Tag Archives: Awareness

Our awareness is like an open sky with clouds passing by

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“Our awareness is like an open sky with clouds passing by. Take your time to let things float by at their own pace and appreciate the view.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Philipp Potocnik

Being productive has always been a high priority for me. I’ve always considered a day with little or no evidence of accomplishment something to avoid at all cost. The more points I put on the board the better.

The idea of laying back and letting the world float by just seemed way too passive. How else was I to scale life’s mountains without breaking a sweat?

With a few more decades under my belt, I can now see more clearly that learning to take in the wondrous views of life are indeed active and productive things to do.

EXERCISE:

How can you more actively examine the open skies of your awareness?

What new sights might you see by taking a much closer look at things coming into view?

Notice nothingness. Discover the peace and power in the presence of absence.

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Notice nothingness. Discover the peace and power in the presence of absence.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Noah Silliman

Have you ever spent time in an isolation chamber? Not me!

I think that would be too much nothing. What about the use of room darkening shades and a set of noise cancellation headphones?

We tend to live in a noisy, lights-on world where the presence of absence is absent.

How and where do you escape the barrage of stimuli that can drain your power and disturb the peace?

EXERCISE:

Where in your world is it possible to turn down the volume and turn off the lights?

Try a few experiments this week and discover the peace and power in their absence.

Try playing with your other senses and see where your mind wanders in this open field of awareness.

Bring patience to your path. See each step as progress and move forward at your own pace.

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Bring patience to your path. See each step as progress and move forward at your own pace.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Tamara Manzi

Many people operate at a fast pace in almost everything they do these days.

How fast do you talk, walk, eat, and drive?

What are some of the benefits of moving in the fast lane?

What are the negative consequences of always being in a hurry?

For many of us, our pace is ingrained and set on auto pilot with only modest awareness.

How might a slower and more patient pace of living offer hidden benefits?

Where would a steady as she goes approach help you arrive more safely and sanely to your desired destinations?

EXERCISE:

Where in your life would a slow is smooth and smooth is fast approach make the biggest difference?

Where can and will you bring greater patience to your path beginning today?

The past and future are in the mind only

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“The past and future are in the mind only — I am now.”

—Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, 20th Century Indian Guru

Image from Unsplash by Shantung Kulkarni

Being fully present in all the “now’s” of life is hard to do. If we work at it and practice mindfulness though meditation and other methods, we can improve our odds of success.

Our awareness of our leaps into the past and the future is the stuff of TV show, movies, and sci-fi books. It seems like time travel is a pretty interesting theme for entertaining ourselves.

The fact that our minds can be found bouncing back and forth moment-to moment throughout the day proves this point.

EXERCISE:

What would be the benefit of going a little out of your mind to be in the “now” of life on a more consistent basis?

Friday Review: Awareness

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Friday Review: Awareness

How aware are you of what’s going on around you, and inside you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

“We are sitting under the tree of our thinking minds, wondering why we’re not getting any sunshine!”

 

 

 

“It’s got to happen inside first.”

 

 

 

 

 

“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”

 

 

Notice the presence of absence

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Notice the presence of absence.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Tim Chow

In the practice of meditation, we train ourselves to notice our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

The intention is that these efforts will carry forward, so we can pursue our daily activities with greater awareness and ease.

Being more present to our inner and outer worlds offers us a deeper and fuller experience of living.

For most of us, our constant inner dialogues and emotional ups and downs keep us  occupied, both on and off the cushion.

What if we could easily and regularly have these thoughts and sensations dissolve and dissipate as if they were water evaporating from the sidewalk on a warm sunny day?

What levels of freedom, peace, and tranquility might be left without all the chatter?

What else could be present in the absence?

EXERCISE:

Create a space in your home where you remove as many distractions as possible. Do your best to eliminate all sensory inputs and sit for at least ten minutes with only your breath and heartbeat for company.

“Your thoughts are bubbles waiting to be popped.”

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“Your thoughts are bubbles waiting to be popped.”

—Jon Kabat-Zinn, American professor emeritus of medicine

Image from Unsplash by Alex Alvarez

The other day I was refilling a soap dispenser at the kitchen sink. While pouring the liquid soap carefully into the opening a bubble formed, creating a dome-shaped barrier which caused the soap to spill over the counter. Until this bubble popped my efforts to continue filling the dispenser were thwarted. This happened a few times and given my level of impatience, I used my finger to pop these bubbles to get on with my task.

This routine chore got me thinking about how I used to read the comic strips in the Sunday paper, or eat a piece of Bubble Yum gum in my youth. How are your thoughts like bubbles of awareness? How long do these bubbles last and guide you successfully through your days?

EXERCISE:

How aware are you of your inner voice?  How many of your thoughts bubble up without your awareness? Where would greater mindfulness help you sustain the bubbles you want and pop the ones that don’t serve your best intentions?

Where there is awareness there is growth

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Where there is awareness there is growth.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by olieman.eth

Today’s quote got me thinking about the definition of insanity which suggests that it is fruitless to expect different results when we do the same thing over and over.

I prefer to embrace the idea of “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge,” penned by Tuli Kupferberg.

Given the perspectives above, awareness seems to be a key to opening the doors to growth and new possibilities. Mindlessly trying the same keys that didn’t open the door initially seems to only keep us locked out of our fullest potential.

EXERCISE:

Where are you currently stalled or stopped in your efforts to grow?

How can you deepen or broaden your mindfulness efforts to unlock new doors and discover more of what’s inside?

Who can and will you ask for help you in your efforts?

“No man steps in the same river twice.”

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“No man steps in the same river twice.”

—Heraclitus, Ancient Greek, pre-Socratic, Ionian philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Roma Ryabchenko

When you examine the pace of change in your life, what do you see?

When you look at your various communities, where do you notice small, subtle changes? Where are the tectonic shifts far more noticeable?

Just as a river changes its flow and its course over time, our lives are always flowing from one day to the next. To fight or resent such change is like grabbing a handful of air.

EXERCISE:

Where are you currently upset and angry about the course of your life?

Where are you trying to paddle upstream against the currents of change?

How can and will you instead step into the new river of each day, embracing and influencing your journey?

 

“On the other side of the door of uncertainty is a room of wisdom.”

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“On the other side of the door of uncertainty is a room of wisdom.”

—Chip Conley, American hospitality entrepreneur, author, and speaker

I recently reviewed Humble Inquiry by Edgar Schein. The subtitle is: The Gentle Art of Asking instead of Telling, which as a coach, had a great deal of appeal to me. Some key take-aways include:

  • Asking questions to which you do not already know the answer, and building a relationship on sincere interest in the other person.
  • When we tell instead of ask, we can sometimes offend or demean others.
  • Barriers to humble inquiry include status, rank, and the roles we play in our professional and personal communities.

We can all practice this important skill by slowing down, becoming more mindful and aware of our interactions and our surroundings.

EXERCISE:

Consider exploring Humble Inquiry – The Gentle Art of More Asking and Less Telling as a door to greater wisdom for yourself.