Are you ready to feel more aware, caring and mindful?
Do you want to appreciate the spring flowers, savor that fresh cup of coffee, or be fully present with others?
But instead, you find yourself distracted in the moment, either internally by the cascading river of thoughts, or externally by demands from traffic, job, family, smartphone… In other words, the chaos of life.
What if there was a way to step into the silence even if only for a moment?
Of course the best way to do this is through meditation, having a daily practice, (click here to get started).
AND by taking that essence out into the world and living it.
Here are three ways to bring mindfulness into your every day:
1. Intend Your Day
Every morning when you wake up, decide how you want your day to be.
Happy? Disappointing? Exciting? Frustrating?
Take a moment to envision it.
What will you do? How will it progress? Will it be easy or hard?
Intentionally or unintentionally, you decide how you want your day to be from the moment it starts.
Infuse this time with clarity, with mindfulness, with right thinking. So that your day can reflect exactly what you want.
I like to use affirmation to support my visioning.
“I see myself vibrant and healthy, engaged and creative. I know I will live this day to the fullest and savor every moment of it.”
2. Cultivate Appreciation
Appreciation is perspective.
Appreciation is noticing all the little things in life that are working, going well, successful. It’s recognizing the love you feel for your husband, and appreciating the bond you have. It’s honoring your body, and having gratitude for it’s incredible capacity to heal and support you. It’s recognizing all the abundance and beauty that surrounds you in every moment.
When I lived in Hong Kong, a very busy, dirty (and smelly!) city, most evenings as I boarded the ferry to head home, I’d gaze out at the shimmering harbor that perfectly reflected the sun setting across the skyscrapers. Sheer beauty.
It’s even about appreciating the hard things in life as lessons to be learned or challenges to overcome.
3. Return to Now
If you find yourself distracted during the day by the chatter in your head, take a deep breath and come back to now.
I have a very active mind so it is common that as I do a task or listen to someone, a voice offers ongoing commentary in my mind.
Nowadays this voice is quieter and I’m able to more easily silence it.
But the first step is to become aware of this mind habit. “Oh look, I’ve just gone down the rabbit hole and am miles away, thinking about my trip to Hawaii instead of here sitting at the table with you.”
When this happens, take a deep breath, oxygenate yourself and re-focus. Listen to your friend in the here and now, finish that assignment, close the deal.
Mindfulness is really about mind training and creating new habits. Use these three tools to help you build those muscles and experience more happiness, gratitude and love in every moment.