how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: meditation

Destiny
You alone can truly determine your destiny. But there is no need to emphasize such a remark. The question posed here is what factors determine our destiny and are those factors controllable?
Destiny is defined as the events that will happen to a particular person or thing in the future.
Destiny simply is your future.
Destiny is not a straight path leading to a single result in the future, it’s an ever-changing series of tracks that is a result of our choices.
It’s a beautiful yet difficult thing. We can choose our destiny, but we cannot choose our fate. That feeling that we are supposed to do something grand or minuscule is our destiny.
How do we live in a way that we are content with whatever outcome arises, whether pleasant or unpleasant?
Since awareness precedes contentment, noting the present would lead to a more content mind.
Contentment can be defined as a state of happiness and satisfaction
Getting off track for a second, we’re going to try a quick noting technique.
Noting can either be spoken out loud or in your head. We will focus on the five senses that make up our human experience (I wonder what technology the future holds in store).
Touch: Can you feel the gentle force of gravity? What about the temperature?
Sound: What noises imbibe your attention? Can you hear your thoughts and ideas?
Smell: Take a deep breath through the nose. Can you smell even the faintest of smells?
Taste: Move your tongue around in your mouth. Can you taste anything in particular?
Sight: Opening your eyes, what immediately beckons your attention? How does the light bounce off objects? What about any movement?
Close your eyes for a few moments and try this on your own!
It’s a beautiful thing to notice the present isn’t it? The world around us moves as we remain still. People are wrapped up in ever-busy lives as we pause, even for a few minutes to do nothing at all.
Practicing noting helps us see our destiny, and helps us answer that burning question of why we were here.
Where we’ll go and what we’ll achieve is all happening now, in the present. Each small choice decides who we will be in ten years.
Our destiny is constructed by the way we interact with others. Our interactions are immensely important as they are the growing branches of our tree of destiny.
We must also have a guide to begin navigating this life if we hope to venture out on our own.
Therefore, I believe destiny is intertwined with friendship and community, a full understanding of our destiny requires the support of others.
Simply put, we would not be where we are, who we are, or why we are the way we are without those who made pivotal impressions in our lives. This is a cue to gratitude. It is our destiny.
Three Links
1. Fate vs. Destiny (read)
2. Staying engaged (listen)
3. How to change your genetic destiny (watch)
Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also buy me a coffee if you feel so inclined!
June 19, 2023
Headspace
“The only way of putting the mind at ease is to let go of the desire to want it to be different.”
– Andy Puddicombe

Ever since I heard this quote after a guided meditation on the influential meditation app, Headspace, my life has changed in the greatest, grandest, and tiniest ways.

I even remember the day. I was sitting on a couch in the basement of a family friend’s home in Highlands Ranch, Colorado on my phone mindlessly scrolling through the app store. I paused, as many do, on the words Meditation, Mindfulness, and Headspace strung together next to an orange ball that is the Headspace logo.

Out of instinct I downloaded the app and tried the free ten-day introduction to meditation and sat with the most curious mind.

I think I meditated every day that entire month, trying a new meditation course back to back. Here was a former monk and meditation guide talking about some really difficult emotions and yet conveying the surest ability to work through them with meditation.

The longer I listened to his voice, the more I practiced, and the more I practiced, the more sure I became in my ability to work through my own emotions.

It was so beautiful to know that such a simple yet profound thing existed and that the culmination of all this guy’s knowledge and experience was accessible right there on my phone.
I continued to meditate almost every day for eight years now. It was as if I had found the one thing I could do so naturally and made a strong habit out of it.
Headspace has tools to help everyone from all walks of life and circumstances find meditation and turn it into a daily practice. Andy reminds listeners that mediation is the practice of a lifetime, and that results can be seen after the first exercise, but that natural inclination to be mindful throughout the entire day comes after years of consistent practice.
The app has now expanded to include more than just a guided morning meditation, but also sleep, music, video, animations, and even therapy sections.

Whereas I was once easily anxious, worried, forgetful, and unfocused, I slowly tuned into my feelings, sensations, and thoughts, seeing them for the first time at a distance rather than as they occurred.

I felt as if I gained a superpower, and others in my life noticed too. They saw I was more aware, and as a result more mindful of my words and actions.

Naturally, I began helping my family and friends more. I started noticing where to love (through acts of service and words of affirmation).

The lessons Andy taught have stuck with me for all these years. And although he doesn’t even know me (yet), he has profoundly changed my life.

I have also come to embrace Andy’s philosophy: that the world is impermanent, constantly changing, moving, and shifting over time.

And when we step back to see this change at even the slightest distance, we gain a natural perspective of kindness and compassion.

This is, after all, the essence of mindfulness: to be present in an open, and kind way.

And meditation is, after all, the practice of pausing to recognize the present in an open and kind way.

I encourage you to pause, even if it’s for five minutes.

Close your eyes and notice the world around you.

What do you hear, smell, taste, and feel? How do they make you feel? Where does the mind wander? What is your Headspace like?

Three Links
Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift. Feel free to leave a comment or share too. You can also buy me a coffee here if you feel so inclined!
May 15, 2023
Minimalism
What comes to mind when you hear the word minimalism?
Minimalism is often thought of as the amount of stuff one does or doesn’t possess, but it goes beyond material possessions.
Minimalism is the outward expression to own less, but it’s much more than that.
I’ve come to define minimalism by constantly asking myself, “Does this item, activity, relationship, or opportunity bring me value in my life right now?”
With that question in mind, as I write this post, I’ve listed a few things that bring me value, focusing on what I already have rather than what I’m lacking.
Items
Books: I value reading a good book in a plush sofa chair in a quiet library or while swinging slowly in a hammock at the park. A few of my favorite books are The Hobbit, The Alchemist, Ready Player One, Calvin and Hobbs, and Into the Wild.
Black Betty: I value driving my car Black Betty, and yes she was named after the popular song of the same name by Ram Jam. I value my car not because of what color she is or how fast she goes, but because of the memories created with her. I’ve been all over the East Coast, across the Midwest, and up into Canada in my car. Currently, all I own is also sitting in my car, so it’s extra special!
Activities
Climbing: I value rock climbing, it is invigorating, challenging, and frightening all at the same time. Rock Climbing is often described by enthusiasts as ‘moving meditation’.
Chess: I value a good game of chess, or any board game for that matter, which helps with critical thinking, problem-solving, and patience.
Meditation: I deeply value my daily morning meditation. It allows my mind, body, and emotions to reset. Meditation also allows me to see my thoughts and actions not as good or bad, right or wrong, but simply as they are, and in the process, let them go with much more ease.
Relationships
Family: I value my parents, brother, and extended family who have always supported me no matter what path I choose in life, and whom I am eternally grateful for.
Friends: I greatly value friendship, and seek out new friends everywhere I go. It is said there is no equal gift to a good friend. My closest friends constantly remind me how blessed I am to have them in my life.
Opportunities
Travel: I greatly value the incredible opportunity to travel this vast, dynamic planet, visiting friends, meeting strangers, and getting comfortably uncomfortable.
Writing: I visibly value this blog, the journaling I do each day, and the physical and mental ability to express my thoughts and ideas in a clear, concise manner.
Exercise: I value the opportunity to work out each day in good health and high spirits, whether it be a short walk around the neighborhood or a HIIT workout.
I encourage you to try this list yourself. I think that you’ll find it very helpful in defining your values while finding gratitude along the way.
As you might have guessed, yes I’m a minimalist, and the process of becoming a minimalist has not been an easy one, but not because it was hard to give stuff away.
Most of the difficulty took place in my mind, being honest with myself about what I think I need and what I need.
1st: Ask yourself (and be brutally honest), “Is stuff getting in the way of what is important in my life right now, friends, family, work, health, etc.?”
2nd: If stuff is getting in the way, try doing the 30-Day Minimalist Game. Grab a few friends and a calendar, then go through each day together, remove 1 item on the first day, 2 items on the second day, and so forth. Whoever makes it furthest gets a prize (something small), like a pack of ramen, a hammerhead shark, or a left diamond earring.
3rd: Keep a medium-sized box in your room and continually ask yourself, “Do I value this item and does it bring me joy.”
If the answer is yes, then keep it!
If the answer is no, then throw it in the medium-sized box semi-aggressively!
4th: By now you have a pretty good grasp on minimalism regarding your stuff. Now apply the same idea to activities, relationships, and opportunities.
And Wallah! You’re now a minimalist! Over time, the concept becomes a reality, and the reality becomes far too fantastic to give up.
Minimalism is about a life filled with less of what we don’t value. And over time, this lends way to a life of more space, time, energy, and value.
More reading on Minimalism
Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. It is a rare gift. Feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also buy me a coffee if you feel so inclined!
January 9, 2023