If you think about it, your life is simply a reflection of your awareness. Although this might seem a rather stupid statement at first let me explain what I mean. We all know that from conception we are all pre-programmed with certain traits and characteristics. The idea we are born as a fresh, blank pieces of paper is simply not true as we inherit bits of Mum and Dad as well as the extended genetic lineage.
So we are born and from an early age begin to mirror our surroundings. Influences and experiences mould early life as does our relationships with our peers, teachers and family. Even though progression to adolescence is in lifespan terms perhaps less than a seventh, many of our clearest and fondest reminiscences relate to our childhood from five to fifteen. Our cognitive awareness is filtered based upon our core pre-programming and behaviour patterns based upon this early part of our lives.
So are we prisoners of our heritage and upbringing?
Without mindfulness, introspection and education you are. Your whole world-view is a filtered reality according to your behaviour and belief patterns. Whilst this rather forensic analysis might seem harsh it is nevertheless true. We accept much based upon filters created early on in life.
Life is like a box of chocolates?
In the film Forest Gump, Tom Hanks portrayed a person with higher functioning autism, Asperger’s syndrome whereby Forest Gump seemed to drift through life living according to a belief system given to him by his mother; “life is life a box of chocolates”. He believed life was like a variety of experiences (the chocolates) and you simply didn’t know which one was to come next. This belief system allowed Forest Gump to accept whatever “chocolate” (life situation) came next and simply accepted it, embraced it and allowed it to become part of his awareness. He did not filter out situations and was mindful and aware of each and every opportunity without negativity or dismissal.
Mindfulness allows you to do the same by removing the filters by becoming aware of them. There is no right or wrong in life within the context of a person’s cognition of their life experience. Educators, law makers, politicians, peers, friends and family lay out for us the societal framework in which we must live. Our pre-programming, belief system and cognition are either in conflict or confluence with our situation. As individuals we live our lives either in degrees of acceptance or denial, positively or negatively and our responses to this are entirely based upon our perceptual understanding of how this fits within our belief patterns.
So how do we use Mindfulness to its best advantage?
Pause and reflect on any given situation. We react to situations so differently; an entrepreneur sees opportunity, a pessimist sees danger, an opportunist sees leverage whilst a depressive sees fear. Each time the same situation but some very different outcomes based upon belief system.
Whatever the situation:
Pause: Look at the situation for what it is by initially focussing on your breathing. Lose yourself in the mechanics of inhaling and exhaling taking ownership of it. Focus on breath and enter into a calm state.
Reflect: Look at the situation abstractly for what it really is without any judgement or prejudice. If doubts or preconception creep in focus on the breathing again and come back to it. Form an opinion based upon mindfulness appraisal as opposed to preconceived filtration.
At first you will always revert to your “default state”, the old adage “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is true in this instance as mindfulness overturns a lifetime and pre-lifetime of values and belief patterns. Distract yourself with your breathing and focus as with mindfulness helps you deal with your life. It will help to identify the tug of your subconscious as it comes into conflict with a preconception or established belief.
Mindfulness is something that should be taught to everyone as a child. Buddhists have known this for millennia and as a consequence we find kind, caring and peace loving individuals who seem capable of extreme meditative focus. If everyone used mindfulness and became mindful of situations the world would be a very different place where empathy and understand would replace hate, fear and violence.
Use mindfulness today and live in the moment. Do not accept anything without being mindful about any actions you take. Mindfulness action restores your very being and individuality releasing potentiality and unlimited access to your true self.
Regain control of your life with mindfulness.