1,000 days straight. Two years and 270 days.

That's my current daily mediation streak. No breaks.

I never started with the goal of doing it for almost 3 years without missing a day. It just happened.

First, let me back that MAC truck up.

It was 2019, the year after I decided to go vegan, and I was hungry for a new challenge.

That's when I first heard about the power of meditation and mindfulness. I was sold.

I've always struggled to name and regulate my emotions. 

I've always struggled to calm my thoughts.

I've always struggled to remain still.

Getting high was my only way to combat the running mind, uncontrolled emotions, and inability to sit with silence. It worked for a while–until it didn't.

And that's why I was looking for a better way. Subconsciously I was preparing for this moment, 2021.

This year, 2021, has been the roughest I've ever experienced.

In February, my grandma became severely ill with congested heart failure.

In March, I had a panic/anxiety attack and now deal daily with anxiety.

In September, Justin (my brother) went through a rough divorce.

In October, Katie (my wife) was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

I'm angry at God. It doesn't make any sense.

But through it, meditation has provided the calm and peace I've needed to hang on (barely).

I didn't know almost three years ago that all this would happen. But that's life.

You never know when the house will fall in. But it will. Trust me.

You will experience the dark night of the soul when everything that made sense no longer makes sense—when your coping mechanisms fail to work.

So I ask you, what are you doing today that will prepare you for your dark night of the soul?

It is too late to implement a new habit when everything comes crashing in.

They say the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. I believe the same applies to building resilience.

What will you plant today that will provide you with covering on the darkest of days?

🧠 + ❤️ // JO

P.S. This year has also been one of my best. 

I married the love of my life, got promoted to a marketing manager, and feel the happiest and peaceful I ever have. 

That's what meditation and mindfulness provide. A perspective that you could never gain with a cloudy mind.