Mindfulness is 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 that is helping us to become
disconnected from ourselves and the people around us. We filter and distort
reality and we believe it to be 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. Over time 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 that 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 the most.
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 your state
of being 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.
The mind is just like
a muscle, the more you exercise it the stronger it gets and the more it can
expand.
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