Wherever You Go, There You Are

Wherever You Go, There You Are explains what mindfulness is and why it’s not reserved for Zen practitioners and Buddhist monks, giving you simple ways to practice it in everyday life, both formally and informally, while helping you avoid the obstacles on your way to a more aware self.

I could really relate to this, especially today. Jon calls it practicing voluntary simplicity. Nope, this isn’t about minimalism, it just means to engage with one activity or thought at a time.

For example, if you’re playing a game of Chutes & Ladders (seriously, how great is that game?) with your daughter or son, chances are your phone will make a noise before you’re finished. When that text notification sound or vibration grabs your attention, you have two choices:

Say “Sorry sweetie, I gotta take this real quick!”, hectically scramble to get up and reach for your phone, completely losing the present moment and trading it for living by someone else’s agenda. Accept that you have a desire to check your phone, but deliberately decide to ignore it in favor of fully savoring this incredibly precious moment with your kid.

Option #2 will not only make your child happier, it’ll also be a great mindfulness exercise for you, helping you to consciously direct your attention in the future.

This spoke to me today, because this morning I decided to leave my phone at home (I spend my days at a café recently) and fully focus on writing.

Today our patience is tested on a constant basis. Much of life is spent waiting – be it in line at the grocery store, in front of the cinema for a friend, or for an email response to a potentially life-changing application.

But because we’re always “on” (whether that’s on our smartphones or having music on or just thinking on and on), our patience runs thin, and therefore, it runs out quite fast. When it does, what you’re left with is anger. But anger is one of the most pointless feelings you can have.

Choosing patience is better for your health, environment and sanity, which makes it a cornerstone of mindfulness.

Think of it this way: If someone or something has already taken your time, money, resources or health, don’t let them take your mind too.

The Dalai Lama has all the reason in the world to be extremely angry at the Chinese – they’ve killed over a million Tibetans less than half a century ago. But he’s not. They’ve taken a lot from him, but he won’t let them have his mind too, just because he’s being angry. He puts his time to much better use by practicing patience and understanding.