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Wouldn’t it be great if you had a limitless supply of gifts to give others? You do have one very precious and unlimited gift to give, and it comes with a catch. If you don’t give it away, its value in this moment is lost forever. That very special gift is your presence.
When you are present and mindful of what’s going on around you, you give the gift of yourself, and that has a value that cannot be measured. Think about how it works when you are on the receiving end. Do you have a great friend who is always there when you need to talk and who is genuinely interested in your life and your happiness? How does it feel to stand in the sunlight of that person’s attention? It’s great, isn’t it?
On the other hand, have you tried to have a conversation with someone who has no interest in talking with you? It makes you feel insignificant and small and maybe even invisible. Offering your presence seems like such a small thing, but mindfulness is extremely powerful. Your presence is a gift, and if you do not participate actively in the moment, you are devaluing your life as well as the lives of those around you.
Your assignment today is to practice mindfulness. It is the final portion of the circle that was introduced on Day 60. Whenever you start daydreaming about the past or the future, bring yourself back into the moment and participate in life. It is one of the greatest gifts you have to offer. This is not a dress rehearsal. You will never have these moments again.
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Today’s lesson is a sort of check-up. How are you doing on some of these soul searching exercises? They’re not as easy as they seem, are they? Have you been avoiding facing your own soul? Are you afraid of what you might find hidden within yourself? Or are you afraid you might have to actually do some of the work to achieve success when you find out that you are more than capable?
Jenny started reading this book a few months ago, but she stopped short at around Day 20. Today, she is not happy. She finds that she is irritable and quick to point out the flaws in others. What triggered her mood shift?
Maybe the work got just a little too uncomfortable. Jenny didn’t appreciate facing her own soul. She didn’t like having to take personal responsibility for her life. It was so much more comfortable to blame others for her lack of success. She was in a bad marriage. Her husband put limits on her, because he wanted her to stay home and raise their children. She knew she was far smarter than those around her in her part time job, but she wasn’t able to prove it, because she couldn’t work full time and also be available to pick the kids up from school. It wasn’t her fault. She had been dealt this deck of cards, and she had to live with it.
Jenny preferred to remain stuck and grumpy rather than facing the true desires of her soul. Are you facing your soul today, or are you looking for a distraction to avoid this ultimate confrontation?
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Mindfulness is not just a gift you give to others. It is a way for you to have an accurate picture of life and your place within the world. Mindfulness is an opportunity to keep your ego in check. If you numb yourself to the world around you and choose to believe only select ego-boosting people and your own fantasies, you are not living in reality, and you will not achieve success. Concentrate on what is going on outside of you. Notice the world and other people, and acquire as much knowledge as you can from the things that surround you every day. Use all of your senses to experience life.
Concentrate on learning and participating rather than maintaining your image and status. You cannot achieve if you are not teachable. Practicing mindfulness gives you a constant lab and classroom and a lot of new opportunities for success.
Your assignment today is to take mindfulness to a more intense level. Concentrate on what is going on around you. Find out what happens when you intensely focus on all of the things that take place outside of yourself. It is a fascinating exercise. Try to jot down your experiences throughout the day. Then, at the end of the day write down a top-ten list of things you learned by concentrating on humanity and elements of this world. Make sure you incorporate all of your five senses into this exercise.
