How Is Pathwalking Mindful?
When we are mindful of our thoughts, feelings and actions, we can walk any path.
The key to doing this is to work on spending more time in the here-and-now. When we are mindful of where we are, at this very moment, we empower ourselves to best walk the paths for the lives we desire.
Mindfulness is awareness. When we are aware, we have control. Pathwalking is about taking control of the life we lead, so being mindful is imperative to success along the path. If we are aware of what we’re thinking, how we are feeling, and from that what actions we intentionally are taking, we can make more informed and desired choices.
Being in the here-and-now, which I have discussed before, can be a particular challenge. Why? Because our society has this maniacal obsession with the past and the future.
We are constantly looking back at what was. I know I am using this example a lot, but it’s really hard not to these days: Look at current American politics. There is this obsession with taking us “back” to a time and place that never actually existed. Recreating a nation of “values” and “morals” that existed, at best, in 1950’s television and movies.
On the other side of that coin, we’re frequently discussing the future. We are looking ahead to things that don’t exist yet, even though they could. We want to build this utopian world that might be possible, but is nearly equally as non-existent as the world that some want us to go back to that never was.
Here and now is where we have balance. But when we live in the here-and-now, we have to pay attention to the world around us. That would require accountability.
Being accountable is being mindful.
Another problem in modern society is a major lack of accountability. Everyone finds someone to blame for this, that or the other thing. We blame our parents for our emotional issues as adults. Hell, the President tells outright lies and is seldom called out on it. We almost take pride in avoiding being responsible for our feelings, thoughts or actions.
The sad truth is that accountability is not tremendously important in this society. Why does that matter? Because when we do not take responsibility for our own actions, let alone our thoughts and feelings, we haven’t the strength to consciously create reality, let alone anything else.
When we are aware of what we are thinking, it allows us to be mindful of what we are feeling. When I am thinking, damn this society is screwed up, that leads to my feeling sad, depressed, and angry. If I do not accept this, and don’t take accountability for it, I can’t change it.
When I do take responsibility for how I am thinking and feeling, I can take control of them. Rather than focus on my negative thoughts, I can instead think, if I write about conscious reality creation, that can be shared to spread more positivity. From there, I will start to feel good about what I am doing, and that in turn will put me back in control.
When we think and feel negative, then act from there, consciously or subconsciously, we tend to create other than what we want. Further, if we are not accountable for that creation, creating something new and better becomes that much more challenging. This is why we need to be mindful of thoughts and feeling.
The mindful path is where we are now.
Being in the here-and-now allows us to truly be mindful of everything. When we aren’t looking back to the past or ahead to the future, right here, right now, we just ARE. This is the ultimate awareness, and this is where our paths can be found, traversed, and changed.
This is the hardest lesson for me much of the time. I get caught up in all these outside influences, and lose track of the here-and-now. When I work to be in the now, I can do more with my thoughts and feelings, and with that take better actions.
How do I stay in the here-and-now? I need to ask myself more frequently, What am I thinking? What am I feeling? How am I feeling? Where is my mind? What am I thinking about? What am I focused on? Any one of this questions will snap my attention to the now.
It is so stunningly easy to lose track of the now. Start browsing through Facebook or Twitter and see how long it takes you to get lost in social commentaries. Watch how easily you can become flustered by news of idiocy and amoral politics. Before you know it, you’re angry, feeling depressed, and your subconscious mind is driving the bus.
During the day, as we go about our activities and routines, it’s really easy to let our subconscious take control. Because we tend to be utterly unaware of things, in particular our own hearts and minds, this becomes more and more the norm. But we can do something about that. We can be mindful of what we are thinking, how we are feeling, and what actions we take from there.
Being mindful is not as hard as it first appears.
This is my challenge for putting Pathwalking into practice for the next week. I am going to ask myself at least two of the above questions three times a day for a week, and WRITE IT DOWN. Not only will this keep me mindful of what I am thinking and feeling, but the action will make me accountable for it.
The goal of this practice is to make myself more aware in the here-and-now. I believe that doing this will let me be a far better Pathwalker, and allow me to truly consciously create the reality I want to see. Care to join me in this endeavor?
Are you mindful of your thoughts, feelings and actions?
This is the three-hundred-seventh entry in my series. These weekly posts are ideas for, and my personal experiences with, walking along the path of life. I share this journey as part of my desire to make a difference in this world along the way.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to re-blog and share.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
If you enjoy Pathwalking, you may also want to read my Five Easy Steps to Change the World for the Better.
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