One of the first things you read when you google "meditation", would be something like: Meditation helps you decrease stress, or meditation can increase your self-esteem, etc. Already here starts the misunderstanding of the whole process of meditation. Just by reading such things they can easily become a strong motivator for the process of meditation. That's not good. Well, it's okay, but the effect of meditation will be even stronger when futuristic benefits are not taking into consideration as a form of motivation to start meditation. Part of the meaning of meditation is the ability to concentrate on the now and, therefore, also forget any benefits that will come in the future.
We should not meditate to become better, we should meditate on the purpose of something that has no future benefits. For example by saying to yourself, before you meditate, that you're doing this for the purpose of watching your thoughts, feeling your breath, or relaxing the mind. The latter can be discussed whether it's not centered enough in the now. By simply applying this point of view, we are removing the need for a goal, the need of doing it with a purpose that will pay off later. The benefits are not the primary reason because then you're missing the whole point of meditation.
This is only my personal view on the topic. I would love to hear your opinion in the comments!
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