Wisdom
Mindfulness
MINDFULNESS – A CATCH PHRASE OR ……..
Mindfulness, the ability to be focused on the present moment and not being ‘distracted’ by events from your past or possible events from your future.
This week a colleague at work sent this article to me, which I thought was worth sharing. Whether you believe or not meditation is here to stay. In fact it has always been there. It is the Western world that has now discovered this PHENOMENEN. In this age of fast paced life, time poor people, impersonal interaction and KPI’s it is time, to reevaluate. I will leave you to make your mind up.
David Beard
While some people are able ‘be present’ others find their mind is constantly ruminating about the past and worrying about the future. If that’s you, then teaching yourself to be more mindful is a valuable thing to learn. However, like exercise, it does take some practice and getting into the habit of regular mindfulness meditation.
Meditation is a systematic method of focusing your attention on something that is happening right now.
Some types of meditation primarily involve directed concentration–repeating a phrase or focusing on the sensation of breathing. In the process, allowing the parade of thoughts that inevitably arise to come and go. Concentration meditation techniques, as well as other activities such as tai chi or yoga, can induce the well-known relaxation response, which is very valuable in reducing the body’s response to stress.
Mindfulness meditation builds upon concentration practices. In mindfulness meditation, once you establish concentration, you observe the flow of inner thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judging them as good or bad. You also notice external sensations such as sounds, sights, and touch that make up your moment-to-moment experience.
The challenge is not to grab hold of a particular idea, emotion, or sensation, or to get caught in thinking about the past or the future. Instead, you watch what comes and goes in your mind, and discover which mental habits produce a feeling of well-being or discomfort. At times, this process may not seem relaxing at all, but over time it provides a key to greater happiness and self-awareness as you become comfortable with a wider range of your experiences.
Above all, mindfulness practice involves accepting whatever arises in your awareness at each moment. It also involves being kind and forgiving toward yourself. If your mind wanders into planning, daydream, or criticism, notice where it has gone and gently redirect it to sensations in the present. By practicing accepting your experience during meditation, it becomes easier to accept whatever comes your way during the rest of your day.
In addition to formal meditation, you can also increase your mindfulness informally by focusing your attention on your moment-to-moment sensations during everyday activities. This is done by single-tasking–doing one thing at a time and giving it your full attention. For the next week, try doing this each time you clean your teeth.
Happy cleaning.
David
I think it is worth a try. Can I retrain my brain, find calmness? IM NOT SURE!
A long time coming
Eating yoghurt with a fork
Forrest Gump’s immortal line: “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get”. But you know I think life is like eating yoghurt with a fork. Last week I did just that, having arrived at the lunch room with my trusty tub of yoghurt and a banana, unaware that the only utensil available to eat with was THE fork. But I managed, with some degree of difficulty, to consume the yoghurt, albeit not with out some degree of mess. Damn inconvenient really. But sometimes in life you have to compromise, you have no choice, to get the outcomes you desire. It may take a little longer but you get there in the end.
Passion
1. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman
2. “There is no passion to be found playing small–in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
– Nelson Mandela
3. “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”
– Anthony J. D’Angelo
4. “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
– Oprah Winfrey
5. “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”
– Benjamin Franklin
6. “We must act out passion before we can feel it.”
– Jean-Paul Sartre
7. “It is obvious that we can no more explain a passion to a person who has never experienced it than we can explain light to the blind.”
– T. S. Eliot
8. “Nothing is as important as passion. No matter what you want to do with your life, be passionate.”
– Jon Bon Jovi
9. “You can’t fake passion.”
– Barbara Corcoran
10. “You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.”
― Steve Jobs
11. “Yes, in all my research, the greatest leaders looked inward and were able to tell a good story with authenticity and passion.”
– Deepak Chopra
12. “If you feel like there’s something out there that you’re supposed to be doing, if you have a passion for it, then stop wishing and just do it.”
– Wanda Skyes
13. “If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.”
– Mia Hamm
14. It is the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.
– Rebecca West
My personal favorite quote on passion is from a man who clearly had way more talent than he claims in the quote:
“I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein
The Temple
Along my street, a Buddhist Temple sits. Once an Anglican Church, now the retreat, home for the Lama and his loyal followers. I was invited to attend a meditation evening by one of the residents. A quiet, unassuming woman who has lived the simple, uncomplicated life for a number of years. So this evening I wandered up my street, passed the man mowing his grass, the girl walking her dog, the hoon car parked haphazardly on the street. I entered with some trepidation as I had not been to the temple as a participant before. The sign said take off your shoes, leave them in the alcove. What next. I wasn’t sure where to go. A man came in behind me and immediately took me under his wing, a gentle man, softly spoken, who sat and told me a little of what was to occur. We entered the meditation room, walking through the incense smoke, it’s scent soft, not overpowering. I was enthralled by the colours. The richness of shades, the ornate altar. So here I sit in a circle with 7 strangers, 1 I know only momentarily and the Lama. He chants, a rhythm of indecipherable words, but it doesn’t matter, it is the tone, the sound, the rhythm that is beautiful. We are instructed to begin our meditation, silent meditation sitting cross legged and straight, counting our breathing. Mindfulness meditation. As we come back to awareness, the clock chimes 7pm, I am surprised that 45minutes has elapsed. The Lama, a man of calm demeanour, speaks of mindful meditation, much of the word is lost to me as he is difficult to understand, his English is difficult to understand, his accent is strong, but I know with familiarity comprehension will improve. I lie in my bed tonight, a calmness seems to envelope me after many weeks of unknown. Coincidence, maybe. I like to think, I have tapped my spiritual awareness and the dam is about to spill over.
Marc and Angel Hack Life
- Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. – Don’t base your attitude on how things are. Choose your attitude so it supports and expresses the way you wish to be. Frustration and stress come from the way you respond and react, not the circumstance themselves. Adjust your attitude, and the frustration and stress is gone.
- What you experience starts with your perception. – In almost every case, nothing is stopping you… nothing is holding you back but your own thoughts about yourself and “how life is.” Your perception creates your beliefs. And your beliefs create your behaviors. And your behaviors produce your experience.
- Let go of the need to complain about life. – Spend your moments actually living its beauty. Change the phrase “have to” to “get to.” So many things we complain about are things others wish they had the chance to do.
- Positivity always pays off. – Your thoughts do not end when you finish thinking them. They continue to echo through your life. Choose wisely and intentionally. Be outrageously and unreasonably positive. Be funny and creative and ridiculous and joyful all at the same time. Smile as often as possible. A smile actually changes the vibe of your body. It alters, physiologically, the chemistry of your being. It will make you feel better and do better.
- Negativity just shortens your life. – Before you waste it on anger, resentment, spite or envy, always think of how precious and irreplaceable your time is.
- Worry is the biggest enemy of the present moment. – It does nothing but steal your joy and keep you very busy doing absolutely nothing at all. When you spend time worrying, you’re simply using your imagination to create things you don’t want.
- Don’t run away from things; run toward them. – The best way to move away from something negative is to move toward something positive.
- Nothing is as bad as it seems. Nothing. – There’s a benefit and a blessing hidden in the folds of every experience and every outcome.
- Gratitude helps every situation. – How can you transform suffering into joy, and struggle into peace? GRATITUDE. Start being grateful for all the problems you do NOT have.
- Everything is falling together perfectly, even though it looks as if some things are falling apart. – Trust in life’s process. Happiness is allowing yourself to be perfectly OK with what is, rather than wishing for and worrying about what is not. When life is “falling apart,” things could actually be falling together… maybe for the first time.
- Change is necessary. – Change is the process of life itself. In fact, everything is changing every second of our lives. However good or bad the situation is now, it will change. That’s one thing you can count on. So never assume that you’re stuck with the way things are. Take a breath of fresh air. The past is long gone. Focus on what you can do, not on what you could have or should have done.
- You are capable of handling far more than you think. – Accept each moment, without judgment or anxiety. Remind yourself that all is well, and that you can handle whatever comes along.
- If you’re having problems, that’s good. – It means you’re making progress. The only people with no problems are the ones doing nothing.
- It’s takes just as much energy to waste your time as it does to use it wisely. – It is far better to be exhausted from lots of effort and learning, than to be tired of doing absolutely nothing.
- There’s a big difference between being busy and being productive. – Don’t confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but never makes any forward progress.
- You can’t achieve what you do not attempt. – Everything you achieve comes from something you attempt. Everything! Make the attempt. The path between wanting and having is doing.
- The right thing and the easy thing are rarely the same thing. – Do what matters, not just what is convenient. Do what is fulfilling, not just what is easy. When faced with a choice, choose the path that strengthens you. Choose to learn, choose to grow, choose to more fully become who you are.
- You can’t be your best without first being yourself. – Be highly effective by being highly authentic. Take a moment to pause and remember who you are and what you stand for. Take a moment to reflect on the ideas and principles that have real and lasting meaning in your life.
- Meaningful work is important. – You are at your best when you are moving toward a meaningful, positive and ambitious goal. So never follow goals you’re reluctant to pursue. Find ones that will keep you awake at night with excitement.
- Always realign yourself with your highest priorities. – If you’re being pulled in every direction by forces beyond your control, take time to realign yourself with what you value most in life. What is important in your life is what you decide is important, and this decision will ultimately create who you are.
- Set your sights high. – Make your dreams big, exciting and undeniable. They’re the ones that will push you forward. Whatever is beyond your reach right now will not always be beyond your reach. Keep going.
- Miracles happen every day. – If we think that miracles are normal, we will expect them. And expecting a miracle is the surest way to get one.
- If you’re going to do something, do it with enthusiasm and devotion. – Hold nothing back… In life. Or love. Or business. Or anything at all. Every morning, ask yourself what is really important and then have the courage to build your day around your answer.
- Focused effort pays. – An attitude of “whatever is convenient” won’t accomplish much, ever. An attitude of “whatever it takes” is impossible to stop. So remember, effort does not cost you – it pays. What you invest in effort is never wasted. Sincere, focused effort always brings something of value – an outcome that teaches you what the next step is.
- What you are capable of achieving is heavily based on how much you want it. – When it means enough to you, then you can do it. When you are willing and committed and persistent, you will get yourself there, every time.
- You can always take a small step in the direction of your dreams. – There is absolutely nothing about your present situation that prevents you from following your dreams, one step at a time. Use each setback, each disappointment as a cue to push on ahead with more determination than ever before.
- Set time aside to celebrate your progress at least once a month. – Look at how far you’ve come. You have made progress. And now, imagine how far you can go.
- Other people’s opinions don’t have to be your reality. – Let the opinions of others inform you, don’t let them limit you. Learn to value yourself and what you stand for. Allow yourself to be yourself. If you don’t want what the world says you should want, have the courage to say so.
- Break the rules sometimes. – Don’t break the law, but break the rules. If all you are doing is following someone else’s rules, then you have not grown, you have only obeyed.
- You alone, get to choose what matters and what doesn’t. – The meaning of everything in your life is the meaning you give it.
- Listen to your intuition. – When something feels right, that means it is right for you. When something feels wrong, that means it is wrong for you. Pay attention to your authentic feelings, and follow where they lead.
- Own and embrace your imperfections. – Because once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.
- Every mistake is a step forward. – You cannot make a mistake; you can only make a decision that will be your next best step.
- Every day is a clean slate. – Don’t you dare give up on Today because of the way things looked Yesterday. Don’t even think about it. Every day is a new day to try again.
- No moment is wasted when you live it with presence and purpose. – Value and enjoy the journey, even when there are detours along the way. Appreciate every moment, whatever each moment may bring. From the genuine appreciation of these little moments will come a remarkable life.
- Treat everyone, especially yourself, with kindness and respect. – Treat yourself as the most important person in the world, and treat others as you treat yourself. Do not miss a single chance – not one single opportunity – to tell someone how wonderful they are, how beautiful they are inside and out. Live so that people will enjoy your presence when they’re with you, and appreciate you just as much or even more when they’re apart from you.
- Accept important apologies you never received. – If you love someone and you want to forgive them, relieve them of the need to apologize to you, for anything.
- True love is freedom. – Love lets go. Let go of expectation, let go of requirements and rules and regulations that you would impose on your loved ones. The gift of pure love allows you to bless others and accept them without condition, granting them freedom to make their own choices.
- Everyone you meet can teach you something important. – In fact, the people who are the most difficult to deal with can also be your most valuable teachers.
- No matter how much you know, there’s a whole lot you don’t know. – In almost every situation, a little more willingness to acknowledge that there may be something you do not know could change everything. Go somewhere new, and countless opportunities suddenly appear. Keep an open mind.
Go little bird, fly……
It occurred to me today that I am like the bird who has lived in a cage all her life. Suddenly the door is ajar and I am free to soar. But no matter how hard I try it is difficult to let go of a life time of habit, familiarity, security. Why do I not have faith in myself. Why do I doubt I can fly……..the door has been left open for a reason. Fly little bird, the needs will take care of themselves.
She waits
The night sky, a black incandescent blanket, where was the stars, where was the moon.
The sky reflects my mood, a seething mess of uncertainty. Just when I thought I had the answer to my dilemma. Along comes a curve ball. My story, my life if you wish is a mess. I am a creature of habit and order and at the moment my drawers are overflowing, chaos is my best friend. Why is it that I can’t be certain anymore. My love you confuse me. At one turn I am sure that we are aligned like the planets and then like the blackened night you are invisible to me.
We met at a time when we were neither looking nor anticipating. Was it fate or just the universe and its perverse sense of humour. You say that you wished we had been more together in that foreign land, but I don’t know. I think it would have not worked, I was to new to you, to unsure of myself let alone you, with your life plan.
For all my outward confidence and sparkle I am a mass of uncertainty. I have been taken for granted for so long, I no longer know what is true. I am confused. The distance between us is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we would burn so brightly that we would combust. A curse because I long to touch you and that is not possible. Oh how I long to touch you.
You with your capacity to make me smile, make me laugh and make me cry. You have awakened emotions in me that I didn’t know I was capable of. How I die inside with jealousy, I have no real call to feel so much hurt and anger, you are a free agent. But I forgive you, forgive you for the things you say. I am weak for you and yet I enjoy your hurt. I wait for you every day and feel lost when I don’t hear from you. I have never been needy, but why is it that when I draw back I feel like you come after me, but as soon as I make an approach, I feel you slipping away. It is a confusing entity. That uncertainty, would it be so hard to give a promise.
What do you really feel for me, I have opened myself so completely to you, why can’t you tell me. The pain is immense, confusing, I am a masochist. Even now I wait for your call. Why is it that your hide me. Why can’t you be open? Do you think of me?
Universe
Sometimes it feels like the universe is at play. One bad day is followed by an extremely good day. I love when the positives starts to outweigh the negatives by greater margins. It is the healing process. The hurts no longer hurt you so deeply. The good feels so fantastic.
magenta.in.may 