By Deeneva Williamson | March 12, 2018
Becoming Consciously Aware
The last time we spoke I challenged you to be a little more selfish by tending to yourself for the month of February. Now that we’re in March I want you to do the same thing, but this time with a little twist. For the month of March, I challenge you to create a space for insight. Essentially, I challenge you to create space in which you enter mindfulness. What does mindfulness even mean you ask? It means to enter a state in which one focuses on the present moment and becomes consciously aware of what is happening in that moment.
Today we live in a society where we’ve become what the world calls “multitaskers.” We’ve entered a time where we must constantly do everything at once. For example, would we feel the instant urgency to even have to multitask if we just did everything on time, or would we be late for work if we decided to prep the kids for school the night before? Amongst being multitaskers, we also like to rush when it comes to doing everything. Always on the go and never truly present in what it is that we’re doing at that moment. This is what I want to challenge you to do for the month of March. Be present, more consciously aware, and to take things one step at a time. When you feel stressed out or out of focus pause for a second and allow your mind to concentrate on one thing.
In a recent trip to the grocery store I came across TIME magazines recent issue on mindfulness. In that moment I had so many errands to run but I decided to pause for approximately ten minutes. It was then that I realized for myself what mindfulness truly means, and why it is so important. Those ten minutes allowed me not to focus on the many errands I had to run, but to instead focus on one thing. I couldn’t help but think I do this all the time, and in fact I see so many of you doing it as well.
When I see individuals going out to dinner they rarely speak to each other. When I bump into the guy who happened to spill his coffee all over me I was texting. When I decide to log into my various social media accounts everyone’s sharing every little part of their lives, but are they truly taking in that moment? Essentially, are they more consciously aware? I remember when I was little I had no care in the world. I took my time in enjoying the little things, and more importantly being a kid. I’m sure many of you could think back to that time when you first learned how to ride a bike or lost your first tooth. Do you remember placing it under your pillow in hopes that the tooth fairy would find it? Do you remember the feeling of excitement as you rode down the sidewalk? If the answer is yes, this leads me to believe that we all have it in us to enter a state of mindfulness. When you find yourself off track just think back to that moment when you learned how to ride a bike for the very first time, or you lost your first tooth.
I also encourage you to read TIME magazines issue on mindfulness. In the magazine it explains there being over 1,000 certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction instructors in nearly every state. So, if your having a hard time with this seek out an instructor. On that note I’m going to end by saying we all have it in us to enter a state of mindfulness. What does mindfulness mean you ask? To enter a state in which one focuses on the present moment and becomes consciously aware.
Link to TIME magazines article:
http://time.com/1556/the-mindful-revolution/
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