Do you drive the same road to work every day or walk/jog the
same path daily for exercise? Are you plugged into a device where you listen to
music or audio books but you were thinking about something else and missed what
was said so you had to replay the episode? Have you ever reached your
destination but had no recall as to the journey you just took? If so, you were
most likely on Autopilot. Your mind wasn’t
focused on the journey or path that you were on. Your mind was drifting
aimlessly to your own thoughts. We’ve all done it. I clearly remember times when I reached my destination
and thought ‘that was fast’. My random thoughts had made the journey seem
faster, but I didn’t recall the sites along the way. I’ve had people comment on
places I pass regularly while driving, mentioning a new business or the tragedy
of a burned home and I never noticed because I was in my own little world.
Autopilot is like seeing the world thru a tunnel. You know the end goal, how to
get there, set the Autopilot button but none of the surroundings outside that
tunnel are visible. You don’t see the new businesses, the true color of the sky
or even the steering wheel your hands are holding. Who wants that kind of
journey thru life?!?
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| This journey is thru a tunnel. Do you see the beauty of this tunnel or just drive aimlessly thru it? |
My mind wanders constantly. For example, I may be folding
laundry but my mind might be on planning dinner. And then dinner becomes the
thought that I need to go grocery shopping. Thinking about kids’ school lunch
staples becomes a thought about my daughter’s need for a note for early
dismissal for an appointment. And on and on the random thoughts come into my
head. The chores get done and some of those random thoughts may have helped me
remember to do certain tasks or work out a problem I was anticipating but did I
really appreciate the task at hand? OK, folding laundry may not be a task one
wants to be focused on while doing it, but why not?
Being MINDFUL is defined on Google search as being conscious
or aware of something and/or focusing on one’s awareness on the present moment,
especially as part of a therapeutic or meditative technique. I should be MINDFUL
of each piece of clothing I pull from the dryer and of each fold I make as I
fold my laundry. That would suffice a standard MINDFULNESS practice. But I like
to go one step deeper, because if you’re going to be MINDFUL, do it with
GRATITUDE.
I know this is not what MINDFULNESS is, but to me it is just
a logical extension for being MINDFUL. Every day, like everyone who is reading
this, I default to Autopilot. I lose myself in my dreamlike world, endless
chore list and random thoughts. I spend a lot of time in tunnels, so to speak. But on the occasion when I do become MINDFUL of
the task at hand, I take it a step further and offer GRATITUDE. I am GRATEFULfor the clothes I have to fold, I am GRATEFUL for the money I have to buy the
clothes and the machines and detergents to clean them, I am GRATEFUL that I
have water!
When I am driving down the same roads I always drive, and I
have a moment of clarity, I offer appreciation for my car that gets me places,
that I can afford gas in my tank, etc. I also use the journey to inspire my GRATITUDE.
For instance, if I see an ambulance, I think to offer GRATITUDE for my healthy
family.
If we attract what we think about, I guess I don’t really want
to attract more laundry into my life, but I do want to continue to attract the
ability to have clothes to fold and a way to keep them clean! To me, that is
what MINDFULNESS is! At its core, MINDFULNESS is being aware of your
surroundings. But being aware is like emotionlessness to me. Yes, I’m folding
laundry. I’m pulling a shirt from the dryer, I’m folding it and adding it
thoughtfully to the pile of already folded clothing. BLAH! But by mixing in the
GRATITUDE, it makes me happy and appreciative. And we all know that GRATITUDE and
appreciation is what attracts more good things into our lives.
Maybe I’m not MINDFUL. Maybe I’m just GRATEFUL. Or maybe I’M
MINDFUL OF MY GRATITUDE! Now that is something to think about!
Be Mindful with Gratitude. Switch off the Autopilot! Fly
freely to Prosperity and Abundance.
