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I became focused, determined, and driven to live life fully.
I started learning how to “be with” whatever comes (a key mindfulness term), without needing to block, avoid, deny, or suppress the hard parts.
Mindfulness is life-changing. It is a superpower that allows you to deliberately direct the beam of your attention instead of being tossed around by racing thoughts and turbulent emotions; to choose your mindset; and to shift how you relate to your experience, so that you have less stress and more joy.
“The richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve an inner balance between three realms: work, love, and play.”
practicing mindfulness is about learning, bit by bit, how to train your attention to stay in the present instead of ruminating over the past or racing into the future.
But more than just focusing your mind, it’s about your mindset—how you view the world. Mindfulness reinforces a mindset of being open, receptive, accepting, and compassionate. And that starts with noticing your natural tendency to judge, assume you already know something, or resist what life brings or what is out of your control—things that everyone does.
As you practice mindfulness, you’ll start to notice shifts: from being on autopilot, distracted, uneasy, worried about the past or future, to being alert, open, and tuned into the present; from being reactive in difficult moments to being able to take a breath and respond with equanimity and grace; from being lost in thought and judging how things and people should be to seeing things as they are with clear, open friendliness. You put down your ruler and learn acceptance and skillful action.
Whether you’re falling in love or receiving bad news at work, grieving a loss or feeling overwhelmed by the suffering in the world, you have choices both in how you relate to the experience and in how you respond.
Being present, focused, and compassionate is not something you are born with or without. These are skills that can be strengthened and expanded. Research has shown that you can change your default mental patterns through repeated practice, a concept called neuroplasticity.
Everyday mindfulness is about cultivating these vivid moments more consistently into your life—to find joy and wonder in the ordinary instead of waiting for special occasions.
Mindfulness is about paying attention with kindness and compassion, instead of judging or self-disparaging.
Impermanence reminds us that nothing stays as it is—in nature, weather, our bodies, emotions, political systems, family dynamics. Yet we often wish things would stay the same. When you see the world as impermanent, you deepen attention to what is here now because you appreciate that it is temporary. And you suffer less when things do change, knowing that you were fully present to connect, savor, and enjoy your life as it was and is in each moment.
Gratitude comes from directing attention to what is good, with appreciation for it. There are two components to being grateful. The first is affirming that there are good things in the world, and that you receive gifts and benefits. The second is recognizing that the sources of these good things are outside of you.
Joy is a deep sense of well-being infused with delight. Joy is an innate human capacity, connected to your ability to experience wonder and awe. It comes from within, not from external conditions, people, or rewards. Mindfulness helps you recognize what brings you joy, and what blocks it. And it helps you find ways to access this uplifting quality in everyday life.
Following your breath as you inhale and exhale is the basic mindfulness meditation practice that trains attention, cultivates awareness, settles the mind, and calms the body.
but remember that the breath is always available to you.
Emotions begin in the body—for example, a clenched stomach might signal fear.
As you become more familiar with inhabiting your body, it becomes a rich source of data that can inform and guide decisions.
