By chance, I’ve recently stumbled upon the practice of being mindful!
One of my January goals has been to walk 10,000 steps each day.
It’s not a lot (really) and I’m sure there’s many other people out there walking a lot further each day.
It is however, a good challenge, especially when I’m working with clients or facilitating a full day of training.
Through my travels this year (and reflecting on 2017 as well), I keep hearing clients talk about being mindful and colleagues encouraging them to practice mindfulness. I consider myself to have a good level of emotional intelligence and awareness of what’s going on around me. Through my recent walking (and running) I’ve discovered some great podcasts which in turn have prompted me to become more mindful.
What is it?
Being mindful or mindfulness is a state of being aware of the present (what’s going on right now).
When we’re being mindful, we purposely observe our thoughts and feelings without judging them good or bad.
Instead of letting the moments (and our life) pass us by, mindfulness focuses on living in the moment and having awareness of our current experience, rather than dwelling on the past or anticipating the future.
Why bother?
Mindfulness can benefit us by;
– Reducing our stress levels
– Giving us a better understanding of ourselves
– Allowing us to view things from a different perspective
– Relaxing our mind
– Allowing us to breathe and stay calm in a controlled way
– Providing an opportunity for us to enjoy the moment
– Allowing us to make better decisions
– Helping us achieve a better balance
Why wouldn’t we all want to be a little less stressed, more relaxed or simply just to be able to enjoy the moment?
Give it a go, like me.
Not for a day or a week, where you’ll revert back to what you’ve always done.
Give yourself a month or better still 3 months or even a year.
Read, walk, meditate or simply take a moment to reflect.
Until next time
Thanks for reading
Jeff
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This week’s recommended listen is;
The Minimalists – helping people live their lives with less
This week’s recommended read is;
The 5 steps winning mindset by Prof Damian Hughes
Thanks to Daniel Monteiro for the featured image
Thanks to Kristen Sturdivant for the mindfulness image
Thanks to Austin Chan for the sign image