In a world that is continually moving faster and providing more and more distractions to pull you out of the present moment, it is more important than ever to learn how to be aware of the present moment. A person can lower stress and enrich their life experience by cultivating this awareness. In this article, I will try to explain what mindfulness is and give some examples of how to practice a mindful life.
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is defined as the state of being engaged and fully present in the moment, right now. Judgment or attachment is not present in relating to your thoughts, emotions, or current external circumstances. One tries to be aware of the thoughts and feelings every situation brings into our lives from external stimuli and internal thoughts and responses to whatever is happening, and accepting it.
Today, mindfulness has become a mainstream practice and is widely studied and adopted in fields like psychology, medicine, education, and corporate settings. It has proven to be an effective tool for enhancing overall well-being, reducing stress, improving focus, and promoting emotional resilience in the face of life’s challenges. The integration of mindfulness into various secular settings has made it accessible to people from diverse backgrounds and beliefs, making it a universal practice that transcends its original origins.
Benefits of Being Mindful
So many positives come to you when you understand the present moment is all you have. It will help you reduce stress and anxiety because you are eliminated regrets about the past and worry about the future by existing in the only thing you have, the present moment.
By doing this you will also improve your Mental clarity and focus. Rather than having your thoughts bring up uncontrolled images of yesterday or tomorrow, a person can focus on what today is bringing into life, good or bad, and accept it as a part of life’s experience. Rather than resist it because it doesn’t match your perception of what life should be.
Our emotions also benefit from the practice of mindfulness, because we start to be aware of the feelings we are experiencing in the moment. We can learn what each emotion actually is and what thoughts or experiences have brought it to the surface. Without mindfulness and awareness, we will be a servant to these feelings. Understanding and acceptance puts the power in your hands, so you are in control of what happens.
What you are aware of you control, and what you are not mindful of controls you. That is the way many deal with their emotions throughout their lives. The practice of being aware of your experiences throughout the day will enhance the quality and experience of your life.
Since I was very young, I have been in a hurry to get to the next destination. I remember being a kid and just aching for when I would be older and be able to do whatever older kids got to do.
This pattern came up a lot in my life, and I am sure in your life too. I can’t wait until this happens, or that happens, and then I will be able to do this or have that.
What age has brought me besides just gray hair is the understanding that each experience we have puts us precisely where we should be, and if we enjoy things we have, life seems to be better, and the things we are waiting for come quicker and easier.
Enjoying the Moment
This advice we all have heard, but for me, it was challenging to enjoy this experience because my mind was often distracted by thoughts that took me from the moment—most worries about the future or regrets about a past action. Never focus on the joys of the here and now.
All those thoughts occur to each of us and distract us from what we do each moment. I think any commute of any kind is an excellent practice in this. There is a trip you must endure, and you have no choice. You can think about what you will do when you reach your destination, dreaming of food, television, time with loved ones, or whatever happens when you get home.
These thoughts distract from what you are experiencing on that commute. Maybe there is great natural beauty on your journey. A great song might come on the radio. The moment doesn’t know you are on a commute, which happens daily. Please pay attention to it. Think, smile, and enjoy whatever is in your path. That day and those exact circumstances have never existed before and most likely won’t again. Pay attention to the beauty in your journey; soon, you will enjoy the trip as much as the destination.
You Are Supposed to Be Here
This place is precisely the right place for you right now!
Maybe you are working a job you are not crazy about or in a situation that you wish would change; it will because the one thing that you can count on in life is that everything changes whether you like it or not.
Take the time to enjoy the small things that you want about what your life offers you. It may be your coworkers, the responsibility, the challenge, or the daily coffee or lunch break. There is something that you enjoy about your job. If there isn’t, then I don’t think it’s the job that needs evaluation. It is your choice to work there.
You can plan and prepare for the future, which may bring hope to your life. That tomorrow will provide us with the feelings, answers, or happiness that today lacks.
Hope is a powerful thing. And to me is an unbelievably positive thing, yet don’t hurry too fast through hard times because frequently, the lessons we learn while doing something we aren’t wild about allow us to achieve our greatness.
So I advise anyone looking ahead to any milestone to stay focused on achieving their goal. There is value in enjoying the ride to that end, and lessons learned on the journey are valuable currency that can be used in life.
It is the irony of life that often, we spend our time dreaming of getting to a particular destination, and then in a few years, we spend our time dreaming of where we used to be. There is no need to worry; you are just where you are supposed to play your part. Play your role with all the passion you can muster, and you will know that there is nothing to worry about in the future and nothing to regret about your past.
You Are Just Where You Are Supposed to Be!!
All we have is right here and right now. Nothing else is guaranteed.
Living in the moment, also known as mindfulness, is the practice of being fully present and engaged in the current moment without getting caught up in worries about the past or future. This approach to life can have numerous positive effects on one’s overall well-being and happiness.
One of the main benefits of living in the moment is that it helps to reduce stress and anxiety. When we constantly worry about the future or dwell on the past, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and feel stressed out. We can let go of these worries and live in the present moment by focusing on the present. This can help to reduce anxiety and improve overall mental health.
Living in the moment can also improve relationships. By being fully present and engaged with others, we can build more profound, more meaningful connections. This can lead to more satisfying and fulfilling relationships with friends, family, and loved ones.
In addition, living in the moment can help us to make the most of our experiences and enjoy life to the fullest. When we are fully present and engaged in what we are doing, we can fully experience and appreciate the beauty and joy of the present moment. This can lead to a greater sense of happiness and contentment in life.
Living in the moment is a powerful way to improve our well-being and happiness. Focusing on the present and letting go of worries about the past or future can reduce stress and anxiety, improve our relationships, and make the most of our experiences.
Living in the moment is a lost art. It is easy to get sucked into the thought patterns that take you into the past and allow a person to remember past triumphs, beautiful feelings, or pleasant times with those we love. Or conversely, people are lost in the worry about what might happen tomorrow, thinking up all kinds of disasters they might suffer but probably won’t. These two distractions regretting the past and worrying about the future, are the most significant factors causing suffering and unhappiness today. Learning to live, really live in the present, is the most powerful tool you can develop for a happy life. The only moment we are guaranteed in any life is this one; right here, don’t waste it by not being present.
Many live just by going through the motions, standing still, or worse yet, living in the glow of past events. There is nothing wrong with understanding and remembering your past, but allowing it to dominate your current life through nostalgia and thoughts of a romantic past will lessen the joy you can have today. Several others Living in the moment will provide happiness and satisfaction in each part of your day. In reality, it is all that you are guaranteed to have.
What is Past Is Prolog, Living in the Moment
All the events and experiences we have ever had are simply an introduction to what we will face today. Each experience, good, bad, or neutral, is given to us as a gift to experience, understand, enjoy, feel, and learn from but then discard. You take the lesson from them and take it with you. But you leave the past behind you, which can do you no good. The weight of carrying who you were, where you were, and what you wished you had done is too much for the strongest person. The past is only an introduction and explanation for the person you have developed into today. Don’t let the past be the star. Fill that role yourself.
Most often, the lessons you learn will be vital in dealing with something in your future. There are many different opportunities to excel and grow because of the tasks that the past provides you with. Even a bad experience can bring an understanding or lesson you need to accomplish a goal or follow a dream. Don’t bother getting all wrapped up in a bad experience, as it will only weigh you down like an anchor. Take the lessons and values and move forward. In doing this, you can strive to become the best version of yourself.
Leave it ALL Behind Practice Living in the Moment.
Once you learn the lessons, those must be all you take. Pleasant and bad memories need to be placed aside because they take attention away from what you can get out of today. Right now is a powerful place and the only place you can be right now. There is no yesterday, last hour, tomorrow, or an hour from now. None of these places are guaranteed to you in any way.
The past is often taken out of context in our minds, and we remember the past how we want it to rather than how it was. This is demonstrated in every event witnessed by a group of people. When you approach them separately, the story will never be the same. Rarely is the story even close to what it is in reality. The past is nothing to build a life on because the memories you bank on are most likely partially fabricated. The benefit is that if you don’t like what happened, you can change that story to something more positive and supportive. This moment is all that you have.
Living in the moment is the only reasonable choice for becoming your best in whatever you want to accomplish.
It is not uncommon to move through a day on a very
Every second provides an experience that may never come again
strict schedule, moving from event to event merely marking time as a restriction in completing your day’s actions. Move quickly, work quickly, think fast, love quickly. The conditioning of our lives leads us to value brevity in completing all tasks because it is viewed as the most efficient use of time.
Yet the more efficient I tend to be, the less I find real enjoyment in life. Ticking chores off the to-do list today as quickly as possible seems to lead to me ignoring the moment and living for the future. The real problem is that the end never arrives. The only thing we are guaranteed to experience is the exact time we are in right now. Our mind is always guiding us to the future, resulting in anxiety. Thoughts about the past only bring regret. The happiness of life can only be found and enjoyed by living and enjoying the present moment.
Where is This Future?
So often, I have spent large portions of my life planning for tomorrow, and thinking about the future. I went to high school preparing for college, went to college to prepare for a career, and started a career to give myself the money and materials to live a life and prepare for the time when I would retire in 30-35 years. We attach our expectations to the results of each step as well. Yet we never reach the goal line until life is over.
The problem I had with this life plan was what would I be preparing for after that? Death? Eventually, I looked at the scheme and realized that I had missed some of the best parts of life, and they come in every moment. Planning for the future is responsible, and we should all do that, but in making your plan, make sure it is the one you truly want for yourself, not something created for you by someone else. Or you may just be living your life to the tune of someone else’s programming.
Is This Mindfulness?
Each moment is precious. It contains all you are and all you are ever guaranteed to have. Life may be over in the next moment, and there is no way to predict it. Living in a time in the future is a waste and is impossible to do. You are only ever alive, right now, this second at this moment, and each moment provides an opportunity to witness a miracle.
Take your time and look at what is happening, really look—at the emotion of loved ones exchanged each day. The game you are currently playing, the fish you are trying to catch, the love you share, the task you are completing. Each part of the human experience is placed in your path to experience fully and completely. Take your time, drink it in, and enjoy it.
Each moment is valuable and potentially life-altering. Every moment is as unique from one another as every person’s individuality is one of a kind. Notice this in each moment, and life will change for you.
Life isn’t something to get done as quickly and efficiently as possible, and it is something to be savored and experienced in each moment you have.
“Loving this world, seeing the beauty in everything. Appreciating every moment as a beautiful, wholly contained, pearl of eternal nature, this is the world to me.
A never-ending string of pearls…. every moment is in and of its self a lifetime, and when we have affection and let ourselves experience life without expectation… that is when the majesty of the world opens her petals to us… And welcomes us home.” ~ Carlos Castaneda
Fear
Khalil Gibran
It is said that before entering the sea,
a river trembles with fear.
She looks back at the path she has traveled,
from the peaks of the mountains,
the long winding road crossing forests and villages.
and in front of her, she sees an ocean so vast,
that to enter
there seems nothing more than to disappear forever.
Finding motivation for new topics can be difficult, and sometimes it is just downright challenging. Living in Maine, there are a lot of inspirations; natural beauty, people, and space all can contribute. Yet the great thoughts I have
Whatever power gets YOU through the day!!
been exposed to through reading and the quest for knowledge can fuel the fire of creativity. Below are some of the motivations I have been lucky enough to be exposed to. Mindfulness, listening, facing fear, and what goes around comes back to you. What you send out to the world in your thoughts and your actions does reappear in your life, leading to some of my most exciting writing. Sometimes the return is terrific, but sometimes the exciting part is we get back exactly what we deserve. Live your life in selfishness, never thinking of anyone but yourself, and you will find those things as a part of your experience. Here are a few ideas to find the creative mojo we need to express ourselves.
Mindfulness is Important
I can lose focus on what I am currently doing in so many ways. Sometimes my mind runs back into the mist of the past. Just as often, it is pulled forward into the fantasy of what may come. But the future is uncertain at best, and the past is over, can’t be changed, and is probably open to many different interpretations.
Still more taxing to my mind is the practice of trying to do 12 things at once, and I lose focus on enjoying whatever I am doing in the name of a hurry. All of the things that I accomplished today, I was careful to do each one at a time, or at least when I caught myself doing something and thinking about something else, I re-focused on the task at hand. I got all of the studies done better and completed them quicker.
One of the great things I read was all of the helpful exercises you can do to bring yourself back into the moment. Meditation is an excellent practice for keeping your thoughts at bay and providing mindfulness to your day. Focusing on a simple mantra or just continually trying to concentrate on your breath will keep you at the moment. Your mind will drift away like a cloud on a breeze, but you can always bring your awareness back to the moment by merely realizing you lost your focus. This realization restores your conscious directive thought to the moment. Mindfulness will also allow you to quiet the mind to listen to your heart.
Listen to Your heart.
Quiet the mind. Listen carefully.
It doesn’t matter what your religion or philosophy is. As a human being living on the face of the Earth, you have to deal with the voices of your Ego. Without going into a lot of detail, this is the voice you often hear that tells you negative things about yourself. Its primary function is to keep you safe, but in doing that, it can provide devastating feedback and negative comments that destroy your self-esteem.
Today I was reminded that even though you may never be able to get rid of this part of yourself altogether, you can learn to listen to it less and less. Through practice, you can recognize when these thoughts come to you. Anytime you think, “I am not good enough” or “You most likely will fail.” Then you are listening to your ego. The alternative is to listen to your heart.
Your heart knows what is best for you and can answer any question because your heart is your connection to the universe. The voice of the heart is not as loud as the ego. Much like it is difficult to hear sound advice with a siren screaming in your ear, the ego distracts and drowns out this voice you should be hearing. It is always there, always has been, and always will be. You need to ask a question and be able to listen for the answer.
I do not want to be a cowardly lion.
Facing My Fear
I have had cause to reflect that no matter how much distance we have covered in life, there are still some fears that I need to address daily to be free of their influence. It is the fear of worrying about what other people think of me. How much that shyness affected me all of my life, and this is a daily battle every day.
I am sure others understand what I speak about, the feeling of just wanting to fit in and not stand out because then you might be afraid the world will notice all of your faults. The side effect of this thought pattern is that you are so scared to let anyone see the real you, which is too much of a risk. This fear can stop you from enjoying many things in life.
As you grow older and experience teaches you other lessons, you get to a point where you have to say to hell with all of that stuff. Be yourself. Some will like it, and some will not. That is the way life goes. At least when you close your eyes at night, you know that you have been the most honest version of yourself that you can be. We can’t do any better than that.
What Goes Around, Comes Back Around
This was a song by Justin Timberlake, and I was reminded that I do not have high respect for his acting ability, but more importantly, I remembered the truth of this phrase in life.
It is a karmic statement that what you put out into the world will come back to you, often with a bit of extra. Most significantly, today, I was thinking about how we treat others. If you lie to someone and mistreat them, then someone will most likely mistreat you.
Often we are so personally involved in the situations of our lives that we never notice this game in action until we take a step back and look at the whole game board. We can see the connection between our activities and the experiences we have.
I only know that I decide to be honest, kind, caring, and thoughtful because that is all I can control in life.
To Move Forward, Leave the Past Behind You
This is a part of what I read today:
I wish you gone, dear memory, I wish I didn’t have to remember every detail…..
I wish I could be free Of the shackles that you have in me…..
I wish for forgiveness I wish for it never to have happened….
I remembered how this felt. We have all been there, a person is gone, and it is for good. There may have been good reasons, but a part remains even though they are gone. A longing for the past causes pain. Eventually, we learn to move on and let it go; the shackles of that memory are loosed, and you find that love isn’t a prison sentence placing you in a memory cell. It is the power that sets you free.
Final Thought
Today I was struck by so much good writing and thought that I could have kept going, but I only have a bit of time to write. Now my secret is out, and I get much of my motivation and inspiration from the people who create each day wonderfully! Each creator provides a garden of ideas and a playground for thought!
One might look for a mighty castle to provide safety.
Life seems to be a maze of things we develop fear about experiencing. We are continuously looking for security in our day-to-day experience. Sometimes we look for relationships to provide a safe place to be ourselves. In other moments we see money as a security blanket against the world’s troubles. We create a constant state of stress and worry about what might happen and never know the joy and power of the moments we are in right now. To live in this way will push people to block good things from entering life and keep you on the treadmill of unhappiness. To stop the cycle, a person needs to start to look inside for items that are always there, always accessible, and always positive. These things are inside each of us, and turning your focus to them will provide as much security as you can expect in this life.
No matter what we do or how well we plan, the truth is. We have very little control over our external security, and we have total control over our inner security. To lack the ability to find safety inside is the definition of insecurity. No matter what happens outside, be secure about your reactions and feelings. Here are some areas your awareness can go to find security daily.
Find The Moment
Too often, too many people choose to live their conscious moments worrying about the future or regretting the past. Ignoring the most precious moment they have, the present moment. Being mindful of where you are right now and becoming aware of the situations, people, and things in your current reality are the only thing you have. The past is recollected the way we think of it, and the future is nothing but a fantasy. It hasn’t happened yet and may never occur the way you think.
Getting into the moment is as simple as being aware of what you are doing and living from that perspective. Sometimes we are so routine-oriented we make the majority of our choices through subconscious programming. Making conscious choices and noticing the moment is a power we have at our fingertips in each moment. There is significant security in this because the moment will always be the only thing there is, so making the most of it and finding joy in it makes a lot of sense. This appreciation comes from the inside, and you have it available to you all the time. It can be hard to see if your focus is “out there.”
Be Open
Another way to be secure is to be open-hearted toward the world. Too often choose to separate ourselves from others because they are different from us. But we all are the same, and by practicing an open heart, we can foster security of connection with all people because we are all connected. We all have the same blood in our veins and breath the same air. We have thoughts, take actions, and love one another. So many see fear when they look at individuals who are different from themselves, and it causes people to withdraw.
When you open your heart to others and life, you realize you are all in the same production, doing your best to play the role you have been assigned. Don’t waste time judging someone else; invest your time getting to know someone from a different station in life. Send love to everyone, especially those who are negative. They need it the most. Open your heart, and security will be yours.
Accept Yourself
Most people see the flaws in themselves quite easily. We compare ourselves to the images we see in the mainstream media or even on social media and pick out the ways we don’t quite measure up. Rather than seeing our uniqueness as a strength or an unusual defining characteristic, we dislike ourselves and hate that part of us. We have to accept what we are. It doesn’t mean we can’t improve and change. If you don’t get yourself now, you won’t receive yourself in a month or a year or five years when you have made all these changes.
Bring your awareness to the things about you, which are lovely and unique and make you a one-of-a-kind experience for the world because each of us has the luxury of being this. There has never been another person who looks like you, talks like you, or has your skillset throughout time. It has never happened before, and it will never happen again. Too often, people fight against who they are and what they look like because nobody is perfect. It is in our imperfections that many of our strengths lie. There is absolute security in the person you are. Embrace that person and accept them, strengths, flaws, and all.
Awareness and Appreciation
You are an infinite, creative, unique, and inventive living on this planet. Start to use your awareness to see all of the things already in your life, which are lovely, and then take a short moment to appreciate them for just being themselves in the scope of the world. Your awareness is the connection to your attention and focuses on what you are experiencing. Knowledge stops you from taking things for granted and allows opportunities for growth from passing by you.
Appreciation is a door you can open, which will bring more into your life. Are you a person who always sees the bad? Or can you find the good in any situation? All people have a choice about where they fall on this continuum. The majority of the thoughts you entertain and believe to be true will dominate your energy and the life you experience. Focusing on more positive things will allow more of those things to enter your life—a choice.
Unconditional Love
This emotion is the rarest of things because society has conditioned us to expect something in return for what we create or give to others. Putting your focus on the love you have for others is a great place to seek security, but the best is how you choose to love yourself. Nobody is perfect, but all of us are entirely constructed to be exactly who we are. It is too easy to stop and put awareness of your flaws rather than your talent and greatness. It is not arrogance or avarice to be proud of what you do well or what you love about yourself. To want more of these things is a natural progression,
To offer unconditional love to the world or someone else is tough to do. The ego always tells you to judge someone for their harmful actions and punish them by not loving them anymore. It happens every day worldwide; love is lost and replaced with vengeance, anger, and even hate. Letting these emotions and thoughts dominate your mind and reality will harm you, not the person you are angry at and hate at that moment. You can love someone and keep them at a safe distance. Choose to love, no matter what, and see how it changes your life and gives you power.
Learn to focus and awareness of these things and develop the inner security that comes with them. There is little we can do to avoid the pitfalls and challenges that come to us externally, but we can build a security net inside ourselves, which is totally in our control.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.– Buddha
Each rock makes a unique ripple in the water, as you do in the world.
Moving around through a day, most people never stop and consider their mere presence’s influence on the things and people around them. Your mood and the way interact with whom you encounter on your daily journey will affect all in your path, but more significantly, it will influence those you interact with even more. Each day our thoughts, words, and actions are like a stone thrown into a calm pond with ripples flowing out in all directions. Imagine the energy you are sending to the world out of yourself each day. Where your attention goes, your electricity will flow. Which way does your attitude turn the lives of others?
Throwing Rocks
When I was young, I would often throw stones into the lake we lived on for no reason at all. My brother and I would see who could throw the farthest or make the biggest splash or the most skips. As you watched
The ripple formed tells the story of the rock, as your waves say to the level of you.
All of the rocks hit the surface of the water and disappear to their murky destination, each left behind an expanding ring of ripples that carried with them the details of the size of the rock, its impact on the world, and the force with which it was discharged. Its energetic pattern remained for a brief and fleeting moment.
When I watched the ripples intersect and merge, I noticed a lot of different patterns. Some would join together and branch out and start a whole new wave. Others would override smaller ripples and completely dominate those smaller waves around them. Some would simply shine in the dwindling.
When ripples meet, they combine to make unique experiences.
Twilight radiates a signal all their own until they gently and almost imperceptibly disappear completely, either outside of my sight or splashing softly on the rocks of the shore at our feet.
Choose Your Energy
Today I can see that people and their attitudes are precisely like those rocks from long ago. Only the waves of energy they create can’t be seen. You can only feel them. Notice the next time you meet anyone the feeling or vibe you feel from someone. This vibration is unique to each person, and just like the stones from long ago, exudes information about that person.
That vibrational ripple is determined by each person’s thoughts and beliefs to pay attention to each day. The choices are between love, kindness, understanding, acceptance, gratitude, fear, hate, being mean, judgemental, angry, and ungrateful. These ripples will affect everyone you meet and everything you are involved in. Just as the waves on the water interact and change each other.
The key is that each of us has the choice each day, not each moment, to remake these choices and change the vibration that our energetic ripples exude. The challenge is to look at your thoughts and beliefs and decide how you want your energy to be perceived by others, and it is a simple matter of choice and noticing.
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” Aristotle
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” Eleanor Roosevelt
“Be a positive energy trampoline – absorb what you need and rebound more back. ” Dave Carolan
“Life gets easier if you choose only to think, act, and speak positive energy. Choose to be the light in somebody else’s darkness.”
“I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: we can transmit it to others.”- Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
A person may not be able to see it, but at this very moment, at least a thousand thoughts are running around inside our heads. Some ideas are great, and some are, well, thoughts. They are not all deep and meaningful, but they are all ours. In no particular order of importance are beliefs that you might have this day.
Starting the Day
Be mindful of the opportunity today brings
At this very moment, you might be thinking of the quiet that starts every day. It is a space between sleeping and the hurry of the day. This room is the point where a day holds its ultimate potential, and nobody has made one mistake. Even if it seemed impossible, whatever was bothering you the day before has disappeared and been replaced by a small manageable little problem that you know can be dispensed with as quickly as a breakfast sandwich at the start of a day. There is a possibility at this moment that all things can change for the better.
The Little Things
You might be thinking, at this very moment, about the little things in life. Often life is not about the big stuff. The big stuff will come along and are scheduled for the most part, and you can plan and prepare for them. The big occasions provide captured images and are saved in photo albums to relive when the mood hits you. The little things are the endless minutia of activity that fills your lives. Daily happenings and encounters that color the flavor of life. Do you take the time to enjoy them?
Do you savor the taste of the food you are eating, or do you eat out of habit? Are you grateful for each thing that you have, or are they all just piled into a group of stuff labeled “things that you deserve”? I believe that the more you appreciate the little things in life, a friend, a talk, a walk, a tree, some flowers, a comfortable seat, a good book, a hot shower, a cup of coffee, or anything else that you experience throughout the day, the happier you will be. Be mindful of each thing you do, and it will have magic to it that contributes to your day.
The Music in My Head
You might be thinking about the music you like right now and how music makes life much more enjoyable; it touches your soul. It doesn’t matter to me what genre a song hails from. A song enters your life, either make an impression and stays or moves on. I often hear a song, and if I like it, I add it to a playlist that will forever represent this moment in time to me. In the days of burned CDs, I would give them names and write notes on them. Now I write the notes in my head and enjoy the music.
Here is one song I like. Be careful if you listen because it will get stuck in your head—this is one of my all-time favorites thought-provoking songs. Even though I’m not too fond of winter, I love it when it is over. Music is the language of the soul, and listening to it adds magic to life. What harmony is coloring your life today?
No Need To Hurry
At this moment, you might be contemplating the fact that the faster you try to go, often the longer it takes to reach your destination. The other day I was trying to force finish an assignment, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to get out of my way. The next day I focused and relaxed, and that same job that was so difficult the day before just flowed out of my consciousness and onto the workflow. It is right in many other aspects of life. Hurry to get there, find the answer, get it done quickly, and you often have difficulty finishing the task. Much like a car moving too fast to catch your exit. Slow down, be mindful of what you are trying to accomplish, and enjoy the ride. It is often the journey that you remember even more than the destination. Relax and enjoy the ride.
You are Right Where You Should be
Finally, at this moment, you may be contemplating the peace that comes from knowing that you are exactly where you should be. We all get caught up in worrying about something that we have no control over many times. We desire to be successful, but no actual definition to let us know when we get there. Then it hits you. “I am right where I should be,” all the events in your life have worked together in concert to bring you to this point, and you should enjoy the moment. Then pause for just a second, feel a sense of appreciation, and then move forward with a feeling of happiness and peace. Be grateful for all of the people you have known, the hurdles you have overcome, the wisdom you have gained from all of the lessons you have learned, both natural and complex.
At this very moment, you are right where you should be. You can’t do any better than that!
Self: A person’s essential being distinguishes them from others, especially considered the object of introspection or reflexive action.
When it comes to big questions in life, “who am I?” generally tops the list. We all have a sense of self from the time we first become aware. Our essential being is who we are inside, not the person we choose to show to others. But what is honest about this? Much of what we have come to identify with as our “self” is an illusion. We carry around this sense of who we are, but it is based on many factors that are not us at all. Our job, relationships, what we own, what others think of us, and even our thoughts about ourselves are not accurate representations of us. So how do you find out what defines your essential being? That is a quest that will raise your consciousness, and it will start by paying attention to what you think of your “self,” the words you use speaking to your “self,” and the actions you take to show who you are. What is your true SELF?
Mindfulness
One of the cures for the illusion of self we carry around is to begin to practice mindfulness. This is a practice of being aware of the present moment and accepting all that it brings you. Your sense of self is revealed to you in the everyday experience of interacting with your world. How do you see the sunrise? How do you see interactions with other people? How do you react to things? What do you believe about yourself and your abilities? Each moment reveals the characteristics which make up our “self.” Watching them and accepting them is mindfulness.
The value of this is that you remove all of the expectations of the rest of the world. They don’t matter who you are; they matter to who the world perceives you to be. It is a false self that is contained in our ego. Looking past these expectations is the first step of growth and seeking to remember who you are. Forgiveness of those who hurt you and yourself for actions outside of your true nature is a must. Mindfulness is easy to practice but challenging as well because it can be painful to see your thoughts. But try to stay in the moment, dwell on the past or worry about the future. Be present and see who is there looking back at you. That is your true self.
Over 7 Billion People
It always makes me question existence when I consider that over 7 billion people in the world and a minimal number have spent any time contemplating their presence in any natural way. What you have in life and the “stuff” you can accumulate is not as important as the person you are. The self is the one thing that belongs solely to you for the duration of your existence. Those things spring directly from your thoughts about the world and how you fit into it. Your actions and words define them.
Is your self greedy, shallow, mean, selfish, or any other negative word? Well, those things are in every person, all 7 billion. It is your choice whether they become an active force in your life or if your thoughts move toward kindness, forgiveness, peace, acceptance, or love. These are the things that define the “self” to the world. Because you can say you are a positive person, but your conscious choices make it so or not so.
No Comparison
There is no need to compare your journey and progress to others. You are solely responsible for you as another is responsible for them. Don’t waste your valuable time comparing how you think, what you have, and how you spend your time against someone else. The self you are has plenty of strength and talent. You just have to access it. That will never happen if you waste your time looking over the neighbor’s fence to see where they are at in their journey.
Do the best you can. Every day while you sift through your thoughts and deal with the situations, you are confronted with the moment to moment. Never forget that in you is a divine creation capable, reliable, and ready to achieve anything you set your mind to doing. Weight loss, working out, building a business, travel, relationships, or anything else you want in your life is there to touch if you have confidence in your “self.” Be confident and love your “self.”
Be your best SELF today. It all starts with a greater awareness of your thoughts, the corresponding emotions that arise. The words you speak to others and your actions will define you for all time.
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”– Buddha
“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.”– Mark Twain
“Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world.” – Lucille Ball
In a world that is continually moving faster and providing more and more distractions to pull you out of the present moment, it is more important than ever to learn how to be aware of the present moment. A person can lower stress and enrich their life experience by cultivating this awareness. In this article, I will try to explain what mindfulness is and give some examples of how to practice a mindful life.
now. Judgment or attachment is not present in relating to your thoughts, emotions, or current external circumstances. One tries to be aware of the thoughts and feelings every situation brings into our lives from external stimuli and internal thoughts and responses to whatever is happening, and accepting it.
