If you were to look at your life as a portfolio of lifestyle options and investments, what would your mindfulness bottom line look like? Is it balanced with time for work, family and friends — or, are you over-extended physically, emotionally and spiritually?
Have you taken time to invest in you?
You can use the principles of Feng Shui to create your best emotional and spiritual environment, as well as your physical environment.
What is your Mindfulness Quotient?
How would you describe yourself? What follows represents the absence of the mindfulness quotient.
Are you a workaholic?
Are you so busy earning a living that you don’t have time for a life?
Do you work out your body to keep physically fit but not your mind, your heart, your soul?
Do you use a treadmill consistently to protect your heart but do nothing to nurture it?
If you answered yes to these questions, you could be bankrupting yourself and your personal energy account. It is time to put an end to your constant need to work, and it is time to refresh yourself and nurture your heart – not to mention, do the same for your spouse and family (or friends and loved ones).
With the invasion of 24/7 electronic connections and being busy every nano-second of your schedule, the question for the new millennium is: can you have it all? A more mindful and balanced lifestyle should be your objective. Balance is important in your financial portfolio – it should be the same for your personal life as well. Life should be all about the quality of the lifestyle you live not just the quantity of items or dollars in your ownership.
You must plan to protect and preserve your personal relationships with family and friends and your well-being so you can enjoy that balanced portfolio.
Three ways that leads to mindfulness well-being
Make the majority of your drive time peaceful. On your drive home after work, check out the radio for traffic conditions if you must, then shut it off and play your favorite relaxing music. Plan to have at least three choices because different ones will work better on different days. This step will help you release all the stresses of the work day and transition you to a more nurturing mindfulness atmosphere.
Use relaxing escapes scenes daily. Picture the most relaxing place you’ve ever been. Go there mentally right now. If it’s near the ocean, feel the breeze, taste the salt in the air and listen to the waves. If it’s in the mountains, breathe and smell the fresh crisp air and actively see the natural beauty around you.
As you have mentally placed yourself in the location, how do you feel? Are you more relaxed, is your headache gone? Are you feeling less stress? Remember this image for use in the future.
Create at least two or three relaxing escape scenes that you can mentally travel to in a moment’s notice. You only need to stay there 30 seconds for it to help. You’ll receive maximum benefit however by staying there for one minute. Use these escape scenes as frequently as needed depending on how stressful the day is. Always go there for a full minute before you leave the office to go home at the end of each day.
Create a nighttime affirmation consistent with your desires. The last thing you should think of when going to bed every night is “my life is balanced and I am at peace.” Say this mantra to yourself right now. Put it on your calendar as an appointment you need to keep nightly. Post it electronically any place you frequent. Make this part of your nightly rituals. Make it so automatic that your mind will remind you if you forget to say it; “my life is balanced and I am at peace.”
Mindfulness well-being comes from planning and executing your plan. You can Feng Shui your mind just as you Feng Shui your surroundings, your office or home. The benefit is a happier, more productive and less stressed you, along with improved relationships and self-fulfillment.
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Pat Heydlauff, a “flow of focus” expert, speaker and consultant designs home and workplace environments that unleash the flow of focus and maximize performance while creating balance and increasing prosperity. She is author of the forthcoming book, A Look Within, and published books, Feng Shui, So Easy a Child Can Do It, Beyond Engagement: Seven Ways Leaders Fuel Tomorrow’s Sustainability, and Selling Your Home with a Competitive Edge.