Even More Ways to Be Mindful in Everyday Life

Hello everyone! Today I have even more ways to be mindful in daily life. As a reminder, being mindful is just giving your full attention to whatever you’re doing. One great benefit of mindfulness is that it increases the joy that we get out of everyday things. If we can take a little time to really appreciate some everyday object or experience, it adds just a little more enjoyment to the day.

I used to work in an office that had a big field next door that was just weeds and dirt. One day I arrived at work and parked facing the empty field. I wanted to take a few minutes before going into the noisy office, so I decided to just sit in the car for a little bit. I started to notice some things in that empty field—there were some very tiny yellow wildflowers growing in the field. They didn’t stand out very much from the green of the weeds and I would not have noticed them if I wasn’t looking. But I noticed them, and they were everywhere in this field! Then I started to notice some really tiny yellow butterflies that were flying all around and between the flowers. As I continued to look, I realized that the entire field was full of these little yellow flowers and these little yellow butterflies-there had to be millions of them! I just sat there and enjoyed them for a few minutes and was amazed at how many were there, and how small and delicate they were.

I know, I’m weird. And who has time for that? I know that most of the people who came to the office that day did not notice the flowers or the butterflies. They probably parked and rushed into the building thinking about what was going to happen at the appointment, or all the stuff they had to do after the appointment, or the all the traffic they had to fight to get to the appointment. They were probably in a hurry and didn’t have time to look at flowers and butterflies! Well, it just took a few minutes for me to enjoy those flowers and butterflies. But I had a little bit more enjoyment in my life that day.

See if you can take just a little time in your day to fully focus your attention on something and really appreciate it-something in nature is ideal for this purpose. Or appreciate the craftsmanship of some object in your house. Or think about how much you appreciate an important person in your life. It will add joy to your day.