My daughter Julina and I enjoyed a wonderful Saturday at the Mindful Her event with headliner Mallika Chopra held at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. As we rolled our yoga mats out onto the wet grass, we could not
help but smile to see a hundred others doing the same thing in the shadow of that magnificent structure. As a student of the new brain research, I am deeply rooted in the idea that we
humans can feel better if we adopt MINDFULNESS STRATEGIES. This event solidified my thinking.
Mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment, giving your full awareness to what is occurring and accepting it without judgment. It requires that we
are conscious and aware - that we learn to choose our response instead of simply reacting.
As a life coach, I am working to help my clients to have more purpose in life. Many feel too scared and nervous to move forward. The necessary action steps just seem too hard. When we
practice mindfulness we acknowledge our negative feelings and let them pass through. It is human to be nervous and scared. Life is hard, but difficult does not have to dominate our
behavior. It is possible for us to manage our internal world. The first step is awareness of our feelings, the next step is to rewrite what we are telling ourselves about them. If we are
thinking, "I'm too old to get this job" rewrite the narrative to, "I am a hard worker and I know I can contribute to the workforce."
Our bodies believe what we are thinking. To move forward and get unstuck, change the internal messages you are creating. Your body responds to those negative messages, hence the sleeplessness and anxiety. I love this Iceberg Metaphor. What we are thinking is unseen, it is below the water line, but it is powerfully influencing our behaviors, that which is seen above the water. If you want to move forward, check what you are telling yourself, acknowledge that you are afraid and do it anyway. Give yourself a deadline. The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal has a completion date. Courage is the bridge between our scared selves and taking action. You can do it. Start today. Life starts outside our comfort zone!
One last thought, I attended the conference to learn more about using meditation as a mindfulness tool. One break out section was about "Getting Your Calm On." I listened intently to four different ways to meditate; how important it is to empty our minds and BE.
The next day, I got up in the dark of early morning,settled my dogs around me, poured my coffee, and turned on the fire place. As I stared into the fire I had an epiphany! I laughed out loud! I have been staring into that fire every morning for thirty years and never realized that I have been meditating all this time! I
have always known that my quiet time is the part of the day when I still my mind. It is non-negotiable. It energizes me. It keeps me on track.
I invite you to practice telling yourself positive messages so you feel better, to still your mind every day, and when you feel scared to take the action step, do it anyway.. I'd love to hear
what you think.
My best, donna
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