All of us can practice mindfulness. You can do it right now, reading this. Bring your focus to the very act you’re doing; are you enjoying this article? Are you bored with it? Is there activity outside of your screen that is vying for your attention?
When we aren’t being mindful, we’re allowing our brains to run on autopilot through our subconscious minds. “But I’m awake, I’m obviously conscious” you may say. Yes, you are aware, but are you really aware, or is your brain running on a pattern?
Take driving a car, for example. Drive down a road you’ve never been down and you’ll likely be very aware of your surroundings. Now drive the route you drive to work 5 days a week and make note of how aware you are during that journey. It’s common knowledge that drivers driving down familiar roads can finish a journey without recalling paying attention. Who was driving the car there; you or your subconscious brain?
Most of our actions throughout the day are a result of patterns we’ve carried out numerous times before — which can be dangerous, considering some of our learned behaviors are self-sabotaging in nature and unhealthy. When we allow our subconscious mind to take over, there’s no saying what limiting belief or bad pattern can start running the show.
This is where mindfulness comes in — the rival to our subconscious.
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