What is mindfulness? How does it influence our lives? Well, did you know that when we are mindful of our words and actions we can create a more beautiful and happier life for ourselves and others? Think about it. When we are complimenting someone we can see the delight in their eyes. In turn, it makes us feel good as well. Think about how you feel when someone compliments you. It feels nice, right? If more people would be aware of how they speak and act, and they really put an effort into being kind, the world would be a better place. Maybe world peace isn’t just something beauty contestants say as part of their presentation. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Miss Congeniality” , you’ll get the reference.
These days we do a lot of texting and emailing, and sometimes our messages could be misunderstood, if we are not mindful of how our messages sound to the people we’re sending them to. We should think about how we would feel if that message was sent to us. If there is even a hint of cruelty, animosity or anger in that message it is going to be received badly. There is always a way to get a message across in a loving manner.
Although it is important to be mindful when you’re talking to others, it’s even more important to be mindful when talking to yourself. The word selfish is a misunderstood word. We’ve been taught that being selfish is wrong. But I’m here to tell you that being selfish is the only way to live. And I don’t mean that we should not help others, but that we should take care of ourselves first. Have you ever taken an airplane ride? Well, if you have you’ll remember the flight attendant giving safety instructions. One of the things they tell you to do in the case of an emergency is to put your oxygen mask first, before you help anyone else. You see, the purpose of this is because if you pass out how can you help anyone else? So you see that taking care of ourselves first is very important. We will be no good to anyone, especially ourselves, if we are depleted of energy. Think of it like this, we need to treat ourselves with as much love and kindness as we would a child or parent. How do you feel when someone is nice to you? Think about how good it would feel if you were nice to you.
And it’s not only important how we treat ourselves, but how we speak to ourselves. Yes, that’s what I said. We talk to ourselves all the time. And words are like seeds we plant in our minds. So it’s important to say nice things to ourselves. Don’t call yourself names like stupid, fat, ugly or any other negative verbal expression. When you feel like saying negative things stop, and find something you genuinely feel about yourself. Think of it like this, your words are like a magic wand. And when you wave the wand over your words and say nice things about yourself, you change the chemistry in your brain. In turn you send out brain waves that cause a powerful change in your life. Words are very powerful. They can lift you up, and they can crush you like a grape. So think about that the next time you want to say something mean to yourself or someone else. Think before you speak is my motto. Be mindful of how you sound to others. Your life is yours to create, so why not create a great one? And one more thing that might convince you that being mindful of our words and actions is that it helps to keep us healthy.
When we use happy, joyful words it trains our brains to look for more happy, joyful situations. We may think of new ideas that we couldn’t see before. Here’s a trick you might consider. Be honest when complimenting yourself or others. Find something you sincerely believe and it will come across as a wonderful gift. See, gifts don’t have to cost money. They can be a smile or a nod or a kind word.
So I hope you got the gist of this blog, because it could change your life for the better. It could help you to become the person you want to be. And only you know what that means for you. So go forth and be happy. Show the world what a truly honest, sincere, happy, joyful and mindful person you are. And remember that there is always great love for you here.
Your Friend, Deb Mertan
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