I Can't Meditate, My Mind Is Too Busy
David Oromith · 7 minutes · recorded June 2, 2026
A short extract from Motivating the Lazy Practitioner Within. David talks about what happens when we do a ten minute practice where the mind wanders the whole time and we think it was a waste, and why the wandering mind is not an obstacle to meditation, but the very fabric of it. He says, if meditation only worked when the mind was quiet, then we would not need it! He offers a small reframe: I can't focus, becomes I can't focus yet, as we remain open to growth rather than feeling defeated.
A few minutes taken from Motivating the Lazy Practitioner Within, the third session, The Laziness of Discouragement. David describes what happens when we sit down for ten minutes and the mind wanders the whole time. We check the clock, find five minutes gone, and a part of us says this is not working. He says that ten minutes was valuable, and exactly what was supposed to happen. He sets the fixed mindset, where "I can't meditate, my mind's too busy" becomes information about who we are, against the growth mindset, where noticing the mind has wandered and coming back is the flavour of meditation. If meditation only worked when the mind was quiet, he says, we would not need it. His reframe is to add "yet" to our can't statements. I can't focus yet. I can't be patient yet. Discouragement wants to close the conversation down, and that word keeps it open on the days when nothing settles.
Distraction and attention Enthusiastic effort (virya) Self-criticism and shame