The Headspace Guide to: Mindfulness & Meditation

by Andy Puddicombe

Traits Traits are those emotions that seem to define a character. It might be ‘cheerful Amy’ or ‘moody Mark’. These traits can reflect our upbringing, social conditioning, and the experiences that have shaped us along the way. It’s as if they are part of our genetic code and they tend to feel very ‘set’ in nature. Because of this, many people are not even that aware of their own traits. Take a moment to think what your traits might be. You might consider what your view of life is like. Does it feel as though life is working with you or against you? Does life feel like a pleasure or a chore? For meditation to be effective, it doesn’t matter which it is – although you may well find the former a considerably more enjoyable way to live. And what about your friends, family and work colleagues? I’m sure you can think of people at either end of the ‘perspective scale’. At one end you’ll have the person who’s capable of putting a negative spin on just about anything – winning the Lottery, finding love, getting a promotion. They might get very angry sometimes, or simply moan and grumble their way through life. At the other end of the spectrum, there are those who appear so overwhelmingly cheery that you find yourself asking ‘Is this person for real?’ Of course, sometimes they’re not ‘for real’, but there are undoubtedly some people who seem naturally happy and content in life. So these emotions can be compared to character traits. States ‘States’ however refer to those fleeting emo...