What Is "Mindfulness," and Why Is Everyone Talking About It? [Lifehacker]

What Is "Mindfulness," and Why Is Everyone Talking About It? [Lifehacker]

"Mindfulness is a hot topic these days, just like meditation. As you've noticed, it's getting more attention in the news as more studies come out showing the benefits of mindfulness. While it might sound like a New Age-y term (or maybe even psychobabble to some), there's real evidence that being more mindful can enhance just about every aspect of your life—and it doesn't take hours sitting in lotus position to get there. Here's what you need to know."

Lifehacker has collected a bevy of quality supporting articles, videos, and other important references to answer a reader's question on the meaning of mindfulness, and how it can be applied to daily life. I recommend reading each & every part of this excellent article.

Why The Minimalists Do What The Minimalists Do

Why The Minimalists Do What The Minimalists Do | Thought Catalog

The minimalist movement isn’t frivolous or snobby, they’re on to something significant. Voluntarily having less, and less to choose from, delivers real dividends on happiness, particularly when it comes to its ability to reduce daily decisionmaking and the stress points that go with it.

Can You Learn to Control Your Mind?

Can You Learn to Control Your Mind? (via Big Questions Online)

The quality of awareness characterized by being fully present in the moment is a skill that can be learned and does not require a specific context or challenge to be expressed.

Critical Mass of Clutter

Critical Mass of Clutter (Henry Tsai)

In sum: Critical mass of clutter feeds stress events, reduces quality of life, and creates negative loop of mess creation.

The Zenity of Not Lying

Not only will not being a liar allow your mind to have more sanity and serenity, not lying will also improve your overall physical health.

Living Without Lies Might Make You Healthier (HealthDay)

“I think lying can cause a lot of stress for people, contributing to anxiety and even depression,” said Dr. Bryan Bruno, acting chairman of the department of psychiatry at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Lying less is not only good for your relationships, but for yourself as an individual. People might recognize the more devastating impact lying can have on relationships, but probably don’t recognize the extent to which it can cause a lot of internal stress.”

Today's Quote

Truth must be found, not beyond your horizon, but in you, in your words, actions, relationships, and ideas. - Krishnamurti

You must FIRST be true and truthful with yourself; only AFTER that is fully accomplished will you ever be able to be true and truthful with anyone else. 

Zenity for 2013

Make one of your goals for achieving zenity this year be to eliminate lying and liars from the world (or at least your immediate world), starting with yourself, then branching out to your circle of influence. Of course, look to remove the act of lying first, as the following article helps with. Imagine how fantastically awesome it would be to know all the people in your life talked to you honestly and respectfully. If and when all efforts fail toward that, then do not be afraid to remove the liars from your life. It’s certainly not going to be easy, or painless, but your Life’s sanity and serenity, and the lives of those you love, deserve no less.

How to Confront a Compulsive Liar (Livestrong.com)

Be the Change!

Be the change!

I want to see no liars, therefore, I do not lie.

I want to see no more hypocrites, therefore, I am not hypocritical.

I want to see no more assumptions, therefore, I do not make them.

I want to see people drive better, therefore, I drive according to the law.

I want to see people practice discipline, therefore, I am disciplined.

I want to see more open-minded people, therefore, I am open-minded.

I want to see more dancing in the world, therefore, I dance.

I want to see people playing more games, therefore, I am a gamer.

I want to see more lovers in the world, therefore, I am a lover.

I want to see people be more physically fit, therefore, I am physically fit.

I want to see people be more mentally fit, therefore, I am mentally fit.

I want to see more mindfulness, therefore, I am mindful.

I want to see more zen in the world, therefore, I am zen.

The Power of Judgement

The Power of Judgement (tricycle)

So if you really want to become skillful in your thoughts, words, and deeds, you need a trustworthy friend to point out your blind spots. And because those spots are blindest around your unskillful habits, the primary duty of a trustworthy friend is to point out your faults—for only when you see your faults can you correct them; only when you correct them are you benefiting from your friend’s compassion in pointing them out.

This is the friend I strive to be, trustworthy, and the friendship I aim to provide to the world and all people, including myself. Be extremely cautious about any and all 'friends' who are unwilling or unable to be trustworthy, for they will do much more harm than good.

The Helper Syndrome

The Helper Syndrome (tricycle)

Simply doing good deeds, or even being a devoted meditator, doesn’t mean anything without the painful honesty that’s required to look at what we’re doing. We must take our heads out of the ground and look at all of the ways we get in our own way—fooling ourselves and obstructing the possibility of living a more open and genuine life.

This excellent article is for people who are stuck in the habit and belief that simply ‘being good’ or ‘kind’ is enough, a belief that is usually connected to, and hidden by, a false pretense of ‘I’m just being me’.  

Today's Quote

The people who are unwilling to change have only themselves to blame.

The Kaizen Way

The Kaizen Way – How to get past hesitation, fear and laziness to achieve your goals (Aditya Ravi Shankar)

Kaizen (improvement) is a factor that I almost added as one of the basic building blocks of Zenity. Instead, I thought and felt it should be placed in a support role, but it’s still very important.

Also, I did not make small changes in my life during my times of trouble, and still don’t really to this day. I’m the type of person who either does it or doesn’t. The guy in the blog post linked to above follows kaizen to a better degree, and his story is a very good example. Hopefully it’ll give you pause to think of how kaizen might work in your own life, and inspire you towards it.

Today's Quote

Today's Quote

Start Again

Chakra Meditation

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Life

Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Life (OM Times)

Here’s an older but still very excellent article at OM Times. Pay particular attention to #7, and realize when to employ the opposite; that is, when you have friends that don’t wish to improve their lives, then you should make the changes you feel necessary to keep them from holding you down. Do all you can to help lift them up, but when they refuse to be lifted up, move on and love them from a distance.

Top 20 TED Talks That Can Improve Your Life

Top 20 TED Talks That Can Improve Your Life (Lifehack)

Zenity is a big fan of TED, one of the most educational and awesome sites on the Internet. Take a day when you can sit in quiet with a glass of wine and a notebook and watch these videos.

Today's Quote

Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them. 

- Confucius

Zen Garden School