The Grasshopper gave me this alive observation last night: “The more mindful you are, the more life you’ll feel course through your veins.”

The amount of life we live without noticing is staggering and life stunting. Mindfulness is recognizing and feeling what you are doing while you are doing it. We just don’t do that often enough and each time we go on mindless autopilot, we miss experiencing our life.

I’m not sure that perpetual mindfulness is attainable. Perhaps someone lying on a bed of nails in some remote corner of the globe has achieved it but I don’t think it will happen for you and me. It’s the pursuit of mindfulness more often that will pay us dividends.

To become more mindful is to become more aware of what we do. That can be as simple as noticing the temperature of the water on your hands when you wash them. Mindful eating is an effective digestion and weight management technique as well.

When we’re in conversation with someone, mindfulness is giving your whole attention to what they are saying. Going into your head and rehearsing what you want to say when they take a breath is about as unmindful as we can be, and it’s an insured way to let our life flee.

Note: If you are “multi-tasking,” your attention will be scattered and your aliveness will be on vacation.

I could be making all this up, so you’ll have to prove it to yourself: that more life is available to you just by paying attention to what you do.

Feeling life is more rewarding than ignoring it. It just takes a bit of mindfulness. Paying no heed to life will cost you; Mindfulness is priceless.

All the best,

John