At this point, I know that the word ‘mindfulness’ feels completely useless. What does it really mean? How can we apply it? Making it more personal, do you even want to apply it?
If you’re anything like me, the answer to that last question might be no. More often than not, it feels like the best way to get through is to just keep your head down and plow through. If you stop, even for a second, to consider everything you need to do you might drown.
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With this dire beginning, I want to offer up another perspective that I find to be helpful. In 2003, Brown and Ryan share that “mindfulness captures a quality of consciousness that is characterized by clarity and vividness of current experience” and that it can “play a key role in fostering informed and self-endorsed behavior regulation, which was long been associated will well-being enhancement.”
In short – being mindful improves your life.
I really like the “self-endorsed behavior” piece that Brown and Ryan talk about. My day-to-day is filled with things that make me think “Wait, why am I doing this again?”
Why am I picking up toys when my baby needs a cuddle?
Why am I mindlessly scrolling Facebook when I could be doing the writing I enjoy?
Why am I doing this instead if that?
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Every moment brings a new opportunity to examine why I’ve decided to do one thing or another. Every moment gives a new opportunity for self-determination. What are you going to do with it?
