Amid the onslaught of choices and information we face each day, the act of actually doing what matters the most to us is sometimes lost in the noise. This new blog series tackles specific action steps you can take to not just dream but accomplish what your heart desires. These steps are based on years […]
The Crescendo of Practice: Mindful Relationships
Steady, consistent mindfulness practice truly is progressive. It can take the receptive practitioner on a continuous, non-linear journey from a deeply felt connection to the body and the present moment, through emotional peace that facilitates diminished attachments to outcomes, all the way to discovering profound joy in three key dimensions of relationship: solitude, community, and […]
Acknowledging Our Attachments to Outcomes
A steady mindfulness practice of “Visceral Awareness,” “Present Living,” and “Emotional Peace” sets the stage for practicing “Diminished Attachments to Outcomes,” the fourth of five main areas I’m exploring in this blog series. “Attachment” is a dynamic that I’ve wrestled with for a few years. Friends and great writers have helped me to understand what […]
Simplicity: It’s Not Complicated
I’m not sure if “simplicity” is so important to me because I’ve never really had the ability to buy a lot of stuff, or if it’s just the way I’m wired. Either way, it’s clear to me that practicing simplicity is another mindful pathway to sustainable “Emotional Peace.” I view simplicity as “practicing contentment with […]
Attacking Regrets With Mindfulness
One of the most pervasive forms of anger is the kind we feel toward ourselves, often clothed as regret. Regret is a close cousin of the oft-debilitating illness known as depression, which affects millions of people across the world. I would describe regret as the mind continuing to process “what could have been or might […]
Healing Our Anger
Anger sucks. There’s no simpler way to put it, in my opinion. I’m at my lowest contentment when I’m angry at some person, group, or frustrating dynamic or process. Anger robs us of “Emotional Peace,” which is the third overall category I’m exploring in this ongoing blog series on “Progressive Mindfulness Intentions.” My previous entry […]
Toward Emotional Peace: Mantras
If we’re to be honest with ourselves, we don’t crave external happiness factors nearly as much as we desire emotional peace; most noticeably, through the quieting of that internal noise-maker known as our tenacious mind. Practicing “Visceral Awareness” and “Present Living,” as I’ve written about previously in this ongoing series on “progressive mindfulness,’ sets the […]
Mindful Journaling
I’m in Kansas City. I just finished journaling for the day, and this has inspired my final blog entry on “Present Living” in this series on progressive mindfulness practices (see earlier posts here). Journaling has been popular for ages. Sometimes it’s called “keeping a diary.” Some call it it by other names, such as a […]
Transcending Disappointment
Today, as I continue to reflect upon and write about “Present Living” in this series on progressive mindfulness, I embrace and acknowledge the disappointment that exists for me right now. I’m sure that a blog on “thankfulness” would be much more fun to read! Unfortunately, the transforming power of authentic gratitude is obscured by the […]
Becoming Present With Beauty
Beauty abounds; but we often fail to take notice, even if we’re growing skillful at “Present Living” by more fully engaging with people, activities, and our own intentions (see previous posts). “Present Living” is a mindful state that includes noticing and appreciating our surroundings. Our surroundings, wherever we happen to be, include beauty that appears […]
