This is episode 2,198 of the Daily Meditation Podcast.

I'm Mary Meckley and I welcome you to day four of our series we're exploring this week. We are exploring

the theme of simplicity as you continue your start to a brand new year. And this week it's about

simplifying your interior life.

So letting go of distracting thoughts and allowing yourself to open up to a higher essence of who you are. As you go through this

week's simplicity series you have a challenge your challenge is to go on a media fast

avoid all media, especially media that is very distracting with sensationalized news or fear-based news. Don't watch it, don't read it. Let go of this kind of influence in your life, especially this week, you may be surprised

by how much more incredibly calmer you feel by giving yourself a media break this week.

I also want to share with you a few pitfalls you may want to avoid as you continue along with your simplicity theme this week.

One of the pitfalls can be not putting first in your life, those things that matter most.

It's all too easy to get caught up in the trap of doing things

on a daily basis which require urgency. We may have to rush out the door to work each day,

help our children with their homework, exercise, plan our meals, all these different things

that require doing.

We often sacrifice those times that allow us to simply be, such as meditation or spending time in nature or spending time connecting with loved ones.

These times when you're allowing yourself to simply be to unfold to who you really are,

to you at your finest. These are the times when you begin to enrich your interior life.

So consider the pitfalls in your life in regard to simplicity.

Consider the moments where you spend your time doing when you could be spending some of that time being.

What you'll find is that as you become more attuned to how you're spending your time,

how you're living your life and when you make time for yourself,

whether you call it self-care or a time to nurture yourself,

...