Mindful Moments with David Larbi

Another Q&A Episode, as is tradition every tenth episode! As ever, I chose the questions that I feel best positioned to answer according to life right now - I hope my answers are well-received and of value. As ever, thank you for being here and thank you for listening. Here’s to the next ten episodes! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When it comes to tackling tasks I know will likely bring discomfort, I can find it difficult to get out of my head and into gear. Sometimes, though, that’s all that’s left to do. We can only think so much before doing, and sometimes difficulty is far greater in the hypothesis than in reality. It’s up to me to act, then deal with any difficulties as they arise rather than letting hypothetical difficulty stop me from acting. Make it real, then deal! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When encountering familiar difficulties which we’ve overcome before, it can feel frustrating that we’re finding the same things difficult once more. It causes me to question my own growth and progress. Some things, however, are simply difficult in nature. To struggle with the same things does not mean we haven’t grown, it’s simply indicative of life’s changing nature. We can find the same things difficult, but deal with them better than we ever would have before. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sometimes, good things come to an end. Things being fleeting can make them precious; good things don’t have to last forever for them to have the impact they need to. They still resonate into the future, and are always worth experiencing even if they don’t last as long as we hoped. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve been making a conscious effort to occupy my time wisely. If I’m not careful, I give in to my need to constantly feel as though I’m actively working hard and doing something all the time - in other words, sometimes I busy myself needlessly. Being more intentional about my time is much better for my health, and something I am doing my best not to compromise on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When things are difficult, I think about quitting. It’s a logical thought process, and one I no longer take any shame in. To understand and explore my desire to quit is to give my feelings credibility and make a decision I can truly stand behind, and continuing when I know I could have given up is when I see how strong I can be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The thought, “I can’t be bothered to do this” happens at the time when I could, in fact, conveniently do this - I just don’t feel like it. Getting over that feeling and deciding more often to think “might as well” and do it, is something I never regret. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but the more I decide “might as well”, the better my life is in the small ways that add up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I’ve been working for a long time, years, on being consistent in many areas of my life. I’m in a place now where I can see progress even as I look to improve, which feels really nice. Building consistency isn’t easy but the principles are simple, and it’s something we can all do! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I mess up, I find it hard to forgive myself and let go. The problem with this is it that I then miss the opportunity to be present, understand my actions, move forward and heal. Forgiving myself is a practice I am working hard on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When I mess up, I find it hard to forgive myself and let go. The problem with this is it that I then miss the opportunity to be present, understand my actions, move forward and heal. Forgiving myself is a practice I am working hard on. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If I’m not careful, I find it all too easy to equate my self-worth to how productive I’m being and what I’m achieving at the present time. Building better self-esteem comes from understanding that I have value no matter what I’m currently achieving, and productivity and achievement are useful but should not be my only validation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to another Q&A Episode! I meant to answer 20 and realised I accidentally fell one short - let’s say I owe you one! 30 episodes is quite a few, and I only grow to love this more the more I do it, so thank you so very much for listening. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I often find myself wishing time away over small inconveniences and the type of general difficulty that comes as a part of life. It stops me being present and appreciative, and it’s something I want to work on doing far less of! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘Self-sabotage: behaviour or thoughts, especially of an involuntary or unconscious nature, that are harmful to one’s own interests or development.’ Self-sabotage, as the name suggests, is deeply personal and everyone has their individual reasons for engaging in it. I’m very much a work in progress, but I’ve really become much better at understanding the root causes and thought processes that have lead me to do so in the past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January is underway, and I’m feeling different to how I was this time last year. I’m in a rest period, which feels strange at a time when it seems as though everybody is hitting the ground running and building momentum. It’s hard not to feel like I’m missing out on something or doing something wrong, but this is an excellent opportunity for me to act on one of my principles: what’s good for someone else may not be good for me. What’s most important is that I run my own race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Happy New Year! It feels wonderful to be back after my short break, in perfect timing to welcome in a new year. Today we’re talking about resolutions and the way I enter a new calendar year. A year is a long time and though we can’t know what to expect, there are wonderful moments ahead that we can’t even begin to anticipate. Here’s to 2024! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last episode of 2023, before I take some time off, I’m thinking about being more present. It was something I tried to work on throughout this year, but it’s still very much a journey! Thank you for all your time this year - I can’t wait to see you again in January. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I love to plan. I love it when plans go to plan. I struggle when I have to change my plans, for many reasons - I feel like I’m giving up, like I’m “failing”, like I’m letting myself down in some way. Being flexible and knowing when a plan isn’t working anymore isn’t failure, it’s pragmatism. Resetting and redirecting our steps can feel like a setback, but often it’s the most necessary recalibration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Following last week’s episode, a listener drew a really interesting comparison between something I said in Episode 22 about the differences between motivation and discipline. They said that these differences sound similar to the differences between love and passion, and asked me to expand on those thoughts. It felt right to do so this week. Love and passion work marvellously in tandem but are very different things and mean different things to all of us. I hope you enjoy my thoughts, and I’d love to hear yours too! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk a lot, correctly, about how discipline is better to rely on than motivation. That doesn’t mean that motivation isn’t extremely valuable. In fact, in these past weeks I’ve been making the most of the moments where I feel motivated to help me get through difficult times. Motivation is a wonderful thing when we use it well! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.