how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: mindfulness

Worry
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.”
– Wayne Gretzky
I found this quote in an investing and trading ebook. It was used in reference to a long-term approach in the stock market. The author’s guidance was to invest where the market will be, not where it has been.
It is also an equally great metaphor for life. The past is behind us, unable to be modified or relived, but the future is where possibility and opportunity lie.
(So I just realized this quote is much more about regret than worry, but I got carried away and reflected on worry instead, so I’ll post about regret next).
Reflection
Granted, the past provides much that can help us in the present (if we are aware of those past mistakes and learning opportunities).
Then there is the greatly significant difference between planning for the future and worrying about the future.
Worry may disguise itself as planning, but it couldn’t be any different.
Planning brings you back to the present after completion. Worrying leaves you in the future, contemplating endless possibilities.
Worry is an unfortunate side effect of the pursuit. Will it end up okay? Will I be successful? Will I be able to survive? Will they like me? And on and on.
It is actually a quite natural and albeit sometimes helpful emotion (when worried about a loved one, showing a deep connection and concern).
But I would argue that the majority of worry (like 90%) is really unhelpful and even destructive.
This is where mindfulness steps in and teaches us to step back from all kinds of thinking (worry or otherwise) and simply observe the present mind.
It takes a lot of practice (day after day for months) to truly realize the power of mindfulness throughout the day.
Meditation is not a practice with a completion, it is a transformation for a lifetime.
How does mindfulness help with worry in our ever-changing lives? I’m so glad you asked!
Worry enters the mind, say the worry about whether you will get a job or not in preparation for an interview, and you begin to spend a considerable amount of time thinking about that job.
Now, some of that worry is constructive (like the 10% when noticing the worry itself meaning you care a lot about the job and should take it seriously).
And the rest of that worry can be let go of: “Oh yeah, I’m worrying right now about this job way too much and I choose to let that worry go and move on to what I’m doing right now.”
Like I said, this sounds so easy on paper, but without devoted practice to noticing thought (worry) and letting it go, we cannot achieve this effect so easily, we will succumb to the thinking (worrying) and add a lot of unnecessary stress to our lives.
Encouragement
I encourage us to find the worries throughout the day today and simply begin to note them (in a tiny, cute notepad or on our bubbly, colorful notes app).
Literally. Jot down someplace all that worries you right now in your life, and again when you begin to worry in the future.
And when planning our complicated lives, look to the past for guidance, look to the present when we’ve got caught chasing the past or future, and look at the future for possibility and hope!
Thanks
Thank you again for worrying about me (lol just kidding, there is no need to worry about me!) But, thank you for your attention reading this post, it is a rare gift these days.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or share this post, let me know if you enjoy the posts. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you are inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
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November 9, 2023
Faith
Faith is like a tree. It stands tall and weathers the storm because it is firmly grounded. Its roots reach deep and wide, its base thick and solid. It grows stronger as time passes and it reaches up, receiving warmth with open arms.
This was a little bit I came up with a while ago when living in Nashville. It was a beautiful afternoon and I was in a particularly reflective mood.
As I walked around the small apartment complex where I lived, I noticed a tree I so often overlooked, standing, beaming in the sunlight just outside the apartment and I went to sit there beneath it, witnessing this analogy to faith.
Reflection
A few years back, I did a purge of almost all my posts, pictures, and videos on Facebook so that I could start fresh with the intention of sharing only the content I valued.
In the process, I found reflections of my early faith in Christianity, for I grew up in a Christian household and was influenced greatly by the religion.
When I was younger, I had a naive sense of faith. Like a child, I was more willing to believe in something I didn’t fully understand. But somewhere in the naiveté, a feeling emerged. A feeling that surpasses all comprehension.
In essence, that is what faith is—an incomprehensible feeling.
Even now, I grasp that feeling from time to time, like a tree, feeling forces outside my understanding and comprehension supporting me.
I learned to question my faith and even the faith of my parents and those around me.
I found through that questioning that what I feel is what truly matters, and mindfulness gives me the awareness to recognize what I feel more and more.
I found that I aligned most with the core beliefs and philosophy of Buddhism, but also held on to the values instilled in a Christian household.
Mindfulness meditation and journaling instilled in me a compass that guides me when I am confused or unsteady and community-based fellowship and prayer instilled in me the faith needed to face any challenge this world throws at me.
I had to discover for myself that I do feel a sense of peace and contentment in believing I was created, that I was beautifully and wonderfully made.
Creator, Higher-Power, Yahweh, Father, whatever incredibly simple term we use to describe such a feeling as God, faith is the pillar to reaching it.
Faith requires a complete and utter surrender of self. It is letting go of logic and reason like meditation is letting go of thought and sensation.
Faith exists in the present too, I cannot be faithful towards a higher power or even another person in the past or the future, only here and now.
Encouragement
I encourage us to really question our beliefs, our perspective of faith, and what it means to us.
Ask yourself specifically what you believe or even if you believe in anything. It’s completely okay if you don’t know, this is simply a healthy thought experiment.
Write down those beliefs you hold firmly, those you would like to change, and those you would not support at all.
Thanks
Thank you deeply for your attention in reading this post, it is a rare gift these days.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or share this post, let me know if you enjoy the posts. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you are inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
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November 4, 2023
Experiments
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
– Albert Einstein
As we all know, Einstein was a brilliant mathematician, physicist, and thinker. Like many involved in the field of science, experiments are crucial to success.
He gestures to the fact that a series of the right mistakes pave the way for a series of incredible breakthroughs.
Just in case you don’t read the links I provide, here are a few of those breakthroughs (after many, many mistakes) that Einstein contributed to the world:
1. Found the Brownian Movement that helped to prove the existence of atoms and molecules.
2. Developed the quantum theory of light which television is a practical application of.
3. Discovered the special theory of relativity explaining that time and motion are relative to their observers.
4. Created the famous formula, e=mc^2, demonstrating that a small particle of matter contains an enormous amount of energy. This forms much of the basis for nuclear energy.
All these breakthroughs were through trial and error, research, and dedication to the work and passion of experimentation.
Reflections
I myself can attest to the power of mistakes and the willingness to not just accept them but actually seek them!
I have and still do make so many important steps in the wrong direction. Both learning the outcome of these steps and learning to apply the lessons later in life is what changes everything.
For example, I have, on two separate occasions, forgotten my passport before boarding an international flight (a very expensive mistake). But what I learned was massively valuable, to always double-check my luggage list before boarding a flight.
Most importantly, I must forgive myself when I make any ridiculous mistake, remembering that some of the most audacious mistakes led to the most fantastic self-discovery.
Encouragement
I encourage us to experiment, with our minds, bodies, and beliefs.
The mind is a rather tricky place to navigate, but questioning our direction is never a mad idea. Experiment with the way you think and the path you are on right now. Does it align with your values?
The body is in a constant state of impermanence, and with 500 different companies telling you what to eat, drink, and do to better your body, there’s no reason most people just give up. One truth that will always remain in life is how we feel, not how others want us to feel. Experiment with that feeling food, drink, exercise, and other health hacks bring you.
Our beliefs are like the tides of the ocean, high and low, exceedingly receding (not all the time, but I like the way that rhymed lol). What we believe or don’t believe dictates the position we hold in life, and that is no small matter. Are those beliefs good in nature, and do they provide a sense of peace that surpasses all comprehension? Discover that for yourself!
Thanks
Thank you deeply for all the kind feedback and encouragement ya’ll have given me these past few months as I’ve bombarded your inboxes.
As always, feel free to leave a comment or share this post. You can also Buy Me a Coffee if you are inclined to do so. Thank you in advance!
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October 30, 2023