Turn off auto-pilot

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As I am learning, Mindfulness is about noticing things without judgments. The "noticing" part seems to be easier than the "without judgment" part for me.

One thing I've noticed is something I'm sure you've experienced too. It's my response when asked, "How are you?"

My answer is usually an automatic "fine" or "good" or "busy." I've found that these responses don't reflect my true feelings. They are a kind of armor that protects me from being vulnerable. The automatic-ness of my response keeps me from actually getting in touch with my feelings, from being honest, from being authentic.

My thinking has always been, "People really don't care 'how I am' it's just something we say to be polite." It's an automatic question that gets an automatic answer.

However true my judgment has been, (probably less true than I think) it has nothing to do with how I'd like to be in the world.
I would like to be mindful, authentic, and in deeper relationships with the people in my world. I believe that using this question can be a useful trigger for practicing mindfulness.

So, now when someone asks me, "How are you doing?" I'm going to pause and connect with myself, then answer. This may cause me to be more vulnerable than I'm comfortable with, but I've found that there are some very cool things outside of my comfort zone.

I invite you to join me in being a little more vulnerable today.

Peace.

Damon

"If we want better clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path."BRENE BROWN

"If we want better clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path."

BRENE BROWN

Coexisting with technology

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I love technology. I'm what they call an "early-adopter". System update? I'm in. Redesigned user interface? Oh yeah. New time-saving app? Take my money. Basically, if it's new, I want to try it. 

As I've chased the rush of greater speed and increased productivity, I've discovered something. I'm not sure if I'm running my tech or it's running me. Sometimes when I look at my phone, I feel a sense of dread. If I'm not careful and intentional about why I'm using the tech, it can easily become distracting and rob me of my time and concentration. You know the feeling. 

I can't get rid of the tech in my life, but I can be mindful of when it distracts me. I can prioritize the people who are actually in front of me and put my phone away. I can consciously choose when I use it and for what, instead of mindlessly scrolling and swiping. I can strengthen my powers of concentration by meditating.

I invite you to join me and be intentional when you use your tech. That way, we can be sure that our technology serves us and not the other way round.

Peace.

"the REAL PROBLEM IS NOT WHETHER MACHINES THINK, BUT WHETHER MEN DO."b.f. skinner

"the REAL PROBLEM IS NOT WHETHER MACHINES THINK, BUT WHETHER MEN DO."

b.f. skinner

Mountain climbing

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As most of you know, I work for the Y. Over the past 30 years, I have worked with some of the most dedicated and innovative do-gooders in the world. In the kind of work that we do, it’s easy to wonder if what we do matters. The problems we strive to fix are so big and sometimes our efforts seem so small.


When these feeling come up for me, I find it useful to stop for a moment. In that moment I remember something that one of my oldest and wisest mentors used to say;
 
“When you’re climbing a mountain, it may feel like you’re not getting any closer to the top.
But if you just stop and look back down mountain. You’ll see how far you’ve come.”
 
I know that there are times when our challenges feel insurmountable. But have faith the you are making a difference. You will scale that mountain by putting one foot in front of the other.
 
Stick with it.

Peace.

"How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top."YVON CHOUINARD

"How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top."

YVON CHOUINARD

Just observe

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I'd like to share with you a new mindfulness technique that I'm learning. It's a body scanning practice called vipassana.
In this practice we slowly scan the body and observe sensation. Sounds easy? Kinda. The challenge is to just observe the sensation. Don't judge it as good or bad. Don't try to change it, say by scraping an itch. Just observe.

In this practice, I notice that if I can remove any expectation (thinking that a certain part of my body should feel a certain way), it ceases to control me.

For example, if I think that my hand shouldn't itch, and I detect that my hand is itchy, I find myself wanting to scratch it to get to the state of not itching. This desire moves me out of experiencing the here-and-now. It moves me away from experiencing and accepting life as it is.

I notice that this is true for me when I'm not meditating as well. When I struggle, it's usually because what is occurring is different than what I expect should happen. And that difference causes suffering.

If I release myself of thinking things should be certain way and just observe, I accept things the way they are and can easily navigate my life.

So, I invite you to join me today in releasing an expectation about something and just observe it. Let me know if that changes how you interact with those around you.

Peace

"WHEN WE LET GO OF EXPECTATION, THERE IS PEACE."KIM ENG

"WHEN WE LET GO OF EXPECTATION, THERE IS PEACE."

KIM ENG