Personal Growth Planet Blog

The benefits of mindfulness– for both mental and physical wellness– have been demonstrated in scientific studies and people’s everyday experiences.

But, what is mindfulness?

If a person wants to lead a more mindful life, how does that person go about it?

When I think of mindfulness, I also think of its presumed opposite…mindlessness.

Then, unfortunately, a whole barrage of judgmental and critical declarations come to my mind.

“Watching television shows is mindless.”
“Playing Farmville or Facebook games is mindless.”
“Scarfing down potato chips and reading Star magazine is mindless.”
“Chatting for hours with a group of friends about inconsequential topics is mindless.”

There are tons of books, CDs, courses, websites, DVDs, lectures and more all about the benefits and power of a positive attitude.

What being “positive” actually means varies depending on the specific author, philosophy or approach.

Some invite us to smile and laugh more often. Others advise us to look for the gifts and opportunities in every situation. Yet others encourage us to be grateful for what we have, who we are and what’s going on for us in any moment.

I do not disagree with any of this advice. However, I can only imagine that many of you out there might, from time to time, ask yourselves this question…

…It’s not necessarily your best friend either!

I don’t know of a single philosophy that deems the ego to be all that positive a thing.

We’ve all probably heard someone (maybe even ourselves) called “egotistical” or being accused of having a “big ego.” This is never meant as a compliment.

Many spiritual teachings counsel us to meditate, question and do whatever is necessary to get rid of the ego.

“Everyone, please send me texts and, Dad, could you bring my bike?”

This request was posted on a social networking site by the daughter of a friend of mine who recently started college. As you might already know, moving away from home, family and friends to embark upon what is essentially a brand new life can be unsettling, uncomfortable and maybe even a bit terrifying.

Of course, going to college (or setting out on another kind of new adventure) is also potentially exhilarating and exciting…especially if you feel like you are being supported along the way.

Whether you are a busy parent, one who is struggling to make ends meet, trying to keep up with endless looming deadlines at work or you are worried about the Earth’s environment, you might find yourself saying words like these:

“There are not enough hours in the day…”
“There’s not enough money in my bank account…”
“There are not enough resources on our planet…”
“There’s not enough of me to go around…”

You may have developed a case of the “not enoughs.”

I’ve heard before messages counseling us all to live in the present moment from wise ones such as Eckhart Tolle and others. These teachings make a lot of sense to me– but rarely do I truly do this for any length of time.

But, after a recent breathwork session led by our dear friends Paula and Christopher Easton, I decided to really put this idea into practice.

At the session, Christopher Easton reminded us to “respond in the present moment.” The very next day– still glowing from my breathwork experience– I began my radical experiment.

How often do you pause and just marvel at the wonders that are this planet?

I know that I don’t very often.

It’s pretty mind blowing to think about what goes on when you put a small seed in fertile soil, add water and sunshine and it magically transforms into something so beautiful and often delicious too.

It is almost beyond my comprehension to contemplate the way that the tides move in and out and that a forest will burn from time to time in order to clear brush and end up healthier in the long run.

By Amy Phillips-Gary

Jack works hard so that his family can live comfortably. He works long days at the office and then attends to his wife’s “honey do” list when he gets home. To Jack, all of his efforts seem to go unnoticed by his family.

What he wouldn’t give for just a little appreciation for all that he does; some morsel of support wouldn’t hurt either!

Have you ever felt like Jack in your relationships?

By Amy Phillips-Gary

All week we’ve been building up to feeding your soul.*

Keeping the access to your soul as open as possible, listening to your inner guidance and even dealing with those times when you aren’t comfortable with what your soul is directing you to do have been topics for your consideration.

When it comes down to it, all of these actually help you to nourish and feed your soul.

Every time you choose to check in with yourself and honor how you feel deep down inside rather than check out through old habits, you are feeding your soul.

By Amy Phillips-Gary

In today’s economy there aren’t too many people connecting the word “fun” with the word “money.”

News headlines warily report the stock market numbers each day. Job cuts are still being made and plenty of folks are looking for employment that will adequately pay the bills.

A lot of belt-tightening is going on.

In such an environment, the focus tends to be on “getting by” rather than bounding into financial abundance and prosperity.