We hear a lot about mindfulness these days. It’s a popular topic in blog posts, articles, ted talks. It’s a daily practice in the lives of those of us who are generally more aware and present. It’s sometimes a part of a meditation and gratitude routine. Some people are naturally drawn to the topic and the practice of mindfulness comes easy to them.
Mindfulness is the gentle effort to be continuously present with experience, to go through the moment having full awareness of one’s surroundings, emotions, thoughts and sensations. Being here and now and “walking” through each moment is what mindfulness is all about. I see it as a conscious remembering of details, remembering of circumstances and paying close attention to the experiences we’re going through.
In my head I usually divide people into two group – it may not be very accurate or exactly right but it’s easy and it works for me. There are those who are drawn to more quiet forms of personal-development, they practice yoga, they meditate and mindfulness is a natural add-on to their already somewhat calm lifestyle and the way of being.
The other group are people like me – energetic (in other words mad!), fast-thinkers (in other words “mind full”) and most of the time racing through life looking for another full–on experience. I know a few people like that which helps me not to feel like a complete weirdo all of the time – just every so often. What group are you in?
Even though you might think that being energetic and fast in thinking and doing is a recipe for a pretty interesting life, there is a down side to it. The “being” part sometimes gets lost. Ironically we would describe “the being part” as present in our lives through us “walking the talk” but isn’t the act of walking an action in itself? Doing again!
And we continue to race…
As coaches we promote balance and we encourage it in our client’s lives. And life is teaching me over and over again that the way of living and approaching reality requires this balance too. My wedding day was one of those best lessons. An event like this is organised (ideally) once in a lifetime and the statement “If I was to do it again I would…” is a contradiction of the purpose of the day itself. But I continue to make this statement somewhat bitterly that nobody told me before that I need to stop, be mindful, be present, experience, cherish, capture and remember every moment as it comes. It went so fast. There are photos to remind me of those moments but it would be a lie if I said that I can remember the entire day in a great detail.
There is a precious value in mindful living and there is a precious value in every moment we experiences. What are the consequences of not seeing the value? Our life (which is this moment, right now) passes us by. Time goes by and some of the most valuable experiences anyone could ever go through, are just another day, another hour which will soon be forgotten.
I am learning that even if practicing yoga, listening to music for relaxation or even meditation, doesn’t come naturally to me, I should still introduce some calming energy into my life. Maybe a calming routine that will help my mind refocus, my body de-stress and my spirit feel uplifted. Through this I see time slowing down and the quality of life and human interactions increase. This is for you, if you don’t think mindfulness is for you! It’s worth it not just because mindfulness is a popular topic right now and if it works for others it must work for me. It’s because life is too precious, moments too valuable and the consequences of not capturing them are, in my eyes, very serious. Those moment are simply NEVER coming back!
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