by Jamesscotthenson | May 29, 2017 | Blog
I think it is Tim Ferriss who I’ve heard say that if you own
the morning, you own the day.
I doubt he’s the first or only person to say this, because
there is a lot of truth to it. It seems like everyone who has a spiritual
practice or a routine or ritual of any kind engages it first thing in the
morning. There must be something to that.
I think how we spend our time matters, so it is important to
me to give the first few minutes of my waking consciousness to things that
matter.
To being mindful, to being grateful and to being
intentional. I cannot exaggerate how much this has affected my days, and my
life in general (gratitude is everything in and of itself, we’re about to do a
series on that).
I meditate first thing, but it doesn’t have to be a formal
practice if that’s not something you are looking for. Being mindful seems to be
easier in the morning before everything kicks into high gear and while
everything is just a little bit slower.
Have a specific time you get up every day.
Get out of bed with intention.
Notice the silence.
Feel your feet on the floor.
Hear the sound of the water as you make coffee or tea or
whatever you drink.
Do something nice for them if you have people around you.
Clean something up, not judging it.
Stay off the internet.
Don’t look at your phone.
Leave the TV off.
Breathe.
by Jamesscotthenson | Apr 4, 2017 | Blog
A lot of people think they cannot meditate.
They say that they have too many thoughts, that their mind
is just too busy, that they just don’t have the time. Everyone is a special
case.
But anyone really can meditate. Everyone is always
meditating on something.
In reality, we are all meditating as long as we are
awake, we are just rarely conscious of it.
I know people who meditate on anger, people who meditate on
worry, people who meditate on anxiety. I know people who meditate on everything
that was done wrong to them in the past, on how they are getting the short end
of the stick or how nobody appreciates them. People meditate on their failures,
on past mistakes, on how they are not good enough, on how they hate their job
or spouse or kids.
Predictably, none of these people are happy.
Our minds are wired toward the negative, it’s a useful
survival mechanism.
I don’t need to remember all the people who smiled at me, I
need to remember the one who stabbed me in the stomach. I don’t need to
remember all the times I crossed the street safely, I need to remember the time
I stepped out in front of a bus. This helps keep me safe and alive.
Because of this, it takes a conscious intention to shift our
constant meditation to something positive.
It’s not easy to turn our negative ruminations around, and
very often our mind will resist this because it thinks doing so will put us in
danger. This is why a daily sitting practice is so useful: it is a time of
formally training our mind, of letting thoughts come and go, of accepting
things as they are, and it starts to change the direction of the constant
mediation we find ourselves in.
Intentional meditation helps shift the focus of our constant,
unintentional meditation.
Our lives change radically when we are constantly meditating
on gratitude, peace, patience, kindness, compassion and joy. Everything changes
depending on what your constant meditation tells you about the world, and
eventually you are meditating on silence all the time. Then things are easy.
What is your constant meditation?
by Jamesscotthenson | Mar 31, 2017 | Blog
One of most difficult parts of maintaining a mindful
lifestyle is how quickly we drift off into mindlessness.
It is our default mode because the mind is always looking
for something to be interested in. It wants the spotlight, so it cycles through
a playlist of topics until it hits on something that gets our attention.
Here are the things that pulled me away this morning during
meditation:
Thinking about a new wrestling gimmick for B
Thinking about the people we met this weekend, and how much
I liked them
Thinking about how part of being mindful is enjoying where
you are, no matter where you are (notice how crafty the mind is, pulling me
into mindlessness by thinking about mindfulness).
Thinking about this idea as a blog topic, about how I like
to mine places for all they are worth rather than go a bunch of new places
Writing the blog in my head
Thinking about the fact that there are cool places in the
world I haven’t been, and which ones I would like to visit
I wake up and sit down to meditate immediately, so this was
literally all in the first three minutes of my day. Multiply this times
300 and it gives you an idea of how distracted we are as people. Luckily, I was
able to catch this train of thought and let it go, but some days I get caught
up in it.
One of the easiest ways to remain mindful is to simply treat
everything you do as sacred or important, to not allow any task to be
bothersome or annoying or petty. This is also one of those Keystone Habits that
can make a tremendous difference in all areas of your life.
Here are some examples from this morning:
Wrapping the bread up and putting it where it goes instead
of leaving it out on the counter
Trying not to spill any coffee, and sweeping up any that did
fall out of the little Keurig reusable cup.
Rinsing the dishes well before putting them in the
dishwasher
Taking time in my journaling instead of phoning it in
Not pounding on the keys of my computer. I hunt and peck
when I type, so I can really bang on it if I am not mindful. I am trying to
maintain an awareness of each key as I type.
These things leave my kitchen cleaner, cause me to be
more intentional with my day, cut down on misspelled words and will prolong
the life of my computer.
Intention in every moment and taking care of the things we
have are mindful practices.
This idea isn’t new. It is much of the premise of Practicing
the Presence of God and the study of Zen. This is where things like the Japanese
Tea Ceremony and using archery or calligraphy as meditation come from. In
Judaism there are prayers of gratitude for everything, including using the
bathroom.
What would happen if you looked for the beauty and
sacredness in every task you perform today?
What would it be like to remain mindful of every action, no
matter how mundane or automatic it is?
Is there anything to be unhappy about if we
cherish every moment we have?
Thanks for reading.
by Jamesscotthenson | Mar 1, 2017 | Blog
I have had a couple of people ask me about the habits that
make my life easier, so I thought this week’s roundup could look at a couple of
them. A few may seem odd or restrictive, but they really work for me.
Go to bed at a decent time, get up early. We forget how much
of our history as a species was spent without electricity, and where the dark
represented death. I think we have a natural rhythm to our sleep patterns and
that the more we can stay within it, the better we feel. I know some people
seem to be nocturnal, but they will tell you that a regular sleep schedule is
important for them, even if it is during the day. Also, don’t sleep too much.
Cold showers. People rarely try this one, but of the ones
that do, they tend to stick with it. I don’t have a firm reason, but cold
showers leave me feeling better all day, and reduce the grogginess and lethargy
I used to feel after showering. It’s also supposed to be good for your hair and
all sorts of other things. Try it in increments, and just lukewarm at first.
You’ll like it.
The Rule of Three. You can try to do a thousand things every
day, accomplish very few and be unhappy, or you can be specific and shoot for
three, actually get them done, and feel good about your day. I do this daily
for smaller tasks, and weekly for larger projects. Here’s a
great blog about it.
Journal with Intention. There is this 5 Minute Journal
format out there, and it is awesome. Here are some changes I’ve made and
prompts I’ve added that I’ve found useful, stolen from smart people like Tim
Ferriss and conversations with friends and clients. Take 5 minutes every
morning and evening to plan and reflect.
Make note of what I am complaining about, stop
Gratitude for:
An old relationship (good or bad)
A current relationship (good or bad)
An opportunity I have today
Something great from yesterday
Something simple near me
What would make today great?
What are some amazing things that happened today?
What mistakes did I make today? How will I correct them?
Insightful questions/realizations I don’t want to forget
What would I be doing differently if I was truly conscious
of the fact that I will die someday?
Watch this video
on The Sublime. Make note of the things that make me realize just how
insignificant I am and how small my problems are.
What obstacles am I not seeing as opportunities?
I am always looking for use things to incorporate into my
life, what are some daily habits that help you?
by Jamesscotthenson | Jan 10, 2017 | Blog
A clingy, puking toddler with definite ideas about where he
needs to sit and how unimportant my blog is means we are taking a short look at
gratitude today.
Name ten things you are grateful for in your everyday life.
Be creative, don’t cheat with the normal things people throw
out there.
“I’m thankful for God and my family and for the food I eat.”
Be grateful for these things, but really consider why.
Actually think about it.
I am grateful that my priorities have shifted over the last
few years so that Max being sick and wanting to sit with me is a blessing
instead of something I resent or try to avoid.
I am grateful for the snow and ice outside making quite a
few of my decisions for me today.
I am grateful for a wife who takes an equal share of the
work and responsibilities in our life. I talk to people all week who are saddled
with selfish, lazy partners.
I am grateful for 2016 no matter what everyone else thinks
of it. It was probably the best year of my life.
I am grateful for audiobooks making it possible to learn and
experience great stories almost all the time.
I am grateful that I have the resources to build a small gym
in our garage because it is benefitting both Barbara and I.
I am grateful to Barbara for all the work she has done on
the new office. It looks better than any office I have any business getting to
work out of. She is remarkably talented.
I am grateful Netflix continues to carry all the Curious
George movies.
I am grateful to every client I have, and to everyone who is
willing to use their time and money to work on themselves. I am grateful to be
part of that process every single day (bonus gratitude!)
I am grateful for everyone who takes the time to read this.
I really appreciate your time and feedback. Max appreciates your understanding
with this short blog today.
Anytime we find ourselves tired or frustrated that our plans
are being disrupted, we can stop in that moment and make a list of the things
we are grateful for.
There is always something to be grateful for. If you can’t
see it, be grateful for the opportunity to adjust your perspective.
Have a great day.
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