Your body is here but where are you? Immediately upon waking up each morning, the mind automatically switches on and starts broadcasting our familiar programs. Through the habit of surrender, we give it our full attention. We find the content of our mind far more compelling than the actual life occurring around us. Gulping down breakfast and thinking about the to-do list for the day or how the traffic is going to be on the way to work. The next thing you know, you are staring down at the empty cornflakes bowl in front of you, with no recollection of having eaten it. Or maybe not even that, maybe you just keep auto piloting the morning and the bowl goes into the sink, rinsed, in the dishwasher and you start knocking down the day as it comes at you… You missed the wonderful taste and texture of the food in your mouth, not to mention the warm sun streaming in through the window and the beautiful song of the birds outside. Your head buried in your phone while your arm automatically feeds your face… What could have been a relaxing shower turns into a game of coulda, woulda, shoulda about the conversations you had or the ones you will have. You missed the warm feel of the water running down your body and the steam of the shower relaxing you and preparing you for your day. You step out of the shower more tense and anxious than when you stepped in... Now you race the clock to get in the car... Then the drive to work while you’re busy replaying the conversation with your mom from the night before, missing the clouds, the trees, and the beautiful sky along the route. Next thing you know, you’re pulling into the car park at work, with no recollection of having driven there. Inevitably, you’re sitting at your desk or work station, but again, you’re somewhere else—counting the days until the weekend or making plans for your next holiday which you will attend in body but probably be somewhere else in your mind for that too…
Hello? Are you getting this? Your life is whizzing by you and you’re sleepwalking through it like an automation, a machine…
Being lost in that past conversation or those plans for that to do list pulls our attention away from the present moment, away from life, away from reality. The past and future have no authenticity of their own. What happened yesterday or what may happen tomorrow exist only as ideas in your head. You made that to do list to stop reminding yourself to do it, not torture yourself on the how, when , where, probably, could be, should be, will be execution of it… For the love of god, relax… You wrote it down, just do the damn thing and enjoy your life while you do it…
Distractions will cost you the game… Ask a fighter who steps into the ring what they are thinking about… As the punches fly, the fighter thinking about how he wishes his mom would treat him better is going to get knocked out… The fighter who is worried about what is for breakfast in the morning is going to wake up in the emergency room later that night… Any fighter will tell you that focus wins and distraction will get you killed…
Now how do we escape this?
I know, here comes that word you have heard a thousand times, gotten trainings on and have heard so much it is that it has become meaningless and stupid…
Mindfulness…
Let me just say this one thing about mindfulness and I will be quiet…
Get out of your head and into your life… Real life is happening while you dwell on what happened and what could happen… Instead of waiting impatiently for the moment to pass so you can get to the next moment that your probably not going to pay attention to anyway, realize that this moment is happening, going to continue happening and will conclude on its own time and you may as well enjoy the ride…
You can’t make the line go faster, but you could watch people… You can’t make the traffic flow faster, but you can roll down the window, feel the sun on your face and enjoy the music… You cannot make the doctor call you into the back any faster but you could stand up, walk over to the window and watch the world for a little while.
So enjoy your day and take five minutes of it to not think about the next moment or what happened last night… Your mind, body and soul will thank you…
Love you all… Mean it…
Day 35 update… All cylinders firing, all challenges will be completed and another week goes down… My life is improving in so many unexpected ways. Today I am thankful.
See you tomorrow….
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