Mindfulness is a skill like any other. It can sometimes be difficult to learn, because it is so diametrically opposed to the way we’re accustomed to thinking, acting, and doing. Some of the techniques of mindfulness may feel strange at first, simply because they are different. ‘Different’ doesn’t mean ‘better’ or ‘worse,’ it simply means ‘different.’ With practice, however, these skills will become easier over time. Don’t give up after trying mindfulness skills only once or twice. Have patience and allow them time to work. Change can sometimes be hard. If it were easy, we’d already be doing it.
There’s a saying that, “Insanity is doing the same thing in the same ways and expecting different results.”
If we’ve been doing things that lead to negative consequences, we’re probably doing those things because they feel familiar to us. This is fine if we like the consequences of our actions. But if we don’t like the consequences of our actions, we may choose to do the sometimes difficult work of making change. The only way to get different results is to do things in different ways. This leads to different consequences for our actions.
Mindfulness is a way to do things differently.
Although meditation is a part of mindfulness, Mindful Awareness is much more than a meditative technique. Mindfulness is a way of life. The techniques of mindfulness can be applied to any of our day-to-day experiences. They are not restricted to the realm of meditation.
Like anything else that has to be learned, mindfulness is a skill that requires practice. Leonardo da Vinci didn’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time he picked up a paintbrush. Leonardo Da Vinci didn’t paint the Mona Lisa the first time he picked up a paintbrush. Likewise, you probably won’t be able to jump right into a ‘mindful awareness’ mode of being without a lot of practice. That’s okay. Give yourself permission to practice once in a while. The more you do so, the more mindful you’ll become!