Healthy Habits : Developing Mindfulness
Mindfulness – becoming aware – living in the NOW! The Present!
Why is it important?
Mindfulness - without it, true change is almost impossible.
Mindfulness comes before discernment. How can anyone discern anything if they are unaware of what is going on, the truth?
It is our tendency as human beings to reflect on the past quite often. Regretting mistakes that we've made. Reviewing those decisions that now using 20-20 hindsight make us aware that we could have made better choices. Playing what if games! All of these thoughts from the past, most of them, leading to regret.
The other tendency of human beings is to plan the perfect future. Wishing that we had become something different and making plans on those wishes. Then becoming fearful that we are inadequate to process or make those wishes come true, we choose not to take action.
The answer to overcoming the regret of the past and the fear of the future is to bring ourselves into the NOW.
We cannot change the past. However, if we learn from our mistakes it will help us from making the same mistake over and over again.
By recognizing our mistakes, it can change decisions we make, in this present moment, and our actions can more accurately reflect our new nature.
No one can accurately predict the future. We may be gone within the next few moments, the next few days, months or years. No one knows when! Therefore, when it comes to the future we can make plans, develop some goals to act as stepping stones as we implement them, but we can only make decisions in this instant that will take us in that direction.
Many people get caught up in the plans and goals and refuse to accept detours.
Those detours may be changes that have the possibility of making our life better.
The detours always happen in the present moment.
The only way that we can become aware that we need or require a course correction is to become aware of; who we are, what we are, and where we are!
This requires mindfulness!
People will spend hours in the gym conditioning the body, making the muscles stronger.
They spend very little time, possibly seconds on mindfulness. Few individuals consciously choose to shut down the chatter of the committee, in the mind. Very few people even believe that it can happen and are unwilling to try.
Practicing any endeavor will make us better. That statement is true whether we practice it physically or just mentally.
The path to shutting down the mind, quieting it, so that you can listen to God, requires practice. The name of this practice is meditation.
This may require an individual to change their definition of meditation. Because of some teachings, that word (Meditation) has a bad connotation attached to it.
Becoming mindful of, aware of, old beliefs, stuffed feelings is not a bad thing. Only by developing awareness (using mindfulness) of WHY we do something, which seemingly happens automatically, due to the habits we’ve developed, will allow us to make decisions, using discernment, to change those disabling beliefs and habits.
You can’t be mindful in the future. How can you be mindful of something that is yet to happen?
You can’t be mindful in the past. The past is a done deal. You may reflect on the past but being mindful is impossible.
Mindfulness can only happen in the PRESENT!
May you start down your path to mindfulness today.
Join us to discuss these topics!
Yours in Opulence,
Michael McCright
August 24, 2016
TiC = TogetherICan.com
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