“When there are thoughts, it is distraction: when there are no thoughts, it is meditation.” – Ramana Maharshi

My problem is that whenever I try to be thoughtless, I get distracted by all the thoughts that arise in my mind.
I can never get to a full state of meditation, due to all the things I think of throughout the day…

You have been watching Avatar a lot, haven’t you?

How’d you guess…
But still, it keeps me thinking about what if I could get to that pure state of meditation.
What if I can empty my mind at will without falling asleep?
Would it help me relax and everything?

It might…
But the question is, how to get to it.
Have you done any research on that topic?

Nothing at all…
I have tried many things to clear my mind, but I’m easily distracted by sounds and actions around me.
To that extend that I seem to be unable to focus my mind on even a single thing.
Let alone focus it on something that isn’t there…

Okay…. But have you…

Seriously… Even while typing all this, I get distracted by my phone, Skype conversations, the cat and everything else around me.
It’s as if I’m too far embedded into my desire for distraction to set myself free.

Does it bother you that much?

Well… No… Not that much…
But it is something for me to work on.
I should be less attached to my desire for distraction.
Perhaps I should shut myself away from the internet more often…
Just read a book or watch a movie, while my phone is in a different room.
Listen to some music and just write things down, with nothing else around me.

That would be a solid start.

Problem is… I’ve tried that before.
But at some point, I fail to notice any difference and just give up on it.
And thus fall back to my old habits…

And what if you would do this once a week, just by yourself, without any other internet tabs open?
Would it help you?
PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY!!!

Sorry… I’m paying attention to this, but try to do other stuff at the same time.

You’re not a perfect multitasker!
You can’t do serious stuff like this, whilst still trying to do other small tasks!
When writing, focus only on writing and try to shut yourself out from everything else.
Make sure you finish this first, before anything else and reward your desire for distraction when you’re done!

YES!
I know how to ‘motivate’ others with those exact words!
But it’s always a brick to my own face when trying to motivate myself with that.
Then again… That’s exactly why I started these conversations…
It gives me something to read back to.
Somehow these conversations feel like I’m actually talking to someone else from time to time.

You sir, are right and wrong at the sime time.
But it’s no use for me to try and convince you otherwise.

I know… That’s the trouble we have to go through with these conversations.
It was nice talking to me again.