Many people who receive this newsletter voted for the next story in the Trailblazers series in the last two weeks. You might have, too.

Andy Puddicombe was the clear winner of all candidates, so I'm working on a story on Andy's life, which I'll publish in the coming weeks.

While researching Andy, his life and his views on meditation, I stumbled upon an "aha" moment about a common practice in meditation — noticing discomfort in your body but not acting on it.

I've always been confused about this advice. What's wrong with itching or attending to a physical discomfort in my body?

It turns out that it's not so much about resisting or enduring physical discomfort; it's more about training our minds to respond to an uncomfortable situation rather than impulsively acting on it.

As we train our minds to notice discomfort in our bodies and let it pass on its own, we spread some of that quality in other parts of our lives.

For example, with a mind that takes time to notice a problem and then respond accordingly, you can make better decisions, lash out at others less often and handle uncertainties in life more comfortably.

With practice, your mind will automatically pause to process the situation and come up with an apt response rather than triggering a fight-or-flight response at every turn.

It's strange that I've never thought about it this way in all these years and the many times I've tried meditating.

This just might be the crucial factor that'll help me stick to meditation longer this time — I've found my why.

What about you? Do you meditate? Has it helped you in any way?

Reply to this email. I'd love to know.

Now, before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from: