Connecting to the Moment with Love
When we do an action that’s motivated by a bad-feeling like anxiety or insecurity, we'll struggle to find value in whatever activity we are doing. However, we'll find meaningful inspiration in activities done with a positive attitude. When we put love and good-feeling emotions into what we’re doing, anything from a trip to the dentist, cleaning the dishes, or navigating a difficult conversation can become valuable.
Mindfully focusing on love and goodness throughout the day can make our typical daily activities much richer and more meaningful.
What activities in your day can you offer your love and skillfulness (full awareness) to?
What activities in your day can you offer your love and skillfulness (full awareness) to?
Reconnecting With Our Skillfulness
We may occasionally find ourselves disconnected from our best, most skillful selves. Stress can limit our ability to think clearly, insecurities can make us doubt ourselves, or other people may share their positive or negative ideas of who we are based on their own biases and perceptions, warping our idea of who we truly are. Any moment we feel insecure, unsure of who we are, or disconnected from our best self, we can use this easy exercise to reconnect:
- Mindfully connect to your breathing. Inhale 1-2-3-4, exhale 1-2-3-4-5.
- Use your imagination to visualize yourself in a difficult situation. You can think of something that makes you feel afraid or anxious, or you can think of something challenging you went through in the past. Maybe you’re having a difficult conversation with a loved one, want to ask a friend for a favor, or are facing a long-avoided fear.
- When playing out the situation in your head, ask yourself what the most skillful version of yourself would do. Imagine your strongest self handling the difficulty with mindfulness, grace, kindness, and patience.
- As you’re meditating on how your strongest self might react to a challenge, really focus on your inner fortitude, confidence, and courage. The more you acknowledge and strengthen these energies, the more you can rely on them if you have doubts in the future.
- Reconnect with your best self as you visualize reacting to all sorts of circumstances where you act with virtuous intentions and integrity. Remember to continue to breathe comfortably throughout the exercise.
- Tune into how you handle challenging experiences after your meditation. Being aware of your strengths and visualizing what your wisest and most skillful response looks and feels like will help you remember yourself more clearly and confidently in tough times.