Tips for Mindful Living
I was invited recently to give a talk at a corporate Lunch & Learn event. The organiser gave me a choice of topics and I decided to use the opportunity to clarify a few points around the popular topic of Mindfulness. There’s so much talk about it these days that for some it is simply getting more confusing. So here are a few simple tips about how to live mindfully.
1. Live in the NOW
Mindfulness is about living in the here and now. None of this daydreaming about the future or thinking back to what might have been. The past and the future are irrelevant . It’s all about what is going on around you this minute. The past has gone. The future hasn’t happened. So what else is there that makes sense other than NOW? If you want to hear it from the Master, then let’s listen to Buddha when he said “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
2. Stop Trying to Control It all
There’s an old Chinese proverb that says when you try to control too much, you enjoy too little. Well I’m all in favour of enjoying life a bit more and I’m sure you are too. The reality is that we are never in control. We just have a hunger for it. But really if we mindfully loosened up the stranglehold on the outcomes that we desire we might be a bit more relaxed.
3. No Multi-tasking
Multi-tasking is something many people boast about. Doing several things at the one time has become a badge of honour. I’m totally against it. If you are living life mindfully you will take one task at a time and do it with balanced energy and be mindfully in the moment with that job, big or small.
4. Stop Saying Yes
Just look at your To Do List. Now look at your diary too. Probably bursting at the seams with commitments because you said Yes too often. You’re going to run out of steam if you continue like this. You my not hit burn out but you will definitely be scarce on energy and you’ll find a bit of your glow has gone. So start to say No and free up some time so that you can have a mindful approach to every task, every meeting, big and small, throughout a nicely-balanced day.
5. Face the Challenge
It’s easy to cop out of big challenges. Sometimes we do it because we don’t have self-belief. We don’t think we’re good enough to accomplish it. But the reality is that it is frequently our biggest challenges that cause us to grow the most. That means it’s always worth it. You can’t accept that because something is hard that you’re not going to do it. That’s giving in too easily. So be reasonable and mindful about how you view the challenge.
Bibi Baskin is a Wellness advisor and Motivational speaker. She lived in India for fifteen years where she studied Indian systems of Wellness. She now lives
in Cork and gives talks around the country to corporates and community groups on many aspects of wellbeing. For more information, see her website bibibaskin.ie
