#16. Beyond (Mc)Mindfulness 1.0
and On To Excellence
(Notes: italicized phrases in quotes can be entered into Google for an - “AI overview summary”. Plus, words in red bold are links to related blogs for deeper dives.)
The “US Mindfulness Market 2024”?
Countless mindfulness/meditation apps (lead by venture-backed Calm and Headspace) are driving a booming US industry for stressed Americans. But, mindfulness is the foundational tool for helping you to master excellence at whatever you might choose.
How to Define Mindfulness? Simple to Complex Applications?
In a narrow, secular sense, “mindfulness and meta-cognition” are overlapping words for thinking about your thinking. Mindfulness undergirds: ancient, spiritual, meditative practices; modern psychological (self) therapy; and all “mastery achievement paths”.
Some Simple to Complex Applications:
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1.Try “Mindful eating” for both savory enjoyment and weight management.
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2.Try “mindful micro-dosing of awe” to usher in positive emotions.
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3.Psychological therapists use “mindful cognitive based therapy” which evolved from Buddhist and Stoic insights and practices.
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4.For more traumatic challenges - “mindfulness-based shadow work” - is effective
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5.Eastern spiritual gurus encourage mindful meditation to grow “loving kindness” and eventually become one with “unity consciousness”.
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6.Abrahamic teachers promote variations of “contemplative prayer” to become one with God’s love.
Mindfulness as a Way of Life
By applying mindfulness in specific ways, you can become habitually more mindful in all that you do. How do you, for example, resist the predatory stimuli from consumer companies? Can you adhere to the wisdom of this quote?
"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom" (origin uncertain)
Our Hunter-Gather brains have “evolutionary mismatches” which are being exploited today. We are bombarded by stimuli designed to trigger impulsive actions that are not healthy. Consider:
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• Designed-tasty, cheap, convenient, unhealthy foods and sugar drinks that cause obesity.
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•Phone notifications that give us a passive spritz of dopamine to then gobble time from other healthier choices. Escalating digital-consumption hours have stolen time from the basic wellness needs for: sleep, exercise, and socializing. Coach potatoes then don’t have the can-do energy to do what they wish that they could.
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•And, advertising triggers impel us to buy status stuff that can cause ruinous, credit-card debt and put too many on the “hedonic treadmill”.
But, mindfulness expands the space “between stimulus and response” which will then allow you to catch, calm and transform emotional impulses into healthy choices. With more healthy energy and focus, you can then move towards your goals. And, in life what are the overall, universal, human goals?
Anyone in the second half of their life will confirm that - wisdom, holistic health and happiness - are most treasured. Because no one is born with these attributes, will you be one of the too-few who achieve them? Wisdom and holistic health are comprised of sub-skills to master. These sub-skills, in turn, are comprised of many habits that you need to achieve - all in patient, due time.
We need mindfulness to first make our habits, which then in turn make us. A first, best habit/skill should then be growing mindfulness to eventual black belt status. And, a first best mindful application? Try managing phone notifications and stop drinking sugar drinks. Switch doomscrolling time into a bit more exercise, sleep, and/or socializing on a consistent to habitual basis. This prescription will boost your can-do energy to then mindfully knock off one new, good habit at a time on your way to – holistic health, better relationships and wisdom.