A Mindful Pause
The past 20 months as many of you are aware has had me focused on seeing a beloved family member through a tough illness. Last Monday he lost his battle with cancer and is now free. The entire process has had me hyper-aware of how valuable every minute of each day truly is for us.
We move from one thing to the next planning, doing, charting courses in full human doing mode. Here’s the big question, in all this busyness are you living your life each day? Are you living with enough presence and self-awareness to know and to choose living for our “best” life every day?
Presence and self-awareness are cultivated by the ability to pause, bringing our attention to the present moment, so we can get to know ourselves better. Why, do we want to get to know ourselves better? Getting to know ourselves better allows us to observe not only what’s happening in the world around us but what’s happening within us. As we become more aware of our thoughts and feelings we can nurture stable attitudes around them. Pausing creates a space in which we can reflect, adjust, and make conscious choices about how we want to respond in a given situation, and how we want to create, plan, or pivot. There is always something new to discover about ourselves that is one of joys within this journey.
Taking a mindful pause to develop better self-awareness helps us see that we are one of many yet so unique. Making lists is a known way of organizing our thoughts. It can also be a creative meditative practice that can help us know more about ourselves. Embrace the pleasure of taking time out to get to know yourself and what it is that truly makes you happy.
Write one mindful list every day for a week and see what you discover about yourself.
Write 10 words that best describe your personality
Write down 10 times you’ve been brave in your life.
Write down 10 reasons you enjoy your job or don’t
Write down 10 things you do to nurture yourself
Write down 10 things you enjoyed doing as a child
Write down 10 things you like about yourself
Write down the 10 most positive things others have ever said to you
