There is no more joy than living in the moment and enjoying the here-and-now. I am glad I’ve reached a sense of inner peace. Pursuing mindfulness has been an extremely satisfying journey. The path of mindfulness has made me more aware of my thoughts.
But let’s face it: It is not an easy journey. A mindful life is a life no longer lived on ‘autopilot’. It takes a lot of patience. Haven’t you seen that there are times when the smartest of people easily lose mind, constantly failing to become mindful!
The painful truth about life is not being mindful in various situations. Often I eat up the whole of lunch but being so preoccupied I wonder when did I finish up everything. Always in rush, keeping eye on the kids, I fold the laundry. In the whole rush of doing the things, we are constantly losing connection with the present moment, not realizing what we’re doing and how we’re feeling.
Some common scenarios in our everyday lives showing our mindlessness include:
In this hyper-connected world, it is quite easy to lose ourselves in autopilot every day. Jon Kabat Zinn defines mindfulness as: “Paying attention; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” So how can you increase your mindfulness? It comes up automatically when you start giving up things that suck. In this post, I’ll share with you what you need to ‘not’ do to better equip yourself for the long haul.
Negativity starts to drag you down. Our thoughts shape our reality. It can become toxic and hold you back from living the life you want. The truth of the matter is you can’t completely control either. Mindfulness means accepting your emotions but managing the amount of mental energy they take up. It means to be aware of your thoughts without labeling them.
We usually have a long list of tasks running through our mind. It seems like there are so many things competing for our attention: responsibilities, commitments, emails, critiques, thoughts, and much more stuff giving us challenges. These things take us away from the present moment, causing mental clutter. For being more mindful, you’ve to give your focus on the present experience, without thinking of past or the future. Be mindful of your voices.
Be angry if something makes you justifiably angry or be upset if something is truly upsetting. Because it is not a great habit to give reactions instantly on everything. If you find yourself being upset at small things from everything to anything, it will affect your mind. Your reactions will affect your happiness. Take some time out to manage your expectations, and reduce the chance of reacting a lot.
You already have a to-do list, now it’s time to get a Not-to-do list. The not-to-do list is a simple way to remind ourselves of things that aren’t worth our time. The not-to-do list will save us from being lost in the frantic world. Though, having a to-do list will determine what the goals are. But a not-to-do list will help to know what you actually want to spend your time on. Take out an agenda for a month or install apps like ProofHub to track where you spend your time.
The desire for perfection is the fastest route to unhappiness. But remember life is about getting things done, do not waste it in chasing perfection because perfections don’t exist. There will always be a little more you can achieve but to be imperfect is to be human. Zen priest Dogen Zenji said, “To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is to not have anxiety over our imperfections.” Clearly, mindfulness is not a drive for perfection. Next time you chase perfection, take a step back, let go of the need for perfection, sit back and be content with where you’re at.
Mindlessly rushing through things without no conscious awareness will not take you towards your dreams. Mindfulness shows us how to live blissfully in the moment at all times.
Your turn…
What other empowering things have helped you push forward to be mindful? I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts. Leave a comment below.
But let’s face it: It is not an easy journey. A mindful life is a life no longer lived on ‘autopilot’. It takes a lot of patience. Haven’t you seen that there are times when the smartest of people easily lose mind, constantly failing to become mindful!
From Mindlessness to Mindfulness
The painful truth about life is not being mindful in various situations. Often I eat up the whole of lunch but being so preoccupied I wonder when did I finish up everything. Always in rush, keeping eye on the kids, I fold the laundry. In the whole rush of doing the things, we are constantly losing connection with the present moment, not realizing what we’re doing and how we’re feeling.
Some common scenarios in our everyday lives showing our mindlessness include:
- Binge eating
- Driving to or fro with remembering nothing about the journey
- Double checking if you locked your car
- Daydreaming
In this hyper-connected world, it is quite easy to lose ourselves in autopilot every day. Jon Kabat Zinn defines mindfulness as: “Paying attention; On purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” So how can you increase your mindfulness? It comes up automatically when you start giving up things that suck. In this post, I’ll share with you what you need to ‘not’ do to better equip yourself for the long haul.
Stop Focusing on Negatives
Negativity starts to drag you down. Our thoughts shape our reality. It can become toxic and hold you back from living the life you want. The truth of the matter is you can’t completely control either. Mindfulness means accepting your emotions but managing the amount of mental energy they take up. It means to be aware of your thoughts without labeling them.
Get Away From the Distractions
We usually have a long list of tasks running through our mind. It seems like there are so many things competing for our attention: responsibilities, commitments, emails, critiques, thoughts, and much more stuff giving us challenges. These things take us away from the present moment, causing mental clutter. For being more mindful, you’ve to give your focus on the present experience, without thinking of past or the future. Be mindful of your voices.
Stop Bringing Out Instant Reactions
Be angry if something makes you justifiably angry or be upset if something is truly upsetting. Because it is not a great habit to give reactions instantly on everything. If you find yourself being upset at small things from everything to anything, it will affect your mind. Your reactions will affect your happiness. Take some time out to manage your expectations, and reduce the chance of reacting a lot.
Stop Running From a ‘Not-to-do-List’
You already have a to-do list, now it’s time to get a Not-to-do list. The not-to-do list is a simple way to remind ourselves of things that aren’t worth our time. The not-to-do list will save us from being lost in the frantic world. Though, having a to-do list will determine what the goals are. But a not-to-do list will help to know what you actually want to spend your time on. Take out an agenda for a month or install apps like ProofHub to track where you spend your time.
Stop Finding Perfection
The desire for perfection is the fastest route to unhappiness. But remember life is about getting things done, do not waste it in chasing perfection because perfections don’t exist. There will always be a little more you can achieve but to be imperfect is to be human. Zen priest Dogen Zenji said, “To be in harmony with the wholeness of things is to not have anxiety over our imperfections.” Clearly, mindfulness is not a drive for perfection. Next time you chase perfection, take a step back, let go of the need for perfection, sit back and be content with where you’re at.
Mindlessly rushing through things without no conscious awareness will not take you towards your dreams. Mindfulness shows us how to live blissfully in the moment at all times.
Your turn…
What other empowering things have helped you push forward to be mindful? I’d love to hear from you. Share your thoughts. Leave a comment below.