Mindfulness is so important these days, especially because it is so easy to get swept up in the busyness of life. We put our minds on autopilot and fail to pay real attention to our thoughts and the effects they have on us.
I look for a recipe on my phone, and I notice something clever and new.
‘I’m not the best cook to do this.’
‘I always mess these up.’
‘I’m such an idiot.’
I buy the ingredients and make it.
‘No one will eat this.’
‘I should throw this away.’
‘I should taste it first.’
I enjoy eating.
Sound familiar? This difference between acting and thinking can be an internal battleground for a great deal of people. By paying attention to our thoughts and choosing which ones will impact our actions, we can work towards maintaining a higher self -awareness.
In this example, my thoughts could have stopped me before even buying the ingredients. By choosing to ignore those thoughts, I took action and bought the ingredients to make the recipe. So many thoughts can paralyze us and stop us before we even start.
After the recipe was made, my thoughts could have prevented me from even tasting what I made. Choosing to pay attention to the last thought “I should taste it first” allowed me to have an unexpected enjoyable experience eating what I made.
Throwing it away was a negative thought that was replaced by a more positive productive one.The more we notice our thoughts in the moment – the easier it becomes to distinguish the difference between their intent.
Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment.
My Top 5 Mindful Quotes
Saving these quotes on screen savers or posting them on mirrors helps remind me to stay present in the moment.
Have your thoughts convinced you that something is impossible? Empowering yourself with choice is life changing! Reduce the amount of mindless moments that do not move you forward towards a positive direction. Pay attention and choose the best thoughts for your actions.
Crystal Gibson is a wife and mother of two from Cleveland, Ohio whose interest in women’s empowerment comes from her personal experiences, raising her daughter and navigating corporate America for over a decade. She is passionate about simple living, mindfulness & meditation, gratitude, and raising strong daughters. Her goal is to write about these ideas to help women and girls with their journey – figuring out who they are and what they represent to the world. When she is not writing, she can be found gardening, crafting and spending time with her family.