Tag: bliss

Passion

We tend to float through our days in a haze of to do lists, errands, work responsibilities and other tasks that typically do not ignite a passion for life. These are all things most of us must do everyday. But are they? And can we perhaps change our perspective regarding the mundane?

The older I get the more I realize Alan Watts was on point when he said “The real secret of life- to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.”

In our fast paced world we tend to see work as a burden, especially if our work has nothing to do with our talents and passions. So we then have a choice- change our view or change our job. For many of of changing careers isn’t that simple. Our jobs afford us a certain lifestyle that pursuing a field we are passionate about may not. For instance, if you are a chemical engineer but your passion is painting, you will not necessarily be able to maintain your standard of living if you suddenly quit your job to paint. Over time your skill can develop and perhaps you will earn more through your art, but upfront there are trade offs. So if we do not have the financial ability to quit our current job then we must change our perspective of work.

What if we simply start saying “I’m going to play today” instead of saying “I’m going to work today”? Sounds like fun doesn’t it? In all actuality everything we do is play (or practice). Every day we play being human but most of the time do not realize it. Being at play we lose ourselves in the moment. Do you remember playing as a child, lost in the summer sun, running though the woods? We didn’t think about deadlines or worry about what tomorrow would bring- we were fully engaged in the beauty of the moment, fully engaged in play, fully engaged in whatever our passion was at that moment. How did we lose this passion for life?

We started calling it work.

So lets change our perspective and reignite passionate living. We need to ask ourselves what we are passionate about, where do we lose ourselves completely in the moment?

If we are not passionate about our jobs, it doesn’t mean we need to quit, it means we need to view our jobs as means of pursuing our passions.

(I will mention if you are exhausted because you are working 12+ hour days and have time only for sleep etc.. then perhaps a job change is in order.)

A subtle shift in attitude towards work can have astounding impacts long term. When we no longer greet the morning with the frustration of getting up “just to go to work” and instead greet the day with awe for the adventure that awaits, we align ourselves more potently with our true nature. We are creative beings bursting with potentiality, but we have blinded ourselves with worry and fret. Each and every moment we are reborn, each and every moment we have a choice, each and every moment we can choose to let our awareness blossom and see the world anew.

Balancing Rock, Adirondacks

When we see the world around us for what it is, we open ourselves to possibility and opportunity. It is truly amazing the doors that open to us when we stop looking for them so intently. Play, instead of work, allows us to live passionately in the moment. …And isn’t that what life is truly about?

Let Passion & Play fill your days.

Namaste.

Mindfulness

This is the essence of MINDFULNESS. We move though each moment authentically, with intention. Of course this does not happen over night. In our fast paced world, we are inundated with technology that demands our attention, yet our attention spans have dwindled, our patience eroded away by perceived instant gratification.

What does it mean to be MINDFUL? …and almost more importantly, WHY should we practice mindfulness?

We are going to delve into these two questions today and hopefully discover simple ways to practice mindfulness daily. First, I would like to share some background as to how and why I began to cultivate a mindfulness practice over 12 years ago.

Simply put, I was a mess. I had allowed health issues to cause extra stress and frequent stress reactions in multiple areas of my life. I was not THRIVING. Deep down I knew something needed to change but was not sure where or how to begin. Then I came across a book by Thich Nhat Hanh, The Miracle of Mindfulness and everything changed.

I think I read the book cover to cover in two days. Thich Nhat Hanh had provided me with a new perspective. Something that should have been plain to see. Everything we do should have our full attention. Everything.

In the book, a question was posed: “Why do you wash the dishes?” Most people, including myself 12 plus years ago, would answer “Well, to get them clean of course!” However that is not the reason Thich gives us. We “wash the dishes to wash the dishes.” Think about that for a minute.

When washing the dishes, or car, or whatever; our focus, our attention should be on the task at hand, not the outcome. When we place significance only on the outcome, we are not living intentionally in the moment. Instead we hitch our happiness to an unpredictable future event.

This is the essence of MINDFULNESS. We move though each moment authentically, with intention. Of course this does not happen over night. In our fast paced world, we are inundated with technology that demands our attention, yet our attention spans have dwindled, our patience eroded away by perceived instant gratification.

Thus we miss out on the experience. We wind up reminiscing about the past or worring about the future while our NOW passes us by. Which brings us to our WHY? Why should we be praticing mindfulness? Becuase the alternative is to live mindlessly in the past or future; to be awash in stress or worry. We have a choice in each moment to be present and aware. But it takes PRACTICE.

We have now arrived at the WHAT. What is mindfulness practice. Well, it could simply be washing the dishes or attentively listening to a piece of music. It is moving from moment to moment with attention, focus, and intention.

Practice daily. Begin slowly. Pick a activity you enjoy doing and notice if your mind drifts. If your attention wavers, gently refocus your attention back to your activity. Personally, I began with mindful walking. Learning to notice the feeling as each foot makes contact with the ground. Noticing the pattern of my breath while immersed in the sounds of nature. This is still one of my favorite activities- I love being barefoot in order to really experience that contact with the earth! When I can’t go barefoot, I wear Vibram Five Fingers —barefoot feel with sole protection!

How much time do we spend inattentively adrift? Which senses are being ignored when we stare into our phones for hours? What moments are we missing when we ruminate worriedly about the future? Mindfulness bring us back to ourselves, back to the moment.

Adirondack Mountains

Remember, each moment of our lives is a beautiful , once in a lifetime sensory experience.

Moments

All of Life is a collection of moments. We move through our days aware of the passage of time, but view this time as slices; little pieces to be looked at individually as memories. This view of life is an illusion. Life, in all it’s mystery, is an ongoing process of flow, movement, change. There is nothing static about life – it is dynamic and eternal.

…and so is everything. Everything is a process. The Universe is a process. WE are part of that dynamic, every changing dance of energy.
But we forget. We get stuck in a perceived reality in which “I” becomes the center of that perceived reality.
There is no “I”.
Look for it, I dare you! It can be frightening when you suddenly realize you do not exist the way you thought you did.

When we take the time to settle and fall into stillness, the process of life touches the soul. We then immerse ourselves in the flow of universal energy merging with all. We experience a brief moment of ONENESS. A moment of pure bliss, indescribable.
Breathe. Flow. Merge.
Bliss.

namaste.