What is Mindfulness and Why is it Important?

Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your state of being. It’s working towards observing your inner dialogue without giving into it emotionally. It’s understanding the difference between your brain’s survival mode and who you are.

For example, I know now that not every thought that comes into my brain warrants my attention.  For a long time, I did identify my thoughts with who I was and it only muddied my perception of myself. Elizabeth Gilbert in Eat Pray Love said it best:

Game changer right?! Practicing mindfulness is like exercising a muscle. It has to be developed and that takes work. Mindfulness is a tool to do that work. It’s a therapeutic technique that puts you in the observer seat so you can then decide what to allow into your head space. When you can control your thoughts, you can control your happiness.

How to Practice Mindfulness?

This is widely up for interpretation. Mindfulness in subjective so each person’s practice will differ. For me, it’s meditation. It’s stepping away from high stress situations and evaluating my feelings without reacting first. Sometimes it’s even as simple as being present while I brew my pour over coffee. The goal is to start creating a safe place within yourself that is free from judgment. It’s your Happy Place just like in the movie Happy Gilmore. A mental escape that no one can take from you, and one that doesn’t yield to the bullshit dialogue we all have coursing through our heads. A place of pure self-love and reflection.

To help get you started, I have put together a list of my top 10 favorite quotes that changed my life. I use them to ponder and meditate on. I use them to inspire me and drive me to keep progressing. I hope they affect your life as much as they have for me. And BTW, if you haven’t read any of Eckhart Tolle or Michael Singer, you should. It’s mind blowing stuff ya’all.     

Reflecting on our past mistakes or the words we say is important, however; to do so for too long can impair growth. I like to give myself time limits when these things bother me. I’ll sit with my feelings for 10 minutes, observe them and then if I cannot learn from it right away I cut off the thought process and move on. Sometimes time provides clarity.

This right here friends rocked my world. I used to associate my feelings and thoughts with who I am, and I was wrong. Although my feelings and thoughts are unique to me and shaped on my past experiences, they no longer define me. They are reactions that deserve interpretation but they are not the total sum of who I am as a whole.

Personal Mantra: (feel free to steal it if you like) My happiness does not depend on others. I embrace my imperfections and continue to keep my heart open so that I may both learn and receive love.

Tip: When I am overwhelmed or angry the first thing I do is go outside and take off my shoes. To talk on the bare earth balances my emotions and helps me filter out the lesson I am meant to learn.

In a world of comparison-itis…..it is so easy to forget our value. Learning to shut that out and just focus on creating the way I see fit is something I will always struggle to cope with. You’re not alone if this resonates with you too.

I love this because it reminds me not to close off entirely when I am hurt. Shutting off all feelings to stay ‘safe’ is not a practical solution. In fact, that defense mechanism for me just helps me become numb. I’d rather feel than be numb and this is a strong reminder to keep getting up.

Pretty powerful stuff right? These are just some of the quotes that I use to get me through this life. We all need tools to cope, these are some of mine. I take time to reflect on these wise words and think of how I can best adapt their meaning into my life. What do you do to relax? Is there a ritual or a mantra you use that you think would help someone else? Comment below!

Here’s a couple of my favorite quotes as little bonus gems. 🙂

“The people who truly INFLUENCE and INSPIRE the world are those who SHOW UP every day and take IMPERFECT massive action.” – Ed Mylett

“The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s about what you’re made of, not the circumstances.” – Unknown

“Don’t wait for things to get better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now, otherwise, you’ll run out of time.” – Unknown