Mindfulness is a practice that brings peace, centeredness, and acceptance to whatever is going on in your life. This open up a river of other things like calm, strength, resilience, courage, passion, and so many more things that create a luscious life. Reality is all about perspective after all.
I’ve blogged a lot about mindfulness. The steps to practicing it are really easy to understand and implement. Here are some mantras that can help you bring it into the real world in a meaningful way. These come from Harrison Owen. He calls them The Four Immutable Laws of Spirit.
Whoever is Present Are The Right People
At holiday time, there are lots of parties. I see a lot of grumbling about whom to invite, whom not to invite, and who did and didn’t show up. It takes a lot of preparation to create a party, workshop, meeting, presentation, and sometimes even just a two person gathering. When someone doesn’t RSVP, arrive on time, or just doesn’t bother to come at all, it can create disappointment, judgment, and bad feelings. Don’t let it.
Remember that whoever is present are the right people. Maybe these are the people who care about you, your presence, your effort, your message, or what you’re offering. Or it could be that these are the people whom you most need to see to teach you something. Why on earth would you want anyone else there? These are the people who will make this moment all that it needs to be. Trust that the universe always provides exactly what is needed – even if that is feedback that you don’t particularly like.
Think of it this way. Let’s say that you bought tickets to a huge extravaganza of an event and twelve people showed up. Or twelve thousand. Either way, those people have something to share with you. If it’s a great time, it could be that they share in your joy. If they end up being really different than you in some way, it could show you that you’re investing in something that is not really a reflection of you. Pay attention. If you don’t pay attention, you may miss the gold.
Whenever It Begins is the Right Time
I know a lot of people are in a rush to make up for lost time. They look at others and feel that they’ve wasted so much time. Whenever it begins is the right time. The sun doesn’t rise a moment earlier than it is supposed to. That’s just how nature works. If you aren’t starting now, it means that something needs to fall in place first. Sometimes it is up to you to make that happen. Other times it has nothing to do with you. Be open to the magic. Do your part to be ready. Accept the present moment and trust that it will lead you to the next one when it’s time.
Whatever Happens is the Only Thing That Could Have Happened
When we see things that we don’t like, we can do a lot of “what iffing.” When we aren’t sure of what might happen, we can spin ourselves up into an anxiety attack under the weight of so many possibilities. There is no need to invest in all that because whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. The next moment is influenced by all the million things that we, and every other being in the universe, put in motion before this moment. How could this moment be otherwise?
When you accept this, no mental gymnastics about the past is necessary. All we need is to accept this moment and perhaps ask ourselves what we want to do next. If it’s a great moment, embrace it. So many people push away joy because they don’t feel worthy of it, don’t believe it’s real, or fear it won’t last. That’s nonsense! The present is so temporary. Live it now or you will miss it. This goes for unpleasant moments too. There are always lessons for growth when we get something we’d rather not have. We can look at how we contributed and fix it so that we don’t manifest that moment again.
When It’s Over, It’s Over
Life, like the sun and moon, is always moving. Things begin and end. When they are over, they are over. Humans have a way of trying to hold on to things – youth, security, jobs, love, and life. That’s not how things work. Life flows from one thing to another. When you stop moving or try to hold back the natural progression of things, you create stagnation for yourself. Let things die so that new things can be born.
All of these ideas are examples of mindfulness in motion. They can bring grace and meaning to all that happens, both positive and negative. They remove all need for worry, judgment, and blame – three life destroying practices. The year is coming to a close. It’s time to turn the page to a new beginning. These are four great ideas that can help the next chapter be a lot brighter. Why not try them out.
