You Don’t Meditate to Get Good at Meditation, You Meditate to Get Good at Life

“If I had an hour to cut down a tree, I’d spend 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”

—?Abraham Lincoln

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In today’s fast-paced world, we’re always improving something: our careers, our skills, our relationships, our bodies, our hair (well, maybe not me so much). It’s a never-ending cycle of?doing?and?becoming.?

But when was the last time you thought about improving your ability to simply?sit and do nothing? (And why would you?).

That’s where a practice like Ascension or a true meditation comes in. The fact is, you don’t meditate to get better at meditating. You meditate to get better at life.?

Let’s dive into this and see why spending time “doing nothing” might just be the most productive thing you can do.

Why Practice Life?

Most of us, busy juggling work, family, and personal growth — spend at least some time practicing our skills. You might work on becoming a better communicator, a more effective leader, a more patient parent.?

You attend yoga classes or workshops, you read books about self-improvement, you listen to podcasts to expand your mind. This practice, this learning, is what gets us from point A to point B.

But here’s the thing: life itself is an art.?

It’s not just about completing tasks and hitting goals. It’s about navigating relationships, finding joy in small moments, staying calm under pressure, and maintaining a sense of balance in a world that often feels like a storm.?

All these things require a kind of clarity, resilience, and flexibility — not just of the body, but of the mind and spirit too.

Meditation as “Sharpening the Axe”

Abraham Lincoln once supposedly said,?“If I had an hour to cut down a tree, I’d spend 45 minutes sharpening my axe.”?The message is simple: preparation is key. Why spend all your time hacking at the tree with a dull blade when you could prepare your tool and make the job easier? And more enjoyable?

The same idea applies to Ascension or meditation. It’s not just a break from your busy life; it’s?preparation?for life.?

By taking time out of your day to sit quietly, you’re not only resting your body and sharpening your mind but you’re aligning with your spirit — your most valuable asset.?

Meditation helps you hone your focus, calm your nerves, and build the emotional flexibility you need for all the tasks that life throws at you. It helps you feel like you’re perfectly resonating with that invisible but tangible sense of Self where you have wisdom, courage,??serenity and joy galore.

In other words, you’re not meditating to be the world’s best meditator. You’re meditating to live a better life, to do things more effectively, to smile more, to make sure your “axe” is sharp.

The “Doing Nothing” Paradox

However. For many, the idea of sitting still and doing nothing can feel impossible, and at best improbable. After all, there are always emails to answer, projects to manage, and a family to take care of. How could?doing nothing?possibly help?

Here’s the secret: meditation is not really about doing nothing. Yes, you might be physically still, but there’s a lot going on beneath the surface.

Meditation trains your brain to respond to exhaustion and overwhelm and pressure in healthier ways. It increases your self-awareness so you can make better choices rather than reacting unconsciously, and it improves your emotional intelligence so you understand yourself, others and the exact need of the moment with clearer insight — all without the need to?do?anything.

Think of it as an exercise for your brain, helping you build mental strength in the same way that yoga or running builds physical strength.?

Just as you wouldn't expect to get fit after one gym session, you shouldn't expect instant transformation from meditation. But with consistent practice, you'll start noticing not so subtle shifts in how you handle the ups and downs of life.

A Deeper Level of Life

Don’t think of Ascension or meditation only on the traditional Western mind-body-emotions level. We’ve mentioned it briefly, but a consistent practice aligns you with the heart of your being. People call it different things, but the higher Self, your spirit, your soul –?while invisible to the eye –?is something you definitely know, feel, notice.

I know the times in my life where I felt unbalanced and further away from that sense of Me were the worst times. I felt lost, confused, and disconnected. Disconnected from what? That was the puzzling thing. I had everything, and yet something significant was missing. Now I know exactly what was amiss.

The emotional intelligence we talked about above… consider that you also have a spiritual “”intelligence. And throw away everything you’ve been told and taught about purity or sin or whatever – this is the sense of you that makes you You. It’s your flavour, your essence, your sense of Rightness.

It’s the precise absence of “should” and need and grasping and concern about what other people think.

When you’re aligned, you truly have nothing to prove, nothing to hide and nothing to fear. All is beautifully well. The moment doesn’t necessarily need to be filled with activity or busy-ness, it can be appreciated for its simple emptiness.??

It’s that fresh off the yoga mat feeling; “I’ve just come back from a lovely walk and can sit so easily with a cuppa/pint” kind of vibe. Of course, that’s not it, but it’s close.

Imagine living like that? Vital and alive yet free of all the burdens of the to-do list?

That is the whole purpose of Ascension or a true meditation practice: so you know to greater and greater depths your Self and the sense of freedom and wellness it brings to all parts of your life.

How Ascension and Meditation Improves Your Day-to-Day Life

Still not convinced? Let’s get practical. Here are some concrete ways meditation can improve your day-to-day life—both at work and at home.

1. Improved Focus and Productivity?

Ascension and meditation teaches you to focus on the present moment. This means that when you’re working, you’re working. When you’re with your family, you’re with your family. You’re not thinking about the next thing on your to-do list or replaying a conversation from yesterday. You’re fully engaged in the task at hand, which leads to better productivity and fewer mistakes. You can compartmentalise in the most healthy and enjoyable way, leaving the past behind to be picked up if and when you decide.

2. Better Stress Management?

Managing stress is crucial. Ascension doesn’t eliminate stress, but it changes your relationship with it; and that is key. By practicing consistently, you learn to observe stressful situations without immediately reacting. This gives you a moment of pause — enough time to emotionally regulate if necessary, and respond thoughtfully rather than impulsively. It’s like building a buffer between you and your triggers, allowing you to stay calm and composed even in high-pressure situations.

3. Emotional Resilience?

Ascension isn’t just about quieting the mind; it’s also about nurturing emotional resilience. When you practice regularly, you strengthen your ability to deal with difficult emotions like frustration, anxiety, or sadness, and/or being gripped by the past or what may happen in the future. Rather than being swept away by these feelings, you learn to acknowledge them, sit with them, and ultimately move through them with greater ease.

4.?Stronger Relationships?

Being truly present enhances your ability to listen — to really listen. Whether you’re engaging with your partner, children, or colleagues, being present in the moment makes a world of difference. When you’re not distracted by your own thoughts, you can be fully there for others. This leads to more meaningful conversations, less conflict, greater understanding and stronger connections.

5.?Work-Life Balance?

Ascension helps you step out of the hamster wheel of constant doing and achieve a greater sense of balance. By taking a few moments each day to be mindful, you can create space in your mind, allowing you to approach both work and personal responsibilities with greater clarity. Suddenly, everything feels a little less overwhelming. You’ll realise that you get to call the shots. Just because everyone is on the treadmill of never-ending more, doesn’t mean you have to. Success? You get to decide exactly what that is for you, and not just be swept up with what everyone else seems to be doing. ?

6. Lighter Load, Better Energy

One of the key factors in a busy life is the physical, mental and emotional impact of exhaustion and overwhelm. Ascension and meditation, again consistently done, is the thing that will lighten the load on all your systems; i.e. you “carry” less moment to moment, and will increase your energy significantly. You know how much easier all of life is after a great night's sleep and with a clear conscience. This is the thing that will allow you to have that more often.

7. More Aliveness, More Flow

When you show up to life, life really comes alive –?as opposed to being filtered through worries and frustrations and lists of things you haven’t yet done. You can immerse yourself in the task in front of you. Not only do you over-think less, but Flow states are much more likely. It’s like a subtle but noticeable “This is Good” volume knob gets turned up, and up.

“Doing Nothing” to Do More

Meditation may feel like you’re doing nothing, but in reality, you’re laying the foundation for everything else you do. It’s the 45 minutes of sharpening before the 15 minutes of chopping. By taking time to care for your whole mind/body/emotions/soul system, you’re preparing yourself for all the challenges, joys, and surprises that life has to offer.

Imagine this: You start your day with 10 minutes of Ascension, focusing on the techniques and allowing your thoughts to settle. Instead of rushing straight into work with a scattered mind, you’re grounded, focused, energised and ready. Later, when your child asks for help with homework or a difficult work project comes your way, you approach the situation with more patience, calm, and clarity. You’re not just reacting—you’re?responding. “I don’t have to do this; I get to”.

How to Start?

You might wonder how to fit this into an already packed schedule. The beauty of Ascension or meditation is that it doesn’t have to take hours. Even five or ten minutes a day can make a fundamental difference. You can start by simply focusing on your breath while waiting for your morning coffee to brew or practicing mindfulness during your evening walk. Learn Ascension and you’ll find it so revitalising and enjoyable, you’ll want to find time to practice.

As with every single thing in life, the key is consistency. Just like sharpening an axe, the more regularly you practice, the sharper everything becomes.

Final Thoughts

In a world that’s always urging us to do more, Ascension and meditation offers a rare opportunity to simply?be. To prepare yourself for life in the best way possible. You don’t meditate to master the practice itself; you meditate to master the art of living.?

So the next time you feel overwhelmed by work, family, or life’s demands, remember: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is absolutely “nothing.” After all, that’s how you sharpen your axe.

Gandhi said as much, and he was no slouch in making a huge difference to millions and millions of people. His message still resonates today.

If a great human like that knew of the value of time preparing the foundation of his being, maybe you should consider and even introduce a little time yourself?

Anyhow, go well!

Arjuna

PS.

A few weeks ago I mentioned a book I wrote about the fine art and crucial importance of balancing doing nothing with getting after life.?

I keep coming back to it as it seems people really need more balance these days.

If you’re interested, the book is called, “Chasing More and Finding Enough” and it goes through this whole thing in greater detail. If you made it this far, I think you’d really like it.?

You can find it at all good online booksellers.

Here’s the Amazon link for ease:

https://a-fwd.com/asin=B097NFJQFF

Enjoy!