Mindfulness and KISSing
This post has nothing to do with kissing, although in the future I might get lucky in my painful singleness…seriously though, being single isn’t so bad.
I wanted to share with you all, something about mindfulness, in adherence to the KISS method — Keep It Simple, Stupid!
Everyone has their own idea of what the key to happiness is, everyone has their own theory, philosophy and history that contributes to their world view — but how many of these people can claim that it is their own world view based on their own cultivated sense of being?
I don’t claim to have the ultimate answer because there isn’t one. Everyone is unique and I believe it’s everyone’s moral and spiritual duty to find out what works for themselves. Everyone has a fragment of truth and wisdom to share with the world. I’m not going to share all the benefits of mindfulness — if you’re reading this, you’re probably already aware of them.
I’ve been wanting to share this topic with a friend of mine. She’s going through a lot of things right now, I suppose it all comes down to some sort of identity crisis, and finally putting the past behind her. I sure hope she’ll read this, otherwise I’m just going to have to type this all again. Being Sagittarius (this TOTALLY matters), I personally just don’t understand why people take things so seriously. The world would instantly be a better place if people didn’t apply such importance to the tiny things that really don’t matter. Just imagine your stress levels, vitality and circulation improving, for a start.
Because we can’t undo something once we’ve created that thing in our minds. One way or another, it will take form in the physical world through our own reaction, habit or mannerism. We can apologise for our actions, or make reparations, but that doesn’t erase what has happened. Each thought is like a snowflake that starts an avalanche — except the avalanche will keep going for all eternity. It will lead on to other things forming and happening.
Mindfulness is About One Single Habit
We can’t all be meditating on mountain summits, contemplating time and existence, and besides, it’s spiritually truer to be mindful in the midst of chaotic urban/ suburban life (where you can’t run away from yourself). Mindfulness is basically splitting your life up into a single moment by moment, so we can still be nourishing our emotions, thoughts and souls in the beauty of every day smallness.
On meditation, an extreme effect of meditating for long periods after a while of practicing, is the ability to transcend time consciously so that you can literally perceive a lot more from moment to moment. But we don’t have to wait to reach some lofty ideal to be that aware of ourselves and our thoughts, and the impact they have on our lives.
Mindfulness is the ability to pay full attention to what you are doing in that single moment. I invite you to try just any mundane task — anything — with full attention on the task. Making tea (or coffee), sifting through paperwork or whatever.
Mindfulness at its greatest is when a nasty situation unfolds. Before you speak, or think and diagnose for yourself what is going on (out of defensiveness or self-preservation), perceive as much as you can and realise that in truth, it’s not all about you. In fact, it may not be about you at all (even if an aggressor says it is). Your thoughts and actions will send out ripples into the universe, because that’s just the way karma works. A little self-control yields huge dividends in that regard.
Who are you choosing to be in that moment? What do you do usually, and how do you want to come across in that situation? Will you say or do something that resonates with that? Is it worth getting worked up over?
I can guarantee that before you even counteract, and in a single moment, just perceive, self defensive-ness and the need to assert yourself really will fall away. Everything that unfolds doesn’t define you, and it can’t. Your true sense of self isn’t in your work, your credo, or even in your most intimate relationships. They are all aspects of you that you choose to express, and you will spend the whole of your life doing that.
We are all much too vast to need to constantly defend or even define our sense of self, and this is where things get philosophical — so in the mean time, this leaves us only with the practical aspect of choosing who to be with each passing moment. Isn’t this a liberating truth?
Being Self-Focussed Will Change the World
Most admirable is doing something to give back to the world, I think. But there is also a common sentiment amongst humanitarians that they need to save the world, when this is probably them just being one with a saviour complex. Save the world from what, exactly? Sometimes saving the world is much easier than tackling their own personal problems. Listen carefully and you might see that the matters “out there” reflect matters closer to home. If we were all mindful enough just to take up to ourselves, it would affect choices that would positively affect our homes, families and local communities, and by default, in this day and age, the rest of the planet, connected as we are. Don’t you think?
