Mindfulness &

how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: reflection

  • Fame

    Fame

    “I wish everyone could become rich and famous so they could realize it’s not the answer.”
    – Jim Carrey

    Have you ever fantasized about being famous? Rich? Important? Admired?

    Ever dream of the ability to buy just about anything you want without a single concern?

    Ever dream of effortlessly swiping a credit card over anything you want or opening a big-ass brown briefcase full of hundred-dollar bills? (Who said you had to be legally rich?)

    In my opinion, because I know you care about my opinion, one doesn’t make it to the level of ‘let me just casually purchase whatever I want’ without exploiting at least a hundred people in the process).

    Or have you ever lost sleep over the deep desire to be famous?

    Ever wish you could slip backstage to meet your favorite band or step out of a sleek, black limo and onto a ridiculously long, red carpet? (Why does it have to be a red carpet by the way? What if you were famous and color blind, then you might think you’re walking down a green carpet, or maybe that’s not how color blindness works. I don’t know because I can see the color red, but you get my point).

    You’d also be lying if you said no. Now I’m not calling you a liar unless you are of course, what I’m saying is that everyone who is a human being has struggled with these unfortunately hyped illusions at some point in their life.

    You might be asking me, what the hell is this guy talking about? Fame and riches aren’t bad things, they are the paths towards success and wealth.

    But then you are reminded of the age-old truism, that happiness is not predicated upon the amount of money you make or the number of people that do and don’t care about what you wore to dinner last night.

    Happiness is found right here and now. There’s no place you can find it nor any price you could pay for it.

    But if you can have fame, fortune, and true happiness all at the same time, then you, my friend, have cracked the code.

    If you’re famous, you lose the careless stroll down the street to a nice, local coffee shop or fireside chat with a stranger at a pub in Edinburgh.

    If you’re rich, you lose the meaning of value and what it means to be content with what you already have, because there becomes a price for everything, and people should definitely not be measured that way.

    If you’re truly happy, well you don’t really lose anything, I was just on a roll there for a second.

    Studies show, don’t ask me which studies damn it, that after a certain amount (say $70,000 in the US of A), a greater level of income does not equal a greater level of happiness.

    In fact, more income often increases your levels of stress and responsibility, which in turn decreases your personal time and energy.

    Fame too comes and goes with time, it’s notoriously unstable and unpredictable (Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, MJ, Prince, Lindsey Lohan).

    Okay, she didn’t die, but she did disappear for a long time and I’m pretty sure many people thought she had died.

    Look, the point is that fame is a horrible idea to put stock in. It has the worst return on investment in the world (other than DuPont or Dogecoin, of course, but they’re due to fame too really).

    I encourage you to try and observe the rich and famous of today.

    Do they seem content? Do they look happy? If their life is on display, what surrounds them?

    Then ask yourself, are you content, happy, and present? What makes it possible or nonexistent right now?

    Link It Up Baby

    1. Jim Carrey Leaves the Audience Speechless
    2. The Long List Of Stars Who Died At Age 27
    3. Divorces of the rich and famous: a 1% solution or the start of a trend?

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. 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 so inclined!

  • Schoolbuses

    Schoolbuses

    Photography to me is magic, a time capsule that triggers a memory, capturing the stillness of that memory and storing it for future pondering, this was just science fiction not too long ago.

    On my Instagram, I have many posts just like this one, with a photo I took somewhere on my journey through life and a long, detailed description attached.

    This picture was taken on September 30, 2017, at 11:25 at a boat dock and parking lot in the White River National Forest in Farner, Tennessee Valley. 

    These rafting guides were preparing to take a group down the gorgeous white river, discussing the outcome and reflecting on the day.

    I paused, looking through the viewfinder of my camera, and snapped a moment in time (a wild realization in retrospect).

    Later, I used Lightroom to chip away at coloring the classic yellow school bus and provide some interesting contrast. I de-colored the background and left the bus as it was after some small filter adjustments. 

    I love it when these old buses become repurposed for different adventures, tour companies, hippie vans, and whatnot.

    This one has a flat roof constructed to tie rafts on but I would have added a jacuzzi, threw a few lawn chairs, and just chilled up there with my best friends.

    The whole trip was prompted by my father and I as were traveling to spend quality time with a great uncle who was in his late 90s at the time.

    It was a memorable and enjoyable trip, driving up winding roads through dense pine and oak, listening to Jack Johnson, and stopping at parks along the way.

    Maybe one day, I thought, I’ll accompany a group of fellow adventures in a big yellow bus and vote to add a jacuzzi.

    Three Links

    1. Who invented the school bus?
    2. The gorgeous White River National Park.
    3. 11 Tips to Become a Better Photographer

    Thank you for your time and attention in reading this post. 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 so inclined!

  • Phones

    Phones

    I’m going to give us a challenge you might have disregarded before. Leave your phone at home, turn it off for a few hours, or even the entire day.

    First, if your answer to reading this is: “There’s no way to do that, I have work, kids, priorities, responsibilities, and, and…”, then it’s probably a good time to think about how much freedom you have in your everyday life.

    Second, if your answer is: “I can’t be away from my phone too long, what if there’s an emergency, what if someone needs to reach me, what if, what if…”, then I can assure you, people will dial 911 in a real emergency, not you. You’re not a 911 operator. And even if you are, you’re off work, enjoy the nearest park!

    During your time away from your phone and all its apps, notice the way you feel when you don’t have access to your phone.

    Do you feel naked or vulnerable? Do you feel out of control for some reason? Do you constantly think about doing something on your phone?

    Note your experience without any judgment.

    The idea here is to fill only some of the time away from your phone with other activities like exercise, conversation, doodling, skydiving, or even reading.

    Although it might be a great time to do those things, use some of the time to experience and note what the mind gravitates towards.

    I’ll admit it, I love my phone! The numerous apps on my phone help me with nearly everything: navigation, meditation, shopping, research, entertaining, gaming, exercise, and calling people from around the world; all via a quick tap on a bubbly, colorful, addicting icon.

    Our many black mirrors are dual-edged swords that can either be used as a tool or as a distraction.

    Apps have been ingrained in our lives, transforming the way we interact and relate to one another.

    Even our language has changed in accordance with the popular apps available today: “Can you call an Ube?” or “Let’s find an Airbnb!”

    The way we approach these apps changes how we interact with them, and how we interact with them changes our entire experience in life.

    **This has nothing to do with anything, but I’m currently reading Kurt Vonnegut’s A Man Without A Country, which he wrote at 84 years old if I’m not mistaken (this is surprising because he was a chain smoker and should have died at like age 64). I highly recommend you read Kurt Vonnegut, it will change your life.**

    Okay, back to the topic, and the utterly important question in life: “Why?”

    Why do we look, listen, and create what we do through our apps?

    Why do we pick up our phones as soon as we wake up, instead of having a phone-less morning? (I highly recommend a phone-less morning, you’ll thank me after about a week.)

    Why do we also stay up way later than we intended to, staring at a bright rectangle screen, insisting we will go to sleep in just five more minutes? (I’m convinced YouTube is the black hole at the center of the digital universe.)

    Remember, mindfulness is the deliberate act of noticing the present moment in an open and kind way, without judgment or criticism. And some carefully developed apps can evoke us to be more mindful.

    Some apps are infamous for taking us away from the present, like Facebook’s contentious newsfeed or TikTok’s infinite scrolling.

    While many other apps are tools for bettering ourselves, like Headspace, All Trials, Better Help, Sleep Cycle, Maps, and FaceTime (which I use almost every day).

    Being part of a generation where apps have made as much of an impact as books did on the previous generation, I feel a strange calling to the little, bubbly icons.

    I actually feel my life has changed in a positive way and spurred the creation of this blog through an app called Headspace (back when it was just starting out).

    It is because our phones have so much power to change every aspect of our lives, that time spent away from that power could be some of the best time spent!

    Five More Things:

    1. A great list of apps on how to beat stress with meditation.
    2. An in-depth review of the app that transformed how I view the world, Headspace.
    3. Here is a list of great meditation apps from Mindful Organization.
    4. Seven simple ways you can practice mindfulness with your technology platforms by HuffPost.
    5. Five easy ways to do a Digital Detox by Psychology Today.

    Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed this post or more reading, you can consider Buying Me A Coffee.