Mindfulness
the act of maintaining a non-judgemental state of awareness of our thoughts,
feelings, emotions and the surrounding environment on a moment to moment basis.
Being fully present aware of what we’re doing and not overwhelmed by what’s
going on around us.
Mindfulness
is something that we all have, we were born with it and we can access it at any
time. Our challenge is that we live in a world which is helping us to become
disconnected from ourselves and the people around us. We filter and distort
reality and we believe it is real.
This
disconnection from who we are and what is happening plays havoc with our
thoughts, feelings and emotions. There is no blame to be apportioned, it’s just
how we’ve been conditioned. Overtime we can find ourselves over reacting to
life, as opposed to responding to life and all that it throws at us.
A good way
to highlight this point is through a classic tale which illuminates different
ways of paying attention. An elder is teaching his grandson about life. “A
fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and
it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority, and ego.”
He continued, “The other is good –
he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on
inside you – and inside all of us.” The grandson thought about it for a minute
and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The grandfather simply
replied, “The one you feed.
Our
thoughts can be our own worst enemy. That is if we let them. Think about how
you may be “feeding” your negative thoughts by allowing them to rule your mind.
Next time you have a negative thought, catch it and ask yourself, “What is this
thought doing for me?” You will find that it only serves to disempower you. You
can immediately feel more empowered by focusing on something good in your
life and cultivate the practice of gratitude.
This is what mindfulness can help you do. It allows you to see your
thoughts and feelings as they are beginning, not after you’ve gotten
overwhelmed. It’s very powerful to know what you’re feeling as you’re feeling
it. Know what you’re thinking as you’re thinking it. You can choose what will
strengthen and bring it into action and you can choose what you gently let go
of. You don’t have to be at the mercy of old habits or old ways of thinking or
being.
You are empowered, it just takes practice.
Posts
Post a Comment