Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; On purpose, in the present moment, and non judgmentally.”- Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn.
The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something. – Unknown
My definition of Mindfulness is making an effort to pay active attention to whatever you are doing. I feel Mindfulness is the key to overall contentment and happiness in life. After meeting many people in different countries, and from various cultures, I realized that the common wish that everybody holds dear to them is, “to be happy.”
And why not? All of us wish happiness for ourselves, for those near and dear to us including our pets. Some of us are able to think on a macro level and wish happiness for our neighbors, communities, and countries. However, the enlightened ones’ wish for happiness for all human beings regardless of geographical, mental, physical, and social boundaries.
Yes, we wish happiness for all and it’s a fair wish!
Pleasure vs. Happiness
How do we fulfill happiness? Should somebody appear and give us happiness as a gift?
I don’t think so. I am aware that there are few occasions in our lives such as receiving gifts, compliments, promotions, creating a family, buying a house, and overall acceptance, will give us great pleasure and enjoyment for a while.
However, these pleasures are short lived. Happiness is the internal state of mind that comes from within and
contrary to pleasure, is long term. We’ve got to work on it. The key is to be mindful of minds, bodies, and spirits of ourselves as well as others, and our functioning environments. Basically, the world we have created for ourselves.
Mind, Body, and Spirit
When I talk about Minds that means our thoughts, emotions, attention, and attitudes. Bodies means our sensations, chemicals, vitals, our responsibilities to its care and protection. Lastly, when I say Spirit that means our awareness, values, virtues, principles, compassion, kindness, morality, and much more.
All of these elements that our ancestors had, and we believe in, made it possible for us to make it to 2015. After such a long journey in progressing as a human race, working hard, sacrificing, and compromising, why aren’t we happy or content?
I feel the answer is lack of Mindfulness and a disconnection with ourselves. Most of the time, due to high stress and anxiety, we are on autopilot protecting our spirit (core) from getting hurt. Although we may have experiences with the potential for happiness, we are unable to identify them.
The benefits of practicing Mindfulness
Practicing Mindfulness really helps us reconnect and experience every moment of our lives. Instead of writing in simple points, I plan to share the benefits a little bit in depth and with few real life stories on a weekly basis.
Here is my favorite benefit for this week – To be present with yourself!
What does that mean? To reconnect with yourself honestly.
When you practice Mindfulness, you’ll be able to pay attention to what you are thinking, feeling, doing, responding (not reacting), when you are about to get upset or have panic attacks, when you are really happy, or just faking it. Additionally, there are higher chances that you’ll be aware of possible consequences of your thoughts, attitudes, and actions, whether it’s related with your life or that of others. You start tracking yourself first and eventually start making progressive changes!
Now that’s somewhat tough, isn’t it?
You may think, “I don’t want to go through all that” or, ” I don’t want to think about it.” This can be overwhelming at times. No worries, you can ask me questions. There are lots of self- help tools available online or you can start this process in collaboration with a professional near you. In the long term, learning Mindfulness will give you more confidence, self-control, ability to self-check, awareness of your mind, body, and spirit. It will be your key to overall happiness.
Remember, I am not talking about occasional sensory pleasures but long term happiness and a blissful state of mind. As for pleasures, I am sure you know how to get them. Happiness and contentment can be achieved with Mindfulness and some brain programing. If you are ready, I am ready to share.
I’ll be posting articles on my Blog so that at your leisure, you can read them, self reflect, and take action.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write. I’ll mail you back or answer your questions on my videos.
Sending peace your way!