There is nothing sure in life, but change. This presents a problem to humans who are constantly trying to pin life down.
Without mindful observation of the self and its motives, it's easy to reject ideas that oppose our own, without considering them properly.
One of the stranger things about humans, is the ones who are most ignorant will often seem confident, or like they believe they know all there is to know. This kind of blind ignorance is one of the costs of the failure to self-reflect.
Humility is a deceptive quality. If you don't possess much of it yourself, you might mistake it for weakness.
Mindful practice with observation, curiosity, and non-judgment, helps you open your mind, and overcome the tendency to dismiss unfamiliar ideas.
Right speech is an important part of authenticity; to be sure your words are true, and also not harmful to anyone.
Mindfulness lets you be more honest within, by helping you see more nuance in behaviours. It helps you be aware of how you really feel when things don't go well, so you're more motivated to make adjustments.
Mindful practice helps you see details in the habits and corners of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Mindfulness practice helps prepare your brain for in-depth meditation, by honing your focus and calming "monkey mind," or ongoing, unintentional thoughts.
When you mindfully observe your train of thought, rather than being absorbed in it, you build in time and space to choose actions and reactions- ones you might not have thought of, if you were behaving "as usual."
Mindfulness frees you from the judgments and expectations that prevent you from seeing each moment with curiosity or openness.
Ever notice a correlation between someone's personality and their "stuff?" Spiritual adepts work on freeing the self of both inner and outer clutter.
Underneath anger, you will always find some squishy, vulnerable emotions that need to be understood, so a situation or person (or yourself) can be forgiven.
Something that has been almost completely ignored in the average education (from Kindergarten to Highschool), until recently, is one of the most important parts of a person: The inner life.
Focus is something you can train in different ways. One way can be to de-focus from overthinking; one can be to become more aware in the moment; one can be to observe automatic reactions...
If you have anxiety it helps to observe the nature of it. What does it cause in your thoughts, and your body? Is anxiety helping? Is it a repeating pattern that goes nowhere? Can you interrupt a thought or body tension "on purpose" and start training your brain to have a new habit?
There is a direct line that connects fear, perfectionism, and procrastination.
Research in recent years on longterm meditators has revealed, through MRI, some of the brain changes that occur with meditation.
Accepting "what is" is one of the most important parts of a mindful focus. It's not that you "shouldn't" want things, but it's better not to be attached to an idea whose time is not now. You don't want to miss all the nows for imaginary what-ifs and why nots. Move toward things while appreciating the present moment.
All mindfulness practices build a person's ability to practice equanimity in the face of life's highs, lows, and pressures.
GROW MORE EMPATHY
"Cultivating empathy through compassion meditation affects brain regions that make a person more sympathetic to other peoples' mental states." For more...
KIND TO SELF, KIND TO OTHERS
Mindful practice helps us notice how we relate to ourselves in thoughts and feelings. It helps us develop more patience and kindness in our own inner dialogue, and one of the consequences is more patience and kindness with others.
DISTRACTION > PRESENCE > INQUIRY
There are different depths to mindfulness. First you learn to interrupt distraction and habits enough to become present more often.
DISTRACTION BY DESIGN?
This exerpt of James Williams' book brings up the concept of "the attention economy." It helps you take a step back from being distracted so you can ask yourself: