Intention #3

To become a more Mindful person.

Insert buzzword. Write about it. Boom.

Mindfulness is getting a lot of attention right now, and in my opinion, for good reason. First, some definitions. Mindfulness is, “Being aware of what you are aware of.” Or “keeping your thoughts in the present as opposed to the past or the future.” Or lastly, “The awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally, to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn).

Now, let me tell you about some of the things that happen when someone starts to practice mindfulness. “1) Nonreactivity to inner experience (e.g., perceiving feelings and emotions without having to react to them); 2) observing/noticing/attending to sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings (e.g., remaining present with sensations and feelings even when they are unpleasant or painful); 3) acting with awareness/ (not on) automatic pilot, concentration/ nondistraction (e.g., breaking or spilling things because of carelessness, not paying attention, or thinking of something else; 4) describing/labeling with words (e.g., easily putting beliefs, opinions, and expectations into words); 5) nonjudgmental of experience (e.g., criticizing oneself for having irrational or appropriate emotions)” (Siegel, 2007, The Mindful Brain).

I don’t know about you, but I have trouble staying in the present. I am always replaying the past or rehearsing the future. And those five things listed up there? I’m not so good at those most of the time. But I want to be.

So, I am setting the intention to become a more mindful person.

This looks like several things.

1) Slowing down. During the day I so often rush through life and don’t take time to reflect and process where I am at, how I am feeling, how I am responding to people, and learning to embrace all of my emotions. I really want to be intentional about being mindful throughout the day.

2) Before my day really gets started I’m trying to take 10 minutes to do some simple meditation. I start with a simple and short prayer asking God to help me to be present and sense His presence in my practice. The problem with this one is my deep affection for my snooze button…

3) Practicing centering prayer. When I get home from work I’ve been attempting to take the time to do a different sort of meditation. Centering prayer is something I’ve heard about for years, but never really looked into. Some Christians have issues with meditation. For those who are uncertain if Christians should do meditation centering prayer is a great alternative. I’m doing both and have definitely enjoyed both.

For me, I want to live my life on purpose. I think what that means is that I slow down and give time to develop my inner life. I saw this quote a couple of weeks ago, and it really hit home for me:

“Above all, trust in the slow work of God.” – Teilhard de Chardin

That actually might be my quote of 2017. If I can slow down, and trust that God is doing work in me, even if I don’t necessarily see the results right away, that will be all of the difference.

So folks. That’s it. Those are my three intentions for 2017. Now, the hard part of actually doing the work and not just talking about it.

To freely receive Grace and Love from God and to freely give more Grace and Love to others.

To embody Nonviolence in my Mind and Heart, and with my Eyes and Hands.

To become a more Mindful person.

I hope that you’ve benefited from my writing these past couple of weeks. I know that I have. I am really going to make an effort to keep on writing here on my blog. But, if you scan the prior posts, you will see that regularity isn’t my strong suit.