Wherever You Are, Be There.

“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).”

-James Baraz

Jim Rohn a powerful speaker whom I admire so much once recounted in one of his speeches, an experience he had with his family. They were to go on a picnic to the beach and he brought along his briefcase hoping to catch up on a few work stuff while they were there. He realised that while they were at the beach, he couldn’t help but think work work work, leaving him too distracted to have any quality time with his family. However when he got to work he also found himself thinking beach beach beach because he didn’t get enough quality time from the picnic. It’s a lose lose isn’t it?

The present day society we live in is characterised by a bombarding on a regular basis, of information, impulses and tasks to complete. That is leads to a perpetual state distraction and under-prodictivity, characterised by being everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Mindfulness is the practice of staying present in the here and now detaching completely from the past or the future or anywhere else. Personally, it is more than just a Zen principle to me, it is also a secret to productivity. Our chance at success is greatly increased is we can focus exclusively on one thing at a time, instead of trying to change the whole world at once. If you want to write, why not start running just a single blog in a single niche instead of trying to jumble all you’ve got in your head up at once. The key here is not to spread yourself too thin, instead channel your all into one endeavour and watch it soar.

Mindfulness of the mind although often overlooked maybe due to how fleeting it seems to be is one of the most important aspects of mindfulness. It involves being fully aware of our mind and thought processes by staying open-minded and nonjudgmental; patient and trusting; and not reactive or overwhelmed by what is going on.

Meditation is one way to build our mindfulness muscle. The beautiful thing about meditation is the fact that it is a journey not a fixed destination. So before you begin, let go of all expectations and understand that all you’re doing is basically making out a few minutes where you suspend judgement and unleash curiousity about how your mind works. Letting the mind do what it does and calling it back from time to time when it wants to wander so far off. For starters, meditation can be practices at anytime whether through breathing exercises, body scans or mindful moment practices like taking time to pause and breathe when the phone rings instead of rushing to answer it.

…more content on meditation to come soon

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