You’re Closer Than You Think (Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It)

(upbeat music) Headspace Studio. Hey friends, it's Dora, and welcome to Radio Headspace. Thank you so much for being here. So I have a friend who has been giving the same advice to her little brother for years, and I mean years. Every time he goes through a breakup, she'd say, "Maybe this is a good time to work on yourself." Every time he got dumped, she'd say, "Maybe you could use this time to work on your communication skills." And every time he got back together with an ex, she'd say, "Okay, well maybe notice if you start to fall into the same unhealthy patterns again," and every time and went in one ear and out the other. Until one day she called me completely shocked. Her brother had just gone through another breakup, but this time, instead of texting his ex, he told her, "I think I'm gonna take some time to work on myself," and she almost dropped the phone. After years of saying the same thing over and over, suddenly it landed. We all have these moments where it feels like we're saying the same thing, doing the same thing, trying the same thing, and it's just not working. Whether it's for ourselves or others. Maybe you're trying to teach someone something and they're just not getting it. Maybe you're trying to build a habit, but every time you do it, it feels pointless. Maybe you're trying to show up for someone and it feels like it's not making a difference, but just because you don't see the impact right away doesn't mean it's not happening. There's a lovely zen story that captures the essence of what I'm trying to say perfectly. A young monk came to his teacher, frustrated. "Master," He said, "I've been meditating every day, but I still feel restless. I've been practicing mindfulness, but I still get distracted. It feels like I'm building something that never takes shape." The master nodded and told him, "Imagine you're building a bridge across a great river every day you lay bricks one by one, but if you stop halfway because you don't see the other side yet, what happens?" The student thought for a moment, "I'll never reach the other side." The master smiled. Exactly. Every brick matters, even the ones that don't seem to change anything. How often do we quit building our bridges, just because we don't see results fast enough? Maybe you're showing up for someone, but it feels like they're not listening. Maybe you're practicing something but it feels like it's not sticking. Maybe you're trying to be more patient, more kind, more present, but you still fall back into old habits and it's tempting to think, maybe this isn't working, or maybe I should just stop. But here's the thing. Just because you don't see the progress doesn't mean you're not making it or that progress isn't happening. The practice itself is the progress. Every repetition is a brick, and...