From Mindlessness to Mindfulness – Part 2 of 2

While the self-examination required to become mindful may sound tedious, it isn’t. We start by examining our general focus, thoughts, and motives, and consider how our choices impact ourselves and those around us. We still get to live normal life, but we just do a bit of self-reflection.

Once we make the decision to become more conscious, we will become aware of when we are being mindless. Spirit will gently guide us to see what we need to see.

(See here for Part 1)

And If we exist within a generally positive Life Matrix, we don’t have to continuously examine all our thoughts and attitudes through a microscopic lens. (See below for definition of  Life Matrix, and link to a post discussing it).

Even when we are attempting to shift our Life Matrix to becoming more aware and away from the negative and a conscious effort is required, we don’t have to examine every thought or attitude we hold.

Excerpted from my New Book

See  here  for About Book

and below for info on the next 2 books in this series due out shortly.

(Also below is information on my 1st book, “Your Journey to Peace…”, )

By acknowledging what is brought to our attention, and choosing to look at whatever it is in a calmer, more loving, or inclusive way, our Life Matrix will begin to shift.

This starts the ball rolling and we will then have many ah-ha moments where we become aware we could choose a better attitude or behavior—sometimes only after the fact, and that is OK.

Becoming mindful is a process. We will forget. It may even sometimes seem like we are taking two steps forward and one step back. This is because we are now becoming aware of what we didn’t realize before. At this point, we are well on our way to conscious living because becoming aware is the big first step. But we must always remember:

Self-examination’s purpose is not to make us

feel bad or to shame us.

 It is to make us become more aware of our emotions

and where our mind wants to take us,

so that we can make better, more conscious choices.

Calming or centering practices like prayer, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi or simply spending time in nature attunes our beings to our True Self, whose comforting nature and gentle guidance will help us to become more mindful. So does journaling.

When we are mindful:

• We see our past and present experiences through a clear lens, so there is no need to blame or project our frustrations or miseries onto others.
• We are empowered and do not expect others to fix our problems.
• Nor do we wait for any higher being to take them away as we are doing our part.

Mindfulness is a cornerstone in Eastern thought systems, and it can be utilized in many different ways. Dr. Ellen Langer explains in her book, Mindfulness, that the practice of true mindfulness within Eastern teachings is quite complex, focusing mainly on meditation to bring about a “mindful state” that influences our actions.^[1]

Westerners have adopted a more simplified version to help guide us to become more aware of who we are really being. This is appropriate for our use today, as it is the first step in becoming conscious of our thoughts and inner-beliefs and how they affect our attitudes and behaviors, which can either be beneficial or harmful to ourselves and others.

Along with spiritual practices that connect us to our True Self, this awareness can help us shift to become more loving, accepting, and compassionate. Centering practices and becoming mindful work together to help us live closer to how we were intended to live, which also helps to bring about a more loving, accepting, and compassionate world.

Our Life Matrix: Is the lens through which we view ourselves and navigate the world. It holds all of our attitudes, ideals, heart beliefs, and habitual patterns that developed from our conscious and unconscious perceptions, misperceptions, and beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It provides the impetus to become who we think we need to be and what we think we need to do to uphold these perceptions and beliefs—whether they are real or false, known or unknown, or whether or not they ultimately serve our highest good.  Link to post “Our Life Matrix” here

[1] Langer, Mindfulness, 78.