I have just finished a research paper and this is what I learnt in summary …

“Mindfulness is the state of being aware of our own perceptions, thoughts, feelings and reactions. As we become more self-aware, we learn to identify and acknowledge our own habits of mind and so prevent ourselves from being trapped by them. As we see and accept them, they tend to dissipate giving us a clearer view of what is around us. 

This heightened consciousness provides the best platform from which to coach others. It is unbiased by our own agendas. It allows us to be aware of the nuances of what the client brings leading to more openness, spaciousness and acceptance. This is what as coaches, strive to cultivate through our own mindfulness and not be trapped by mindlessness. “

As I get on in my daily living, I am reminded of how thoughtless I can be in many moments – not even realising what I am doing at that point in time. Having learnt mindfulness, I am even more conscious about how mindless I have been. Sometimes doing things on an ‘automatic’ mode does not serve me well as I end up not getting the results I desire – all because of how mindless I had been through that process. 

I realise also that to release myself from my ’sufferings’ tied to my mindlessness, I needed to rise above that ‘unconscious’ mode and become mindful of the actions I take, ensuring that it is in line with what I want or desire. 

I leave you with a beautiful quote about Mindfulness: 

 

“We need to think of our attention as something we must train just as we train our fingers to play the piano or violin. We don’t just practice when we are performing, we practice intensely in between performances.”

Gregg Krech
Director, ToDo Institute ”Life is a Matter of Attention”
author of Naikan: Gratitude, Grace and the Power of Self-Reflection
(Japanese Art of Self-Reflection)

What about you today … how mindful are you or have you simply been mindless?