Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World

by J. Mark G. Williams

the effort of trying to free yourself from a bad mood or bout of unhappiness—of working out why you’re unhappy and what you can do about it—often makes things worse. It’s like being trapped in quicksand—the more you struggle to be free, the deeper you sink.

We re-live past events and re-feel their pain, and we pre-live future disasters and so pre-feel their impact.

You do not need to lie awake at night trying to judge the impact that a passing comment you made in a meeting will

have on your career prospects.

if the ratio shifts to the left, you are likely to be happy, contented and energized. This is the “approach” system. If it shifts to the right, you are more likely to be gloomy, despondent and lacking in energy and enthusiasm. This is the “avoidance” system.

… until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents, and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” W. H. Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition, 1951