I watched the three of them play, one snowball, another.

Their laughter and smiles infectious as they struggled to stay upright on the damp grass.

I stood at the top of the hill, a smile from ear to ear, as I watched my wife and kids play, and I wondered, “How many of these moments have I missed?”

“And to think I’m different because of 20 minutes twice a day. That’s all I’ve changed”. When I think about the selfish person I was a year ago (and I’m not referring to suicide), I wonder about the times days like the snowballs and laughter happened, but I was too busy worrying about myself.

I could have done more for my wife and kids; I see that now, but then, I couldn’t see anything but my own ambition and ego.

Ambition, which had led me astray, ego, which had nearly killed my marriage, but now that I’m better and see who I was, I think about moments, small moments that I may have missed because I wasn’t paying attention to the “moment.”

But one thing stands out among everything. The person I was missed some awesome things, things I’ll never get back; but I’m trying.

I look at my children playing: my son tearing it up on video games, my daughter and her Palace Pets. I broke a promise to them; one I’ve been working to repair.

“…one thing I’ve noticed about TM…, I find myself more in love with my wife than I believe I’ve ever been.” For my wife, whose trust and love I often took for granted, I try to make new moments for us. Moments only we know about. Whether it’s laughter about me acting out something that happened at work, or doing one of the numerous voices I’m able to do, I’ve begun to find myself in the ego I once held sacred.

I look for ways to make up for the person I was, whether that’s my son telling me about school, showing me the details of his new Lego collection, or my daughter explaining the intricacies of which Palace Pet belongs to which Disney Princess.

I listen more to them now. My wife, I truly hear her. I don’t judge her as I once did. I take notice of her more. And that’s the one thing I’ve noticed about TM and who I am now… I find myself more in love with my wife than I believe I’ve ever been.

I see the way she fixes her hair to try to hide the grey, and the way she looks at me as if I were an alien when I respond to a question in a way my former self wouldn’t have.

I see all these things about my family.

And to think I’m different because of 20 minutes twice a day. That’s all I’ve changed.

On his blog, Brian writes, “I’m a Writer, dad, Transcendental Meditation practitioner and I have a day job on the Vegas Strip.” If you have any questions or comments for Brian, you can leave them on his original blog post here.

Other posts from Brian:

My First Experience with TM: Diving to the Source

My First Experience With Transcendental Meditation, Pt. II: I Feel Alive Again

My First Experience with Transcendental Meditation, Pt. III: Crawling from the Chasm of Doubt and Into the Calming Pool of TM

What if the opposite of truth wasn’t a lie, you just didn’t know the truth to begin with?

This is how I came to understand my life before TM. The fact that I’ve improved my life, relationships and writing through TM isn’t the big thing, it’s discovering the lie we’re told as kids.

The lie says this: We have to follow the things those before us did. We must have the family, job and spiritual life of our parents. At least that’s what I believed growing up.

In truth, we’ve always been in control, but the things we didn’t know about who we were are great enough [that]they were overwhelming and thus creating a chasm of doubt you’ll struggle to climb out of your entire life, not to mention the loss of creativity due to trying to climb from the chasm.

Each day we wake up and decide what to do with our life.

What if you could get past the lie and create a world all your own and dive into a deep, calming pool twice a day? A pool filled with radiance you’d never felt before.

This is how TM (Transcendental Meditation) feels.

I wake up an hour earlier than I did before TM, I go to bed earlier and I have more energy than I did in my teens.

One of the biggest, and most obvious to those who know me, is the feeling of your mind being at rest all day. There are hiccups, but for the most part nothing bothers me.

I go through my day job with such energy people have asked what I’m taking. None of them know what’s going on, and I like it that way. I like to keep them guessing.

My creativity is higher than it’s ever been. I can recall my dreams, and nightmares, with clarity; something I’ve never been able to do before.

Writing is no longer as difficult as it once was, the editing side still is. The first draft comes faster, I get in a rhythm earlier and I hit “The Zone” earlier than I have with anything I’ve written before.

I’m taking more time to enjoy my wife, kids and my wonderful 16-year-old dog.

Honestly, there are a million ways to describe TM, but until you try it, you’ll never understand.

On his blog, Brian writes, “I’m a Writer, dad, Transcendental Meditation practitioner and I have a day job on the Vegas Strip.” If you have any questions or comments for Brian, you can leave them on his original blog post here.

My First Experience with TM: Diving to the Source

My First Experience With Transcendental Meditation, Pt. II: I Feel Alive Again