For years I believed one thing about meditation:
It had to be first.
First thing after waking. Before tea. Before work. Before information, notifications and conversations reached me.
I held this belief for fifteen years.
It was not a preference. It was a law.
I tested it before. Or thought I did. But those tests were confounded by sleep deprivation and probably other factors.
I was doing research on how to get better sleep.
Two things surfaced at the top:
- Consistent wake time. Not bedtime. Wake time is what anchors your rhythm.
- Morning sun.
The first one I locked in about a month earlier. The second one surprised me.
I heard it before. Many times. My instinct was to dismiss it again.
But this time I caught myself. What if I tried it just for one day?
The next morning I went to the rooftop. The goal was 15 minutes of sun.
I ended up meditating up there. The whole session. Then I worked from the rooftop afterwards.
I cut my operations time in half that week. I leveled up multiple habits. That first day was the most productive day of the year for me. It came with energy and clarity of thought I did not expect.
I did it again the next day. Also productive. Also clear.
Fifteen years of unquestioned belief.
Two days of experimentation to break it.
Sacred cows disguise themselves as wisdom. Sometimes they are wisdom. Conditions change. Environments change.
What was true five years ago may not be true for you today.
They survive because they are never questioned again.
The antidote is uncomfortable:
Treat long-held beliefs as hypotheses.
Then run experiments.
If it survives the test, it earns its place.
☀️
What belief are you protecting that you have not tested in years?