mind·ful·ness
noun
1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
2. a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, & thoughts
Synonyms: heedful, thoughtful, regardful
Albert Einstein reminded us: Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.
When I observe, listen and feel another’s experience
My heart is opened and I am connected to the world
In this moment~Anonymous
People are not born with any values or beliefs. Our values and beliefs infiltrate the most basic parts of our being from those around us. They are like contagious diseases, spread by those whoa re had by them to newcomers to the group.
There is no necessary correlation between what people say and what they do. There is a close correlation between what people value and believe and what they accomplish.
Values and beliefs are the software that energies, guides, channels, filters, an screens all of our attention and all of our actions. What we value and what we believe not only defines who we are, but how things will turn out for us in the end.
If you don’t value accomplishment over activity, your life will be more or less a random sequence of activities.
What you don’t understand of your owns values and beliefs will make you more a victim of them. The ones you haven’t consciously chosen will penetrate you from outside sources.
What you don’t understand of the values and beliefs of others–whether enemies, competitors, friends, or partners–will leave you naked and vulnerable on the playing field.
Values and beliefs are not what make the world go round. They are the world around which everything else revolves.
So, what happens when you close your eyes and focus your attention inward while you’re hurtling down the coastline in a train at 90 miles an hour? First, you notice every creak, squeak, screech and groan. Every jiggle, jostle and rumble registers. You realize what a noisy, bumpy ride this is. But when you keep returning your focus to your breath, those noises and sensations gradually recede, to an outer layer of your awareness.
There’s value in just this — realizing that you can control your focus. You discover that you can live with the annoying squeak, you can actually put it completely out of your mind. As you can with every other thought or sensation. Once you experience this, it’s not a big leap to grasp how easily we allow ourselves to become distracted. Hooked. Preoccupied. Triggered. Obsessed. Addicted.
Yes, the entire spectrum of Things That Keep You From What Really Matters. Which begs the question: What does really matter? That’s up to you of course, but you can’t decide that until you allow yourself to be in the moment, untethered from the past, unbound by the future.
None of this is new if you’re into mindful meditation. You know that being in the moment might mean feeling scared or anxious or nervous or pissed. But when you’re mindful, you recognize those as passing states.
You don’t have to bury the anxious thought in a place where it will eventually come back as a monster that ties you in knots. Nor do you have to gloom on to outrage, judgment or any of the other unwanted states you might have found yourself inhabiting in the past. You can decide that those places are not where you want to live.
Matthew 6:34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
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