“If our lives are not ruled by reason, what are they ruled by? Impulse Whim? Mimicry? Unthinking habit? As we examine our past behavior it's sad how often we find this to be the case-that we were not acting consciously or deliberately but instead by forces we did not bother to evaluate. It also happens that these are the instances that we're mostly likely to regret.” —Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic
get into a rut or feel as though we’ve become like robots entrapped in our daily schedules—get up, work, come home, rush to get domestic-duties done, go to sleep, wake up…repeat.I was just having a discussion with a friend (@honeydue) on Hive this morning about this very topic. Most of us know what it’s like to feel like we have too many responsibilities. After decades of our daily routines it’s awfully easy to
I lived this way from the time I was eighteen years old until I was forty-six. As I think back to those twenty-eight years, they went by in a mere blink. Why? Because most of that time I spent focusing on the future because I wasn’t satisfied with my life in the present moment.
"Hurry to your own ruling reason, to the reason of the Whole, and to your neighbors. To your own mind to make it just; to the mind of the Whole to remember your place in it; and to your neighbor's mind to learn whether it's ignorant or of sound knowledge-while recognizing it's like yours." —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.22
It’s so important to constantly be asking ourselves Am I Living Deliberately and Consciously? and a very simple way to accomplish this is set a reminder on your mobile device a few times a day with that very message in italics above. Even better, get into the habit of doing a short deep-breathing exercise after you receive the notification..inhale for a count of FIVE, hold the breath for a count of FIVE, exhale for a count of SEVEN.
5-5-7
This requires such a minascule amount of time out of your day and pays dividends worth a thousand times more the seconds of your day it takes. It’s a vital reset that anchors you deeply in the present moment. You can flip the script and begin to use the power habit to retool your life instead of steal away its precious moments.
This week, set a reminder on your mobile device for once during the morning and once in the afternoon yourself…..
Am I Living Deliberately and Consciously?
Then try the 5-5-7 breathing technique after you receive the notification. As simple as this sounds, if practiced regularly, it will slowly begin to reshape your life. Try it for yourself and you’ll see.
Our lives are way too precious to be lived mindlessly but can easily be reclaimed— this journey to freedom happens one singular moment at a time.
Be well, make the most of this day. Thank you for reading!
If you're interested in learning to meditate, please take a look at my book, The Perfect Pause.
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It sounds simple, but we don't do it. We live in a world where we are in a race against time, which does not allow us to stop even to think or breathe consciously. Personally, I find it hard to keep my mind quiet, but I always try to relax, to disconnect. Maybe not 100%, but I do achieve 80. I will try to do this exercise. A hug.
You're right, there's so many other things always screaming for our attention. When there's not external things there are things like wants and worries that haunt us. I find the mobile phone reminders to be very helpful in this way. It's like a little nudge to take a few moments to reset. Have a good week, Nancy!
I've notice Hive has been a little wonky over the past week or so. It seems that it is appearing okay now.
I've never seen Hive do this particular thing before. Hive seems out of synch with PeakD. The same post on Hive is appearing with misformatted text but it's correct on PeakD.
I was seeing some stuff with Ecency the other day where I got an alert that one of my followed authors had posted, then I went to the page and it said the author had no posts. I could open it in PeakD just fine if I changed the URL. Not the same thing as you, but still a bit weird.
I love this! We just completed a 21-day breathing challenge in our yoga training course, and I was surprised to find that it achieved just this, enabled a sort of improved consciousness of the day rolling by. I was pleasantly surprised. It's interesting how small these actions can be and yet how hard they are to return to. And we think we're putting them off because they get in the way of living - I don't have 10 minutes, I'm busy! - bit it's just the routine they're encumbering, really.
That's amazing! I'm glad you had that positive experience with it! It's becoming clearer that humans are like an antenna for a higher consciousness and our intention can make that signal stronger or weaker. Our breath is what ties us to that consciousness. I think when we breathe deliberately we really are forging a closer connecting with that. Yes! It's a total Catch-22...we shrug these things off as a waste of time in the precise moments we need them the most. Even after 30+ years of doing this the amnesia sets in sometimes. I can't think of any other thing in my life that is as difficult to remember the effectiveness of. It's almost as if there's a genetic barrier inside of us that wants to make us forget conscious breathing, meditation, and mindfulness.
READERS: I’m not sure what’s going on with Hive today but the errors in the post aren’t appearing on PeakD. To view the complete post without errors please use a front-end other than Hive.
That 5-5-7 technique is such a simple but powerful way to break out of autopilot. It’s way too easy to let years blur together without even realizing it. I keep reading and finding out I need to learn more from you lol
I’m glad! Conscience breathing is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans but it’s so simple most people discount it. Thank you!
you're absolutely right on that man
In the present mechanical life, it is very important to follow the breathe in and breathe out exercise. Thanks for the share. The technique of 5-5-7 sounds great.
Indeed! Thank you!
#hive #posh