CHAPTER 1
AWARENESS
Manifest plainness, Embrace simplicity, Reduce selfishness, Have few desires ~
Lao-tzu (551-479 B.C.E.)
AWARENESS
Think of awareness as a clean plate upon which you place each event.
It is important to take time to stop, breathe and become fully aware of your present state - where you are, your actions, and what you are thinking. As stated by author and meditation practitioner, Jon Kabat-Zinn, "a diminished awareness of the present moment inevitably creates other problems" (4). While you cannot choose the event, you can choose how to experience the event.
Awareness is the medium that Enables you to experience life
• You can be aware with only your five physical senses.
• You can be aware with your sixth mental sense.
It is easy to go through life stuck in the habitual mundane schedule you create for yourself. Cohen calls this state of being ROBOTIC ACTION.
Being ROBOTIC is only ROBOTIC when you are:
• Unaware of thought patterns
• Unaware of your emotional response to actions
• Unaware of how the emotions impact your ability to create a life desired
The moment you become aware of your thoughts and emotions:
• You take yourself out of a ROBOTIC STATE of existence even if you continue to physically do the same actions.
• This leads to MINDFULNESS which helps you ACCESS UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE CHALLENGE IS TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT AT ALL TIMES.
Being fully present in the moment empowers you to:
• Free your mind of clutter
• Eliminate racing thoughts
• Past concerns
• Current worries
Once your mind is quiet you can tap into a level of MINDFUL ENERGY and begin to sharpen your sense of AWARENESS. Over time and with dedicated practice, it is possible to achieve a higher level of consciousness which allows you to live within a state of MINDFUL ENERGY? MINDFULNESS? every day and in all areas of your life.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify robotic actions in your everyday life.
2. Engage in self-observation skills.
3. Isolate thoughts from reality.
4. Recognize the difference between internal reality and external reality.
ACTIVITIES
All of the activities are designed to introduce the beginning stages of consciousness work, meditative practice and self-observation.
Day One: Identify Robotic Actions
Consciously pay attention to your actions from the moment you wake up to the time you retire in the evening. Note how you automatically perform tasks without having to tell yourself what to do.
List emotional responses to the thought process identified.
From your day, list actions or tasks that you do regularly. Write down your programmed reaction to your emotional response. For each task, take a moment to reflect on whether or not this reaction is serving your purposes and intentions. You will want to decide whether or not these tasks are of value to you and others. If not, brainstorm other possible choices to explore. Through this simple activity, you begin to allow yourself to remain open to a wide range of actions and to grow your level of conscious awareness.
WHAT IS ROBOTIC LEVEL LIVING?:
What do you notice about how you approach a day of tasks, conversations, work and functional skills.
This Is The Robotic Level Of Living.
Most of us allow tasks to take over our entire conscious being.
The key is to learn to fully engage your true self in all aspects of your life and to focus on the awareness level that is observing the task.
This is your sixth sense or your true self engaging in mindfulness.
What do you think about how you approached your day?
How does this make you feel?
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Day Two: engage in self-observation skills INSIDE A BUILDING
Find fifteen minutes during daylight to practice this self-observation skill. Make sure you are in a facility where much activity is taking place.
Example locations could include: your place of work, mall, cafeteria or restaurant, or your home, if there is a level of commotion such as having a television or music on, or children loudly playing. Consciously observe how you react.
Journal your reactions:
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Part One: Your challenge is to focus your attention for five minutes on your breathing and saying "I KNOW" while engaging in safe constructive activities in your immediate environment.
What observations did you make about your ability to focus on breathing and engage in activities at the same time?:
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Part Two: Focus your attention and awareness on your breathing and articulate internally each action you are performing.
Example: If you are looking at an item to purchase at a store in the mall, you might say:
I KNOW this is a red shirt with long sleeves. I KNOW I am lifting the shirt off of the rack to hold up in front of me. I KNOW I like the color red. And, so forth.
At home, you might say I KNOW I am folding a blue towel and placing it in a basket. I KNOW I am drinking a glass of tea. I KNOW I am folding a beige towel and placing it in a basket, I KNOW I will now check on the children. Walking down the hall, I KNOW I hear (name of child) laughing. I KNOW the phone is ringing now.
What observations did you make about your ability to focus on your breathing and saying "I KNOW" while internally articulating each action performed, sound heard or activity observed?
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Day Three: Engage in Self-Observation Skills OUTSIDE
Cloud-Gazing: Lying on the ground or sitting in a chair outside, gaze up at the sky and focus on one cloud. Stay focused on the cloud for five minutes. Follow the cloud as it moves through space and morphs into different spatial shapes. Articulate out loud each step of your thought process.
What did you observe about your thought process as you challenged yourself to stay focused on one cloud?
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Day Four: Isolate Thoughts
Part One: Identify a problem or situation on which you will focus your attention. Now take a walk. Those who are physically challenged can sit in a chair, rock in a chair, take a wheel stroll, or lie down in a comfortable environment.
What did you observe?
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Part Two: For three minutes, allow your mind to focus on your intention, (the problem, situation, or desired outcome) as you engage in your physical activity. Think through your intention in detail – time, place, people, situation, core of the issue, and so forth. Confirm your mental script of your intention by writing it down.
What did you observe:
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Part Three: Now, with each passing minute, focus your mental energy on removing one of the thoughts you have had concerning your intention and cross it off your list. Repeat this process until you have only one thought left.
What did you observe:
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Part Four: Record your one thought. How do you feel about this thought? What does this thought tell you? Identify how you would automatically react to this thought. Identify possible ways to respond to this thought on a more conscious level.
What did you observe:
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Day Five: Recognize External Reality vs. Internal Reality
Part One: External Reality: Material reality, includes the objects of your physical environment, and your body. External means outside yourself
At the start of your day note the weather, your to-do list, or recall a recent conversation or conflict.
How do you react to these external happenings?
Example: I see that it is raining, snowing or sunshine; I note that my calendar is full of appointments for Monday; I realize I haven't finished my week's "to do" list and company is arriving.
What did you observe externally:
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Now focus your attention on one area; once you made your choice such as the conflict at work or the weather, state the focus of your external reality out loud.
Focus on this for one minute. Record your external observation in your journal.
Example: The hot weather makes me sweat!
What did you observe:
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Part Two; Internal Reality: Your inner voice, internal speech, verbal stream of consciousness and your emotions and thoughts.
Write down your thoughts, feelings, mood, behavior, and/or ideas.
Example: What a way to start a Monday with rain and a full calendar! It's going to be a miserable day.
Or, company will arrive in the morning, I cannot handle the stress of getting this house cleaned and buying groceries. My co-worker really upsets me. The reality is that I am upsetting myself and feel confused and unfocused and overwhelmed.
Focus on your own thoughts and feelings or other internal experiences for one minute. Record this in your journal.
What did you observe:
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Part Three:: Contemplate your reaction to this exercise. What can you control and what can you not control? How can you shift your internal reality and negativity into a more positive choice? What are the characteristics of your behavior or mood that you can change?
Remember your mind is part secretarial service which keeps you aware of your obligations, situations and tasks. Your responsibility is to observe these thoughts objectively and decide which option you will choose. You may also become aware of your old programmed responses.
What did you observe:
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CONCLUSION
Ask yourself the question what was learned?
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How did it affect your daily experience?
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Write other questions regarding your external and internal reactions
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There are more related activities in my book Wake Up Now and Enjoy life on pages 23-30
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CHAPTER 2
EXPERIENCE
"The Master Observes The World But Trusts His Inner Version
Lao-tzu (551-479 B.C.E.)
EXPERIENCE:
While we cannot control the happenings of life, we can determine how we may wish to experience our encounter, therewith. When we are aware of our existence and our surroundings, we can choose to be intentional about how we will engage and experience life. Connecting to our intentions generates a sense of heightened spirituality, emotional engagement, compassion, kindness and receptivity (Dyer 3964).
Experience vs Awareness
• Experience differs from consciousness because it requires active participation in events or activities.
• This action can be internal or external.
• Experience can be understood as the means by which you choose to engage mentally, physically, and spiritually with any encounter within your life.
• For your purpose, experience is not restricted to events, but can include people with whom you interact.
• As you accumulate experiences, they have consequences and determine how and why you do things.
You create self- imposed barriers and false motivations
• These prohibit us from creating the life you desire. • In essence you are creating our own program's mental models.
Being fully present means recognizing:
• The baggage (opinions, judgments, programs, expectations, ideologies) that you bring into every experience.
• The barriers, motivations, circumstances, and consequences within any given experience.
• Becoming fully open and aware to the possibilities of creating change within your life.
• This changee is simply changing your programs.
• This is a foundation that underpins and impacts all other actions and choices in our lives.
Programs dictate your emotions and actions The event itself is just the stage upon which our programs are being played.
Life is a continuous series of events: How you experience these events is the result of your Operating System.
• You can perceive these events in a calm, peaceful manner.
• Or in an angry, upset manner.
• It's your choice if you wish to remain aware with a clear mind.
• If you react due to your programming it is not your choice.
PERCEPTION DETERMINES HOW YOU EXPERIENCE YOUR LIFE:
• The result is either happiness or sadness
• Good health or ill health
• Success or failure
It's not WHAT is happening but HOW you choose to perceive the event that will determine your emotional state and your choice of the optimal action to take.
Present realities are created from past experiences:
Your experience takes place in your head.
You have two choices:
• Be present
• Be out to lunch
You are literally OUT TO LUNCH (not fully mentally present) unless you are observing your programs.
• You cannot control the events or situations that occur in your life.
• You can control how you choose to experience those events or situations.
IT'S NOT WHAT YOU EXPERIENCE BUT HOW YOU CHOOSE TO EXPERIENCE WHAT HAPPENS.
The control of your emotions and actions rests entirely with you, not the situation, not the other people and not your own thoughts.
You Can Experience:
• Anger
• Sadness
• Negative emotions
Or You Can Experience:
• Happiness, laughter
• Creativity
• Positive emotions
It's Your Choice:
• You can react from your programming
• Or choose to act from your free will
Why Quiet Your Mind:
If your mind is quiet your Mindful Energy will observe the event or situation, including all options available, and choose the best option that will result in the best outcome. You get emotionally upset after the action has occurred. It's not logical to get upset because the event has already occurred. However, your prior conditioning has set you up to get upset.
You can, however, choose to handle the situation from this point on with a clear, quiet, mind.
THE QUESTION YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF IS:
• Do I want to experience reality as it is?
• Or my own illusionary interpretation of reality?
If you choose your own illusionary interpretation then you are setting yourself up for the stress and conflict that occurs when your mental models do not match up with reality.
If you observe the event non-judgmentally, without bringing any baggage or interference then you can enjoy whatever is happening and with the ability to handle and optimize any situation with a clear mind.
Question:
Is your experience created by outside events or how you choose to perceive them?
Answer:
Your mind is creating your experience usually based upon your existing programming.
• What is taking place outside does not create your experience. • What other people say or do does not create your experience.
You cannot control how another person will act but you can control how you act:
• Do you want to react through the filter of your programs?
• Do you want to exercise your freewill and free yourself from your programs?
• Do you want to act as a robot?
