An important skill I'm learning through mindfulness is to recognize what I want to do.
I'm not talking about the general direction of my life (although that is also possible and necessary, but I'll cover that in a future issue.)
I'm talking about recognizing and honoring my wants and needs every hour of the day.
There are multiple skill interacting for this:
- Recognizing what I want: this is actually pretty hard. What do I really want to do in this moment?
- Acting on positive impulses: “I think I might enjoy going for a run” → go for a run immediately.
- Noticing trends: we all have our routines. But our wants change, so sometimes we need to adjust our routines, too.
- Being happy about what I accomplished: this is a solid baseline for a healthy life. Take note of things you accomplish. Enjoy the feeling when someone says "thank you".
Sure, life can't be all about doing things you want. Sometimes I'm not in the mood for cleaning up the kitchen, working a few more hours, or eating healthy. Most times I'm doing these things, nonetheless.
But it's much better to interweave things you have to do with things you thoroughly want to do.
“Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh
Reading Recommendations
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
“Insight Meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein examines a teaching from the Satipatthana Sutta, the Buddha’s discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness.”
How Much Does Our Personality Determine Our Happiness?
“While external circumstances play an undeniable role in our happiness, a striking finding from the science of happiness is that this role is more limited than many of us imagine. Studies suggest that only about 10-15 percent of the variance in people's well-being can be attributed to external circumstances.”
A wonderful website full of git commands to help you when things go wrong.
Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Take a quiet minute and say this sentence out loud to yourself:
I love myself.
How does it make you feel?
If this sentence feels good to you, great!
If it makes you feel a little uneasy, that’s ok, too.
Remember: you deserve to be treated with kindness, fairness, and love by the person closest to you, yourself.
End Note
If you enjoy this newsletter, please share it with someone you know. Just forward them this email.
Have a great week
Simon
PS: What do you think about this? Please hit reply and let me know. I’m curious!