"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
- Henry David Thoreau
Have you ever noticed that two people can respond very differently to the same event? Imagine the following scenario: two people with similar jobs, demographics and socio-economic status are working for the same company. Due to a corporate restructuring, both roles are eliminated and both individuals become unemployed. One person sinks into a deep depression in the months that follow, immersed in feelings of bitterness, resentment and powerlessness towards the employer and wider world. The other person responds much differently, using the opportunity to enjoy time with her family while reorienting herself professionally to pursue a career more supportive of her values and interests.
The two stories have very different outcomes, with a very different lived experience of the individuals. How is this possible? Numerous scientific studies have confirmed what ancient philosophers and contemplative traditions have long understood; it’s not so much the circumstances or events that determine an individual’s level of life satisfaction but rather the way of relating to those experiences. In other words, the quality of your mind determines the quality of your life. And through the practice of mindfulness, you can cultivate skills and attitudes to improve the quality of your mind.
Mindfulness is an exploration of the nature of human mind. Our minds have evolved over millennia into one of the most complex living systems in the universe. The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons! And while our complex brains have served us well from an evolutionary perspective, allowing us to thrive and expand as a species to an astonishing degree, we are not hard-wired for happiness per se. Our brains are equipped with certain default systems and processes that do not necessarily contribute to our positive life experience. On the contrary, the default mechanisms of our brains regularly contribute to our suffering and discontentment.
What to do with this conundrum? Our minds are complex, powerful and literally awesome. But they are also capable to make us miserable unless we understand them well. In modern society, we readily embrace with the concept of physical training to improve the condition and functioning of our bodies. For many of us, sports and physical activity is a regular element of our lives. The same is not (yet!) true of mental training, and I believe this is a cultural blind spot. By investing time and energy into mental training, we can significantly improve the quality of our lives, our relationships and our communities.
Mindfulness is the intentional cultivation of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It is a practice of attention and awareness to become more familiar with the rich inner landscape that colors our daily experience. And through mindfulness, we develop a capacity to recognize our habitual patterns of thought and storytelling, as well as a gentle, neutral manner of relating to them, with neither attachment nor aversion. Like the ephemeral nature of a seeding dandelion, we develop the capacity to acknowledge, observe and release our thoughts into the ceaseless breeze of our existence.
This is not a self-improvement plan or self-help book which promises fast and dramatic results. Above all, mindfulness is a practice. And similar to playing a musical instrument or sport, progress is made through regular, intentional practice over a long duration. Mindfulness is not learned through gardening, listening to music or whatever activities you do to relax. You don’t train for a 10k run by cooking a 5-course dinner! Mindfulness is learned through practicing mindfulness. But once you have developed a basic understanding and toolkit, you will surely bring mindfulness to those other activities of your life!
Mindfulness will not change the events and circumstances of your life, but it will change your way of relating to both the beautiful and difficult moments that inevitably arise. And, in doing so, mindfulness is likely to result in a more satisfying life experience.
What can be more important than that?
The two stories have very different outcomes, with a very different lived experience of the individuals. How is this possible? Numerous scientific studies have confirmed what ancient philosophers and contemplative traditions have long understood; it’s not so much the circumstances or events that determine an individual’s level of life satisfaction but rather the way of relating to those experiences. In other words, the quality of your mind determines the quality of your life. And through the practice of mindfulness, you can cultivate skills and attitudes to improve the quality of your mind.
Mindfulness is an exploration of the nature of human mind. Our minds have evolved over millennia into one of the most complex living systems in the universe. The human brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons! And while our complex brains have served us well from an evolutionary perspective, allowing us to thrive and expand as a species to an astonishing degree, we are not hard-wired for happiness per se. Our brains are equipped with certain default systems and processes that do not necessarily contribute to our positive life experience. On the contrary, the default mechanisms of our brains regularly contribute to our suffering and discontentment.
What to do with this conundrum? Our minds are complex, powerful and literally awesome. But they are also capable to make us miserable unless we understand them well. In modern society, we readily embrace with the concept of physical training to improve the condition and functioning of our bodies. For many of us, sports and physical activity is a regular element of our lives. The same is not (yet!) true of mental training, and I believe this is a cultural blind spot. By investing time and energy into mental training, we can significantly improve the quality of our lives, our relationships and our communities.
Mindfulness is the intentional cultivation of non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. It is a practice of attention and awareness to become more familiar with the rich inner landscape that colors our daily experience. And through mindfulness, we develop a capacity to recognize our habitual patterns of thought and storytelling, as well as a gentle, neutral manner of relating to them, with neither attachment nor aversion. Like the ephemeral nature of a seeding dandelion, we develop the capacity to acknowledge, observe and release our thoughts into the ceaseless breeze of our existence.
This is not a self-improvement plan or self-help book which promises fast and dramatic results. Above all, mindfulness is a practice. And similar to playing a musical instrument or sport, progress is made through regular, intentional practice over a long duration. Mindfulness is not learned through gardening, listening to music or whatever activities you do to relax. You don’t train for a 10k run by cooking a 5-course dinner! Mindfulness is learned through practicing mindfulness. But once you have developed a basic understanding and toolkit, you will surely bring mindfulness to those other activities of your life!
Mindfulness will not change the events and circumstances of your life, but it will change your way of relating to both the beautiful and difficult moments that inevitably arise. And, in doing so, mindfulness is likely to result in a more satisfying life experience.
What can be more important than that?