<aside> 🎉 Congratulations! You're officially past "Stage 0 - No Interest At All".
</aside>
Before we continue, first you're going to need to:
Wield this as your weapon:
Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless.
That’s a quote from our pal, Bruce Lee. Let it be your motto for everything to come: it's important.
The only thing I'd add to the above, is to just be aware that "useful" and "useless" are individualised and moving targets, and not absolute ideals. As such, it's always a good idea to never fully close the door on stuff you don't find "useful". Instead, I'd encourage you to leave the door slightly ajar.
This is basically another way to encourage you to be open-minded. Don't be so open minded that your brain falls out - invite skepticism and question everything ruthlessly. Just recognise that on the flip side, probably best not to be slamming doors on everything you deem "useless", because that is equally as rigid as simply believing everything you're told.
You probably don't need me to tell you that there is a middle way between these two extremes. But, it does set the tone nicely for everything to come.
"Enough talk" - just kidding, plenty of talking to come.
Anyway, here's the crux of this whole stage:
<aside> 👉 Meditation is a form of mental training.
</aside>
Much as the body can be trained in a way to incite change, so can the mind.
These days, meditation is becoming increasingly 'mainstream' in the West, so this idea isn't as far-fetched as perhaps it once was. And while there are less people scoffing and saying "well what's the point of sitting there and doing nothing", those that do practice meditation overwhelmingly don't treat it like a discipline like they would with physical fitness.
With great diligence, the right training regime, one can totally transform their body.
Likewise, with great diligence, and right training, one can totally transform the mind.
Meditation is absolutely a skill. And it's a skill with far greater depth than most people probably realise.