Time For Your “Mind Gym” – How “Mindful” Are you?

Have you noticed the pitfalls of our continuous attention divide? Like that ride to any destination during which you fail to notice how many trees line up on the side? You can ask your friend how they’re doing without actually hearing the distress they hide; and you can read these words oblivious to where inherent messages between the lines reside.

Perhaps to be completely observant of everything all the time is against our human nature. We come equipped with an auto-pilot, luckily, to preserve our mental energy from further labor. Over-reliance on this internal automated-like machine, though, could put us at great danger.

Imagine the overflow of information into your brain each day and how thoughts eventually get jammed in your mind. Are you aware of how such clutter affects all ensuing emotions and how consequently your inner state gets defined?

When was the last time you sat there doing absolutely nothing and just remained still? When did you last attempt to just be all alone with yourself not to watch a movie, or finish a chore, or to get immersed in thought, but to act as an observer, as if from a distance, to the way you’re breathing, to your thoughts that are fleeting, or to the sensations you are feeling?

Perhaps you never attempted doing that before, but being mindful of what’s going on in the moment, and when practiced continuously, has psychological and physiological benefits that you’ll reap enormously.

“A cameraman captures what the regular eye cannot perceive. Why don’t you borrow that irregular lens, once in a while? Put a filter; Zoom in the focus; and examine without judgment what is it that you feel and believe.” ~3Ds

As you become mindful about the moment, remember this: A thought is just a thought. It doesn’t have to be real, nor does it have to define you. Any negative feeling you’re experiencing will ultimately on its own subdue. Other feelings will over-ride it sometimes out of the blue.

Just observe and dismiss any logical interpretation. It is the meaning we give to that we perceive that may spiral negative emotional activation. Just notice; Then let go of it without further contemplation…

During mindful moments, you’re no longer all of you. You become an observer totally accepting and aware of whatever you’re going through.

How about we ask for an upgrade to VIP seats now? We’ll watch the other “you” performing and then bow in awe.

Oh, and is skipping popcorn, this time, something you’d allow? 🙂

Your Personal Coach

Dania

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Time for Your “Mind Gym” – What Are Your Rituals?

 

When people consider the word “routine”, they’re often alarmed as if that means spending mostly boring times. The safety of routines is attractive to many, but as a whole and to most people, a routine life weakens one’s drive, kills their spirit, and keeps one confined.

There’s a difference between “routines” and “rituals” if we consider our daily living. While routines are certain acts performed automatically without much thought or intent, rituals differ in purpose, in our attitude towards them, and what they end up giving. In our minds, rituals get us prepared; and the time put forth carrying them out is considered well-spent.

If you scan the biographies of famous leaders, artists, and thinkers, you’d notice their adopting specific rituals to maximize their productivity. Ernest Hemingway rose at dawn; Tchaikovsky walked every day for 2 hours without exception; Salvador Dali was known for his very brief power-naps; Winston Churchill would wake up at 7:30m and stay in bed till 11:00am reading newspapers and dictating to his secretaries; and the list goes on…

Many more genius level creative people who became historical peak performance figures tailored their lives around rituals that kept them rising. They structure their days, wire up their minds, and mobilize their bodies to keep thriving. They don’t wait for events to happen, or for inspiration to come. They’re actively seeking space for creativity triggers and know exactly what they need to refrain from.

Any high achievement and drive gets kicked off by various rituals that serve one well. I wonder if you’ve created your own set of rituals and whether you armed yourself with that kind of magic spell.

“Different strokes for different folks direct how well time is spent. There are routine acts that do nothing but pass time; and there are rituals that serve a higher intent.” ~ 3Ds

Are your thoughts gathered around time killers or mere gap fillers? Or are you more aware of constructive time use that serves the majority of your life pillars?

Are you sucked up in mundane routines? Or have you intently created rituals for self-care and for fulfilling your dreams?

Yah! Just few questions to get you to raise your standards if you haven’t set them high enough….

Gotta run now… Besides issuing this post, my Sunday is rich with other rituals and stuff…

Ciao 🙂

Your Personal Coach

Dania

Time For Your “Mind Gym” – How Do You Build Your Habits?

When you consider the many habits you have, you’ll be surprised at their number. Forming habits is adaptive as you become pre-wired; & this preserves your mental energy expenditure to tougher tasks requiring more focus.

Some habits are good; others are bad. Naturally, we’d want to create the good ones & get rid of those that don’t serve us well. It’s not very easy to do that. It requires, again, some mental energy expenditure & focus. Is the new habit worth that – you wonder?

If it is, & you’ve accumulated enough reasons to make the change, you need to know that forming habits changes your brain. Each time you perform an act (take exercise for instance), you form a neural wire of connections (I’ll spare you all the other neuroscientific details).

So when you repeatedly do that, the wires add up becoming like a thick cable with time. It’s been said that you need 21 consecutive days to kick in the new habit. This thickens the cable; & the act becomes automatic requiring less mental energy expenditure & focus.

Three more months, & your new habit will be well engrained. The reverse is true for eliminating bad habits. Their cable weakens each time you “don’t” perform the habit & trigger you no longer…. Don’t freak out if you regress. It’s normal & part of the change process.

“Adding up to what you already do, requires your giving up doing something. Finding the right substitutes to do, is also true, when you want to give up doing something.” ~3Ds

Think of it as practical math: add this & subtract that; multiply success & divide gratification on all. The functions of life areas are fraught with redundancy & perhaps it’s easier to learn than unlearn, right?

Do I see “Summer” resisting “Fall” these days? Oh well… the predictable seasonal cycle…. How different it is from your making STRIDES linearly forward….

Aren’t you glad it doesn’t take forever? On your marks!… Get set!… Let’s march on to wire that brain differently …

Oh, & don’t forget to bring in those good reasons with you… Cup cakes, anyone?

Your Personal Coach

Dania