how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: headspace

Appreciation
Following up my last post on humankind, and all the reasons to be there for one another more now than ever, I wanted to reflect on how mindfulness and appreciation are two of the most connected topics.
With more awareness, we see the whole picture of our lives, neither good or bad, right or wrong, but what simply is.
One thing I have found rises to the top of simple awareness however is an appreciation for everyone and everything around me.
Anywho, this is the aim of this post, to uncover not just what appreciation does to us, but how to cultivate and feed the profound act of appreciation each and every day. Hope you like it!
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.” – Voltaire.
Appreciation changes the mind of pure observation and adds a most important ingredient: gratitude.
Appreciation shifts the perspective of an experience from simple observance (which is often turned into judgmental observance because of the ego) to blessed observance (which is appreciating the fullness of an experience through the lens of gratefulness regardless of if the experience is good, bad, or ugly).
Blessed observance fully counteracts judgmental observance because it makes light of everything, not just the good.
And making light does not imply all attached emotions to the good, bad, and ugly aren’t there (in fact they are seen even greater). It means those emotions are lit up, illuminated by the light of appreciation for them.
You can appreciate something without giving it a pass. You can appreciate a bad or ugly experience without saying it’s okay.
It can very much not be okay, and action or speech must be taken to call out wrongdoing or injustice.
But even in those situations we are observing from fullness of appreciation and not partially from judgement.
So then, with the confidence and knowledge that appreciation is not just “good” for us, but rather essential, how do we find a way to express authentic appreciation each day?
This is where mindfulness comes in! During the daily practice of meditation, we open our hearts and minds to all that surrounds us, again, not tainted by any judgement of those surroundings.
If what we see, hear, and feel brings us down; then we can appreciate the light at the end of the tunnel they show us, and make steps to change our immediate environment.
One way during my meditation that I am able to hone in on appreciation is asking a simple question, “What are you blessed with?”
Then I name ten things on each finger that I am presently appreciative for in my life.
1. Family, who love and care for me deeply.
2. Friends, who enjoy my company.
3. A roof over my head.
4. Food in my belly.
5. Clean water to drink.
6. Clothes that keep me warm.
7. The profound practice of meditation.
8. A healthy body to run around in.
9. The gorgeous state of Utah I get to run around in.
10. A great car that gets me anywhere I want.
Appreciation for the littlest of things to the largest of moments. From the very breath I am taking right now to my beloved sister Amanda who passed away when I was eighteen.
Three More Things:
1. Read – How to be more apprecaitive every day.
2. Listen – Appreciating what we already have.
3. Watch – Want to be happy? Be grateful.
April 23, 2026
Time
“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”
– Steve Jobs
Looking at what Apple has become today, we can see that Steve’s vision has been more than realized since his death. He spent his time living his own life, doing what he loved: innovation and entrepreneurship.
And he’s right, we only have so many waking hours in a day (about 14-16 hours), so why not use them efficiently?
It’s less about the number of hours outside work and necessities than about utilizing those free hours available.
Strangely, I find myself utilizing my free time most efficiently when I have a crunch time to do it (like 4 hours or so after or before work) (like Tim Ferriss famously advocates).
Reflection
As unproductive as it sounds, doing nothing allows us to be more efficient in all we do.
It’s kin to an engine that runs all day and all night, for hours on end, without pause for oil and cooling. At that rate, it will overheat and burn out.
The same applies to us, we must pause to replenish and restore our mind and body by, well, doing nothing.
As we practice awareness, we find that balance between all that consumes our waking day, that balance of work, life, and all that falls through the cracks.
Since I like to get personal on here, I’ll just lay out my day as an example. (My secret? Pen, Paper, and a little orange app called Streaks):
07:00-08:00
*Wake Up
*3min Cold Shower
*Workout
Meditation
Journal
Vitamins, Minerals, and Breakfast
08:00-18:00
Work
Protein, Carbs, and Lunch
18:00-22:00
*Swim and 40min Sauna
Fruits, Veggies, and Dinner
Blog Post & Electronic Mix
*Practice Spanish
*Meditation
Read for an hour
Wind Down
I’ve starred the activities I need to focus on much more as this is my ideal day, not necessarily my every day right now.
Something to keep in mind is when we miss an activity, it’s much better to forgive ourselves and focus on getting it done the next day rather than stress out and beat ourselves up over it (at least that’s what I do).
Encouragement
Try pausing a few times throughout the day, even for 3-5 minutes, to notice how the mind and body feel.
Write down a rough draft of what you want to accomplish throughout the day, starting with the items you need to especially focus on.
Do you feel you’ve gained a little more awareness of where your time is going?
Thanks
I’m changing things up a little here by shooting for shorter posts and aiming to release them at a more consistent rate.
Thank you for reading these and emailing me all the encouragement ya’ll! I realize that not everyone has the time to read, so I’m working on audio versions of these posts that I hope will turn into a podcast soon, so stay tuned!
Links
December 15, 2023
Beginnings
Mindfulness is simply about stepping back to see the world with a little more clarity and appreciation.
When I began my mindfulness journey and meditation practice about 8 years ago, I had no idea the impact it would have on me.
All I knew at the time was that if I showed up, every morning possible, to sit with all my feelings, sensations, and thoughts, I could learn to master them.
And although I’m nowhere near that lofty goal (nor may ever be) I can say with profound certainty that I am an entirely different person than I was at 21.
Through sitting day after day in guided meditation, I learned something so powerful, something that meditation inevitably teaches at one point or another: Gratitude.
Reflection
I am blessed to live in a world where this is possible for me for even the tiniest amount of gratitude offers the largest amount of joy.
As some of you who know me know I have a really hard time making up my mind.
I officially created this blog sometime in 2018, then deleted it, then brought it back, then did nothing with it, and then this year decided to re-write the original posts written mostly while backpacking Europe in 2021.
This is my very first blog post (for the third time).
As I sit back and reflect on the reason for re-writing this post and the effect I hope to achieve, I remember the first time I practiced meditation and the beginning of my blogging journey too.
As I wrote about in Mindfulness & Meditation, I was spending the summer of 2016 in gorgeous Colorado, working and traveling in and out of a family friend’s basement, as carefree as any 20-year-old could be.
My space during that time of transformation consisted of boxes and boxes of random trinkets, a huge flatscreen TV, a maroon leather couch, two lounge chairs, a broken treadmill, a bookcase filled with children’s books, and an old basketball arcade game in the corner.
In that stuffed basement, I realized that the clutter really bothered me. I was born a natural minimalist, able to get rid of almost anything at any point with ease (sometimes with too much ease).
Surrounded by all this stuff, I also found myself drawn to the stillness of the present moment, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the cluttered room using a simple meditation app to guide me into a ten-minute meditation.
The app was called Headspace, and at the time it was just a catalog of ten or so guided meditation packs recorded on a decent microphone by the British co-founder and former monk, Andy Puddicombe.
As I sat in that cramped basement throughout that summer listening to Andy’s calm, clear voice, I began to notice a greater sense of calamity and clarity within myself.
I noticed things I never did before, like the hum of the A.C. running in the background, the itch behind my left ear, the faint smell of mold, and the delicate weight of gravity.
I started paying more attention in conversations too, feeling my emotions and reactions play out inside me. Meditation began to change my relationship with my thoughts.
I was practicing, as one would learning an instrument or riding a bike, how to be aware in an unaware world.
As I began to awaken, I noticed the world still asleep, unconsciously riding the motions and getting caught in terrible situations, having no idea how they got there.
It’s mind-boggling to me to watch people run back into toxic relationships, ruminate about how they look, consume entertainment to satisfy an illogical hunger, and beat themselves up over the smallest things.
In that moment of stillness, I realized what a simple yet profound activity meditation was, the art of awareness.
Then slowly, over many mediations, I also learned how to take my practice beyond the nice, quiet setting and into everyday life with all its hecticness, busyness, and complications.
I observed my relationships, my work, my passions, my habits, and my desires. Everything I did became more mindful and more deliberate.
The coolest thing of all is I still practice meditation through Headspace today. It has become my lighthouse, my beacon if you will, to return to when life gets in the way of living.
Meditation, as if God had planned it, was the only thing I had ever turned into a solid routine in my whole life.
It just somehow made sense to meditate. And even though it came naturally to me, anyone, anywhere, at any time can learn to meditate.
All it takes is a little willingness to sit, be present, and observe the mind.
Encouragement
Once, while anchored in a powerful meditation, I heard Andy describe meditation by way of five affirmations.
These affirmations were not necessarily put in order, but they made the most sense when the first step was achieved before the rest.
I encourage us to speak these affirmations each day (even if they aren’t your cup of tea, trust me, they work)!
First, you are capable, knowing you can truly do anything you put your mind towards.
Second, you are calm, using your breath as your anchor.
Third, you are clear, knowing where you’re going and what you’re doing next.
Fourth, you are content, understanding that you already have everything you need.
Five, you are compassionate, speaking your love languages loud and clear.
Underlining all these steps is the awareness of our thoughts, sensations, emotions, and surroundings. Without awareness, we cannot reify change.
Also, lastly, compassion is the entire motive of meditation. Without it, our practice will have little meaning or depth, and will most likely fade away with time.
Thanks
Thank you deeply for your time and attention in reading this post or newsletter, it is a rare gift these days. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you feel inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
Links
October 24, 2023