Make the Time to Take A Witness Break
The journey can only be as good as the traveller, the map only
starts to make sense if you know where to begin. Traversing a plethora of paths
we tend to forget that the essence of transformation is a non-judgmental
witnessing, viewing and acceptance of ourselves, and how we interact with our
lives. Regular meditation helps in that we create a space and time for watching
our thoughts and getting to know ourselves, but it only helps to a certain extent.
The self we take to the meditation mat in the morning is the one we leave
behind home as we hurry to work.
The trick is to bring conscious awareness into everyday living. If through the helterskelter of daily routine we take a few moments to catch ourselves in the act of living, self-awareness can serve as a powerful torch illuminating the way ahead.
Our life is about too many decisions packed into too little time — from which brand of toothpaste to pick, to nutritional choices, to what school, which car, what investments to opt for. While none would want the difficulties of a pre-modern lifestyle it may be worthwhile to recognise that this complexity comes with a very real danger: All too often we lose ourselves.
At some point we stop recognising our authentic selves and become caricatures of who we think we should be. Some focus entirely on making money forgetting that money without the time and energy to spend it is worthless. Others become fashion victims, strangers even to themselves in the mirror. Still others spill out their anxieties and insecurities onto their hapless children, rushing them from tennis class to art class to music lesson in the zeal to over-achieve through them.
Taking some time to rediscover ourselves can help in making those choices which lead to personal happiness and growth. It can help distinguish between those things which fritter and dissipate energies and those which add up to help us build the life we want. Getting to know our authentic selves empowers: It opens up real choices. It’s about making as much money as adds to well-being and no more, it’s about climbing only as far up on the corporate ladder as is creative and satisfying, it’s about wearing the clothes we feel natural in and about choosing those pastimes for ourselves and our children which give genuine enjoyment.
One way of getting to know yourself better is through deliberately scheduled witness breaks. With the aid of a wristwatch alarm or cellphone, witness breaks can be randomly scheduled through the day. As the alarm goes off take a few seconds to observe yourself: What are you doing? Monitor your mental-emotional state through self-observation. Am I at ease at this moment? Am I enjoying the task I’m engaged in? Or, what’s going on inside me at this moment? Just take a few seconds of observation before you carry on with whatever task you are engaged in.
A little time spent on getting to know yourself as the traveller who carries emotional baggage of fears and anxieties, strengths and limitations of body and mind, can help you chart a more successful journey to spiritual satisfaction.
The trick is to bring conscious awareness into everyday living. If through the helterskelter of daily routine we take a few moments to catch ourselves in the act of living, self-awareness can serve as a powerful torch illuminating the way ahead.
Our life is about too many decisions packed into too little time — from which brand of toothpaste to pick, to nutritional choices, to what school, which car, what investments to opt for. While none would want the difficulties of a pre-modern lifestyle it may be worthwhile to recognise that this complexity comes with a very real danger: All too often we lose ourselves.
At some point we stop recognising our authentic selves and become caricatures of who we think we should be. Some focus entirely on making money forgetting that money without the time and energy to spend it is worthless. Others become fashion victims, strangers even to themselves in the mirror. Still others spill out their anxieties and insecurities onto their hapless children, rushing them from tennis class to art class to music lesson in the zeal to over-achieve through them.
Taking some time to rediscover ourselves can help in making those choices which lead to personal happiness and growth. It can help distinguish between those things which fritter and dissipate energies and those which add up to help us build the life we want. Getting to know our authentic selves empowers: It opens up real choices. It’s about making as much money as adds to well-being and no more, it’s about climbing only as far up on the corporate ladder as is creative and satisfying, it’s about wearing the clothes we feel natural in and about choosing those pastimes for ourselves and our children which give genuine enjoyment.
One way of getting to know yourself better is through deliberately scheduled witness breaks. With the aid of a wristwatch alarm or cellphone, witness breaks can be randomly scheduled through the day. As the alarm goes off take a few seconds to observe yourself: What are you doing? Monitor your mental-emotional state through self-observation. Am I at ease at this moment? Am I enjoying the task I’m engaged in? Or, what’s going on inside me at this moment? Just take a few seconds of observation before you carry on with whatever task you are engaged in.
A little time spent on getting to know yourself as the traveller who carries emotional baggage of fears and anxieties, strengths and limitations of body and mind, can help you chart a more successful journey to spiritual satisfaction.
Manjul
Bajaj
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