Mindful Living

What is mindful living? It is the ability of the mind to stay in the present moment. Whatever we do—eat, drink, walk, work in the office, or talk to our friends or family members—we do it mindfully; that is, we get fully engrossed in that work, we do it wholeheartedly. In other words, mindful living means that we are living a purposeful life and that our thoughts and actions are focused. This kind of living has many benefits: it will improve our cognitive as well as physical health; we can perform better in our profession; with little effort, we can get more yield; we can maintain harmonious relations with our friends, our superiors as well as subordinates without getting unduly attached emotionally.

In order to live mindfully, of course, one should first pinpoint his goal of life. He must decide which direction he wants to move. What field of life does he wish to pursue – business, or a profession like medical, engineering, literature, or social service? What are his aspirations? This task is challenging, but without proper ambition/aspiration, a human being is only a dummy. The ever-changing position of mind can be stabilized by focusing one's wandering thoughts on one goal. Once the precise aim of life has been decided, certain positive personality traits are required to achieve that goal mindfully.

Pujya Gurudev, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, has suggested some simple yet effective methods to augment these personality traits/virtues. Anyone interested in living mindfully must practice them and get the benefits.

1. Unbreakable Faith

Believe that you can undoubtedly achieve whatever you think and plan by developing inner powers. Believe that whatever greatness, success, nobility, fame, and abundance others have achieved, you too can do that by the augmentation of internal forces. You possess all the noble elements which help in achieving progress. You do not know when the opportunity may knock on your door, and you may reach the top of success. America's greatest inventor and businessman, Thomas Alva Edison, had no formal education, and he was also deaf. Yet, he developed many devices in electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures by sheer unflinching faith in himself. Everyone possesses these extraordinary and miraculous powers in the seed form. The need is to develop them and use them in achieving a single-pointed goal. It would be best if you have a strong belief that you are the center of power, and the roots of your success/failure, joy/sorrow are within you.

2. Single-Pointed Focus

Anxiety, fear, restlessness, attachment, doubt, anger, worry, jealousy, etc., may cause inner conflict and fickleness of mind. In such a state, it becomes difficult to concentrate on the task at hand. Therefore, before working on any project, remove useless imaginations, unfounded doubts, fear, agony, or anxiety from your mind. At a time, focus your thoughts and actions only at one point. If the mind deviates, bring it forcibly to that point again. When you start any work, get fully engrossed in it. The siddhi of single-pointed focus would come through practice. Maharshi Patanjali has said, 'Tatra pratyayaikatāntā dhyānam' – uniting the mind with the desired objective is the key to achieving focus. Start practicing it.

3. Inner Wisdom

A wise person uses a three-pronged strategy to achieve his goal. He knows what his aim is; with his intellect, he charts out the plan to accomplish the objective; and with his strong willpower, he focuses all his mental and physical energies at one point. Use your inner wisdom to follow this strategy.

4. Talent

The greatness that is seen in noblemen is due to their hidden talents. You may augment your talent by developing these habits:

Accumulate knowledge; read good books.
Think profoundly about the issues at hand.
Use imagination rightly.
Develop farsightedness.
Imbibe the trait of taking the benefit of other's experience.
Observe things minutely, keep them in memory, and recollect them when needed.
Use previously earned expertise in new ways.
Develop subtle faculties of the subconscious mind by meditation.

5. Originality

There is nothing new in this world. Originality is only an expression of things in a new way. Start expressing your knowledge in your own way so that it appears unique. Do not follow others; try to be original. Creativity is inherently within you; you only have to develop it artistically. Involve your mind in new thoughts, new imaginations, and new directions.

Make positive affirmations in your mind again and again: "I am the master of the sea of knowledge. With the help of this inner light of knowledge, I am developing my talent. The Sun of knowledge is rising in my brain. Now I think only new thoughts, view each object with a new outlook. My mind is original, and my ideology is new. I use my brain's full capacity; my memory and power of imagination are continuously growing my talent. I do not depend on others. My work is excellent. I know how to use the instrument of thought."

The stronger the confidence and willpower with which these affirmations are made, the more will be the awakening of your mental powers.

6. Endeavor

From where have the miracles appeared in the world? They have not come from outside, nor any external power has presented them. They have come from the brain of a human being. The brain is the fountainhead of all the secret powers and miracles. Then, which power are you searching for outside? You have to get up and start working on your progress by your own efforts. You possess a secret treasure of endeavor. Please open it and use it.

In ancient India, the learners were taught to grow by pursuing the realization of purushrtha-catustaya (four objectives of life): dharma (righteousness), artha (material well-being), kāma (enjoyment), and moksha (liberation from worldly ties). Therefore, depending on one's objective, one would choose appropriate ways/methods to accomplish it.

7. Self-Reliance

How to become self-reliant? It requires continuous effort and practice. It would be best if you do not allow any such thought that others would help you or that you need any external help at all. 'You have all the power. You are perfect, strong, and capable in all aspects of life. You don't have to beg for anything. Your mind alone is the treasure of creative powers.' – Repeat these autosuggestions several times in a day, contemplate, and focus your mind on these assertions. By guiding your mind in this way, the feeling of self-sufficiency takes root in the subconscious mind. It is the mental self-reliance that manifests in physical self-reliance.

Indeed, it takes a great deal of patience, practice, and willpower to imbibe these traits/virtues. But once it is done, it will lead to a feeling of well-being and a deeper appreciation for life. Our mind is no longer preoccupied with the past or future. Instead, we are fully focused on the present moment. Achievement of this state is the purpose of Mindful Living.

If you think you are beaten, you are
If you think you dare not, you don't,
If you like to win, but you think you can't
It is almost certain you won't...
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!
— Walter D. Wintle

Creativity is the mother of all energies, nurturer of your most alive self. It charges up every part of you. — Judith Orloff

Everything is within your power, and your power is within you. — Janice Trachtman