The Keys of Mindfulness

There is a practice we can embrace that can turn despair into joy, shift unworthiness into appreciation, fear into gratitude and help us move towards our dreams and highest potential.

There is a practice that can help us see beyond the ills of this world and reconnect with the beauty that fills each day. A practice that can open our awareness to all that is going right and supporting us in our journey of life.

This practice is Mindfulness.

As I was putting these ideas together I realized for many of us, myself included, we don’t always lean towards mindfulness, instead we have a mindful of mess.

Just think about the array of ideas that flowed into your mind this past week, the various TV shows you watched, conversations you had, or music you listened to; were you aware of the various things you were putting into your mind, or were you just adding them to the stock pile of old ideas that have already accumulated within yourself?

Moving towards mindfulness gives you the ability to be aware of what you’re adding to your mind as well as help you remain connected to this present moment.

Stand guard at the doorway of your mind, recognize the ideas you are watering within and the things you are focusing on in the world around you.

How Mindfulness Can Help

If you ever find yourself focusing on the failures or stumbling blocks of the past, mindfulness is for you. If you are overwhelmed or stressed out about some future event, mindfulness can help.

The reason mindfulness can be so beneficial is it takes our attention away from the things we do not control and reunites us with our internal power. I don’t say this in a mystical or spiritual sense, but in a practical one, mindfulness helps you remember you are living here and now.

As you remain aware and connected to this moment of now, you begin to see this moment is all you ever have. The days of yesterday have passed, the failures of last year are but a memory, the future is an illusion, and this moment is the paint brush you use to create the days ahead.

As the wise Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hahn so lovingly put it, “Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes.”

Will Mindfulness Work For Me?

When I share this idea about mindfulness when I’m speaking at various places, people often ask me, “Will mindfulness work for me?”

My answer is, mindfulness works for all of us, but you must be the one who puts it to work.

In order for mindfulness to work in your life it requires a few conscious steps each day. It is nothing abstract, you don’t have to sit in a certain meditative position, renounce your set of beliefs, or be surrounded by enlightened minds, you simply must shift your awareness towards this life you are living now, in this moment.

You see, each moment of each day you can choose to center yourself in gratitude by simply acknowledging all that goes into providing you with this day.

Being mindful of the abundant sun shining upon this planet we have to call home, being mindful of the abundance of oxygen we are able to breathe throughout our experience. Being mindful of the water we drink and all it has gone through to reach us. Being mindful of the food we eat, understanding it is a product of the soil, water, sun and the various hands that tended to the crops, picked the fruits and brought them to the place where you purchased them. Being mindful how this food converts to energy for your body and your cells that are dividing within you this very moment. Being mindful of the atoms within and the connection you share with everyone and everything upon this planet and beyond.

Mindfulness can work wonders in your life but you must be aware of what you are choosing to fill your mind with.

I encourage you to begin seeing the abundant order of life that provides you with this experience and recognize the inseparable connection you share with all.

3 Keys To Make Mindfulness A Daily Practice

#1 – Centered In The Present Moment – We can center ourselves in the present moment continuously throughout our day. This doesn’t require dropping what you are doing, going to a temple, or finding a prayer mat, you do this by simply recognizing you are breathing and feeling your heart beating. When life gets hectic, stressful, or chaotic, stop for a moment and feel your breath moving through you. Pause and feel your heart that is beating. As you do this, remind yourself that you are living, not in yesterday, not in tomorrow, but you are living here and now.

#2 – What’s Going Right – Another thing you can do to build this awareness of mindfulness is to focus on all that is going right in your life. Often we focus our attention on the failures, problems and frustrations that occupy our experience. A simple shift in perspective helps you remember there are too many things going right to count. Begin with the oxygen you are breathing, the sun that is shining, the planet that is spinning, the trees which are growing, the food which is ripening, and your cells that are dividing. Count the innumerable things going right that surround you.

#3 – 3 Times a Day – Each morning, begin your day with mindfulness by recognizing you are living a new and fresh day. Each afternoon pause to center yourself in mindfulness by reminding yourself that you are choosing which way you are taking your experience of life. Each evening before you sleep be mindful, recognizing all that went right to provide you with another day to experience. Let this become a daily practice. This will help:

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Benefits of Stepping Into Mindfulness

A few of the immediate benefits from mindfulness are less stress, less overwhelm, less fear, less worry, less confusion, less anger, more Love, more Peace, and more Belief in Yourself. Step into mindfulness.  

Peace

 

Happiness

 

Compassion

 

Respect

  Jeffon Seely

Three Key Life

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