Blissful Living Principles: Approach Living Mindfully
We all know the saying stop and smell the roses, but how many of us actually practice this each day? The 4th Principle of Blissful Living is all about mindfulness. In recent years, we’ve been hearing this word a lot more, and for good reason. During these times of increased stress and malaise, we could all use a little more mindfulness in our lives.
When we embrace this principle, we live from heart space and not the head space by focusing on how feel rather than what we think. Sometimes these feelings may not be pleasant, but it’s about accepting our feelings without judgement or evaluation. It is about present moment awareness – and the more we focus on the present, we often find that our unpleasant feelings are based in the past or the future.
While none of our lives are perfect, there is always goodness that surrounds us each and every day. It’s about learning to pay attention and tap into this goodness. Each moment is scared, holding the gift of magic and pure delight. These sacred moments are often subtle and can be easily overlooked in the frenzy of our day-to-day. By increasing our awareness of these magical, scared moments, we make space for more joy in our lives, allowing them to fuel the tank of our highest purpose.
Ponder how you define your sacred moments. Those moments where you can hear the whisper of your soul or a song in your heart. Once you start to define your sacred moments, make it a point to cultivate more of them – heck, schedule them in if you must! There is no right or wrong answers here, and the best part is that the more you seek out these moments, the more of them you’ll experience. Pro tip: engage all your senses!
To help you, here are a few examples of scared moments:
• Feeling the cool breeze on a summer day
• Warm tea and a cozy blanket on a cold winter’s day
• Smelling fresh cut flowers from the garden
• Listening to bird song
• Watching the sun rise or set
• Sharing a good belly laugh with a loved one
• Cuddling with a pet
• Savoring a meal cooked with love
• Noticing how the light changes in your home with the seasons
• Rain drops falling on a window pane
With all that is going on in the world, it can be easy to fall into despair. As we all navigate these difficult times, both individually and collectively, it’s important to make sure that we make a conscious effort to celebrate the good. Yes we must stand up for change. Yes we must be committed to humanity and our planet. Yes we must solve the problems that we face. So, let’s do that... but let’s be sure to ALSO celebrate that there is still beauty, love, joy, kindness, and fulfillment to be had. It is okay, in fact, it is necessary to find simple joys in everyday life. It’s the oxygen mask analogy – you can’t save the world if you are operating with an empty tank. We need fuel for the work that needs to be done.
