Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote – Mindfullness

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Circle of Concern, Circle of Influence, Elizabeth Barret Browning, Execution, Initiative, Mindfulness, Planning, Stephen Covey

“Amazing how we can light tomorrow with today.” – Elizabeth Barret Browning

For those of you who are pursuing a “mindful” life, know how important it is to truly live in the moment. We cannot correct the past; we can only fret the future. Worrying about the past paralyzes us with the fear of failure and sets up expectations of future issues based on what “happened before”. Worrying about the future only brings anxiety. How do we really control all of the infinite amounts of variables that truly predict what we will end up doing?

Every year I read Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. One of the major epiphanies for me is Covey’s focus on what he calls the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. The Circle of Influence (COI) is you, focusing on the present moment, laying your plans and executing your priorities. The Circle of Concern (COC) is the past, the future, and all of those things, people, and events you have no control over. People that reside in the COI pay attention to what they can affect and that one thing only. They make plans, execute their plans, and adjust accordingly in the moment.

Those that live in the COC, are so worried about past mistakes they never endeavor to do anything, other than the mundane things that are not risky. They are more worried about what someone else is doing than they are, and they are consistently looking for something “out there” to alleviate their pain.

It is obvious which circle is more beneficial. Another interesting facet of this is the way these circles evolve. The COC people’s circle of concern, if not checked, will continue to expand and their lives will appear to be more and more out of their control. The CIC people, however, will experience greater freedom and control because their circle of influence will expand.

Folks, concentrate on you and stop worrying about the things you cannot control. Focus on the present moment. Dream about what you want, create a plan, and execute it, with the faith that there is enough for everyone. You will feel 100% better, more relaxed, and will feel more control over your life than you ever have before.

That’s it for today folks.

Until next time…

Dave

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Daily Ramblings – Bonus Material!!

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Brad Stulberg, Faith, Fear, Interval Training, Mindfulness, Rachel Stafford, Thank you, Tom Hanks

Readers!

As a way of saying thanks for the 1000 likes I received today, I wanted to share some articles I was emailed today. I get these sent weekly by Intelligent Change, the company that publishes the 5-minute Journal and the Productivity Journal (I use both). Enjoy and thanks for all of the visits to my fledgling blog. I can’t tell you how appreciative I am for your patronage.

Have a terrific rest of your Tuesday!!

The Day I Stopped Saying ‘Hurry Up’ by Rachel Stafford http://bit.ly/2qUqSDS

This article brought tears to my eyes—really nice article that will make you smile.

Cultivate your Faith, Not your Fear by Tom Hanks http://bit.ly/2qU40o6

Commencement Speech at Yale University with a funny ending.

To Get Better at Managing Your Time, Borrow a Training Strategy from Elite Athletes by Brad Stulberg http://sciof.us/2qU4nPz

Great insights on improving your productivity and efficiency.

Daily Ramblings – Daily Quote

Tags

Focus, Meditation, Mindfulness, Practice

“Mindfulness – it isn’t a trick or a gimmick. It’s being present in the moment. When I’m with you, I’m with you. Right now. That’s all. No more and no less.” – Will Schwalbe

Being Present

Being present is a byproduct of meditation as long as you maintain your practice. It’s interesting when you begin your meditation practice how quickly your mind wants to wander. When you start paying attention to this during your practice you realize that your mind can slip away from the breath multiple times in a 30-minute session. Imagine how often you slip away when a loved one is trying to share their day with you? Imagine how much you miss when you are reading a story and you slip away to something else?

Meditation Mobile Applications

If anything, mindfulness meditation practices can help you salvage a lot of missed enjoyment in your life. By being present, your conversations will be richer, your reading will be more interesting, your meals will be tastier, and your time in nature more restful. If you are interested in establishing your own practice, there are two mobile apps you may want to try. The first is Calm (www.calm.com) and the second is headspace (www.headspace.com).

I want to stress that this is not a religious thing at all. You can be of any faith and practice Mindfulness. Mindfulness meditation is all about learning to focus and remain focused over longer periods of time. Will you control your mind? No; that’s impossible. The key is to simply notice and gently bring the mind back to your breath or whatever else you are focusing on. You don’t need a lot of time for this either—10-15 minutes is it. I try to sit for around 30 minutes, but I’ve been doing this for over 45 years. It’ll take you some time to do this, but it’s well worth it. You’ll find every aspect of your life will improve, particularly your stress levels!

If you are interested, simply click on either link to check these apps out for yourself. Personally, I enjoy the Calm app better than headspace, but this is my opinion only. Many folks prefer headspace to Calm as well. Happy Sitting!!

Please be sure to visit my blog tomorrow. I will be posting a heartfelt message for Memorial Day.

Until tomorrow…