The Gift of Mindfulness

The Gift of Mindfulness

Awareness and focus are the natural results of deliberately training your subconscious through the practice of mindfulness. They rarely come to us by chance. 

90% of our thoughts and actions throughout the day happen subconsciously, as habits of our mind. If you want to transform your life, you have to transform your subconscious. 

The only path to transforming your subconscious is to practice mindfulness and discipline in the small, every day, mundane elements of your life. 

This is the path to connecting with your highest self, the best version of you. Here are some simple practices that have helped me along my journey. 

Finish what you start.  To finish sleeping, make your bed. When you make a mess, clean it up, all in one motion. (Mindful people don’t leave a trail.)Start a project. Finish it. Close draws and doors after opening them.Plan something. Execute it. Be deliberate in the way you eat. Do it slowly. Mindfully. Imagine the origin of the food and the hands that prepared it. Sit upright. Don’t slouch. Talk kindly, the way you want others would talk to you. Think about how your words might impact others before you say them.Be mindful of the energy you bring into the room. It matters. Be mindful of your diet and exercise. Make eye contact, and hold it, even when it’s uncomfortable. Practice sustaining it. Be decisive. How do you feel when you depend on someone to make a decision and they can’t?Foster an "attitude of gratitude", as Zig would say. 

These aren’t petty things. These habits aren't OCD or controlling. This is what mindful, deliberate, discipline looks like. 

The greatest gift you can give those you love is your undivided attention. But you can’t do that if you aren’t aware and cannot focus, despite distractions. 

Drinking tea can be a mindful experience. Boil the water. Steep the tea. Wait so you don’t burn yourself, but not so long that it gets cold. Like many elements of life, that window of perfect flavor and temperature is so fleeting. You must be tuned in if you want to enjoy the pinnacle of that experience. 

Our subconscious is being trained in every moment, regardless of our attention to that process. In every moment, we are training our minds to be present, or absent.Either way, we are creating habits. 

In what areas of your life are you disciplined, aware, focused, and mindful? Does your life feel like a constant battle or a harmonious flow? 

Mindfulness is a path to alignment, peace, and joy. 

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