
A loving kindness blessing for you,
Based around the idea of taking this one magical step.
May you be well.
May you be steady.
May you be gentle with yourself in this moment.
May your fear become smaller by the breakdown of the task.
May you remember that one step is enough.
May you realise there is no need to hurry.
Just a need to move.
May you drop the burden of feeling that the entire project needs to be carried together.
And when you are ready.
And encouraged by the four steps.
May you take the next step and the next.
With ever more clarity.
And ever more courage.
May you be well.
May you move forward gently,
One step at a time.
Namaste
