My Mindfulness Epiphany

Truth be told, my mindfulness epiphany was that I’m not very mindful.  But it’s more than that.  Two very specific incidents brought me to this point.

First mindfulness epiphany

This one in particular happens more often than I’d like to admit, but the most recent incident happened last week.  As I do every morning, I was taking a shower and going through my routine so I could be in and out in under 10 minutes.  About half way through, I stopped and thought, “Did I wash my face already?  I think I did but can’t remember.”  Because this wasn’t the first time, it didn’t necessarily shock me that I couldn’t remember something from three minutes prior, but it did make me think.  Am I really that mindless?

Second mindfulness epiphany

Turns out I am really that mindless, as evident by my second epiphany.

It was a regular work day.  I woke up, worked out, showered, got ready, ate breakfast, said my prayers, and went to work.  Except after I said my prayers, I came out of the room, gathered all of my stuff, and then proceeded to stand in the middle of my living room.  I literally couldn’t remember if I finished all of the prayer verses I usually say.  I also literally couldn’t remember if I shut the door to my temple.  I couldn’t remember something I did two minutes ago…praying at that!

The prayer incident was the first time I ever felt so mindless.  It really opened my eyes to how much my mind wanders during the day.  Since that day, I’ve become hyper aware of how much I don’t focus on the task or moment at hand.  This isn’t a huge revelation because I’ve always been this way. Mentally on to the next task before completing the current one.  Typical me.

It’s only been a few weeks since my second epiphany, and I’m really trying to change.  I can’t say I’ve found the magic pill for mindfulness, but I am trying a few things to get myself on track.  Things like finishing the task at hand before moving on to the next and not grabbing my phone every time I feel bored or think I deserve a break and saying what I’m doing out loud while doing it (sounds crazy but a good friend of mine once told me this really works).

I’ll let you guys know if any of the above changes anything.  Mindfulness is something I really want to build into my way of being.  It’s just a wee bit easier said than done!

Your turn – have you mastered mindfulness?  What’s one simple trick you use to be more mindful?  Have you had any mindfulness epiphanies similar to mine?