One of the beauties of mindfulness is that it
invites you to appreciate what you have all
around you.
People. Nature. Creativity.
The quirky part is that nonjudgmental awareness
can help you see what you value most. Even if
you’re fully present and observing your thoughts
and the world without sorting everything into
“good” and “bad” piles, human nature dictates
that we seek pleasure and avoid pain.
When we’re really paying attention, we can see
that we tend to gravitate toward situations that
bring about a greater sense of connection and
comfort.
Here’s where it gets tricky. You see, we
often jump into activities with a long-range goal of
creating comfort, but the process of working
(the squeeze) becomes a habitual pattern and the
goodies at the end (the juice) are never really
evaluated in terms of what it takes to get them.
Despite the bumper sticker wisdom that tells us
“The best things in life aren’t things,” it’s not
always easy to find support for this in the Real
World. We get caught up in the quest for
stuff, and before you know it, we’re having
another garage sale on our day off.
Once we recognize what matters most, we can spend
more time living and less time earning a living.
Mark Henricks, a prolific business writer and
author of the book, Not Just a Living: The Complete
Guide to Creating a Business
That Gives You a Life, suggests that instead
of chasing growth in our companies and excess
in our closets, we might consider being
intentional about what we want–and what
we don’t want.
Just because we can work really hard to make
more money doesn’t mean we have to or that
we should. We get to choose. We forget that,
though, and that’s how we end up working
60-hour weeks and wondering when we’ll
ever get another vacation.
Insert mindfulness here.
Instead of mentally listing all your bills,
your future obligations with kids going to
college or your retirement plan, veer away from
knee-jerk rationalization about your chosen squeeze
and watch what happens when you ask: “What
matters most?” and “How can I get that while
truly enjoying every day?”
Now, I’m not saying you have to change a thing.
But the simple process of asking is a powerful
eye-opener. And really, that’s what
mindfulness is all about–gaining perspective.
Don’t shy away from the squeeze vs. juice question.
Ask, and keep asking.
And make sure you’re sipping that tasty
juice every single day.
Maya Talisman Frost owns Real-World Mindfulness Training. Her husband owns Swell Products, which distributes Bodylinx magnetic jewelry. She and her husband are in the process of moving to Mexico (with two of their four teenage daughters) where they will take advantage of the wonders of technology to work virtually. To follow them on this adventure, subscribe to the Friday Mind Massage by visiting
