Practice first.

To-do:

1. Practice.
2.

The top of your to-do list should always be practice. This doesn't mean that it needs to be the first thing that you do each day, but that it is your main priority.

Practice isn't just your seated practice. The practice that we are talking about involves meditation and post-meditation, or your formal sitting practice and then the rest of your daily life.

Meditation is the obvious part. Pick a time of the day to sit and meditate. Rest in the natural state. Recognize the nature of your own mind and rest in a pure, open presence.

The difficult part is carrying that openness and presence into your daily life in the post-meditation session. How do you work with problems and difficulties that are coming up in your day? How do you engage with other people? What do you do when you find yourself caught up in projection or tuning out? How do you work with hesitation, doubt and fear? How do you act when you see an opportunity to be generous and kind?

Every part of your day is calling you to be more deeply present in the world that you occupy. You can always find ways to be patient, kind and understanding in your daily life- which is why practice is always your first priority.