By: Sherry Dixon
Here we are with another new year full of promise, challenges and opportunities. Many of us are in the process of early spring cleaning, reorganizing, purging and de-cluttering. We make a new bucket list or add activities to the old list. We list 2018 resolutions with activities to get physically healthier or find our soul mate. Does this sound familiar? If it does, you are among many who have similar hopes for the new year.
Do you notice that many, if not all, of our goals have to do with the future? As part of our journey to finding your light, I would like to challenge you to add a totally separate activity to your 2018 goals: centering your light with mindfulness.
“Mindfulness” is a big catchword these days. It’s defined as: 1) the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something; 2) a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique. In simple terms, mindfulness is staying in the moment.
Setting a goal to be mindful sounds easy, right? Let’s discuss how easy it is. During your day, let’s see what thoughts you have. Do you feel guilty about anything? Do you second-guess yourself? Do you feel ashamed about anything? Do you worry about anything? Are you afraid of not having enough time, money, friends, etc.?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are not being mindful. Thoughts of guilt, shame, worry, fear in what may be keep us attached to the past or invested in the future. Of course, it is important to remember the past so we don’t repeat mistakes. It is equally important to make a plan and work the plan to get us to a future event. What’s hurtful is investing too much time in emotional reruns or what-ifs.
The best action we can take is to be in control of the present moment, by practicing mindfulness. After all, the present moment is the only time that we have complete control. The past is gone, and the future is not here yet. The present moment is all we have.
Now we know why it’s important to practice mindfulness. If thoughts of the past and of the future dominate the mind, how can we be more mindful? Here are three tips.
First, set your intention. Each day, when you are listing what you are grateful for, include a simple mantra: “I will practice mindfulness today. I will work with my thoughts to stay in the moment.”
Second, exercise being mindful. Just like athletes exercise their bodies, we must exercise our minds. One exercise for increasing mindfulness is to look around your environment and describe in detail out loud or in your mind all that you see.
Third, recognize and address those thoughts of guilt or fear about the past or future. In order to be mindful, it’s important to acknowledge your emotions and not discard them. Your emotions are flags from the soul that there’s an issue. Suppressing or repressing these emotions will only delay the inevitable. Obsessing or spending time feeling guilty or worrying is not helpful, but determining the root cause of those thoughts and addressing the cause could be life changing.
As we look to the gift of a new year, let’s all remember to add “centering your light with mindfulness” to our 2018 goals, a vital part of the journey to finding your light.
Sherry Dixon, owner of Lighthouse Solutions, is a personal development coach and writer. Her first book, Natural Destiny, a young adult historical fiction novel, placed as a semi-finalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Contest in New Orleans, LA in 2011 and was recognized by the International Reading Association, Guam Chapter in 2013. She has a BS in Occupational Education and a Masters in Human Resources Development. Sherry enjoys helping people find their personal joy and purpose. For more on Sherry visit: www.sherrysdixon.com