There seem to be no end of benefits when you look across the landscape of what meditation is supposed to do.

Relaxation and stress relief are the most common and popular. Some instructors promise improved focus, concentration, clarity, creativity and generally better productivity – the ‘mindful at work’ type of pitch. The more spiritual angles might offer union with the infinite, insight into the ultimate nature of reality, or some kind of transcendent mystical experience. Some offer an improved sex life. Some even suggest you can develop psychic powers.

Some of these things I’ve experienced and I’m open minded about the rest of it.

Yet despite not being psychic, I think I know one thing you believe.

You think you can’t meditate. I mean, not really. You can sort of do it. But you’re not very good at it and you’re mind’s all over the place.

There’s a general piece of advice given to you when you get trained as a corporate trainer or facilitator. It is that you never want to disagree with your participants – it makes them defensive, you can get into a pointless argument that wastes everyone’s time, and it’s almost guaranteed to be a lose-lose outcome.

However – on this point, I am going to disagree with you. In this matter, you are wrong. Sorry about that.

You can meditate.  And to the extent that you ‘think’ you can’t … see if you can recognize that for what it is. It’s a thought, a belief. You might feel it strongly because of what you perceive meditation to be and what you’re experiencing, but it’s just a thought. A belief. You’ve had some of those before that you later discovered were incorrect. Can you at least hold out the possibility that this one is incorrect.

If you believe you can’t meditate it’s because you believe meditation is something it’s not. You believe you have to hold your attention perfectly without getting distracted. You don’t. You will get distracted. That’s part of the experience. Then you start again. Rinse and repeat.

See if you can let go of these beliefs that you can’t do this, that it’s difficult, that you’ll get around to it one day. Start right now by letting go of these limiting (and incorrect) beliefs.

Take a breath.

Take another while watching that breath.

Do it again.

See – you can do this.