When we live well, we feel a greater sense of life satisfaction. Living mindfully can support us in living well. What does it mean to live mindfully? It means we pay attention to moment to moment experience — through sensations in the body, feelings, and thoughts.
When we live mindfully, we use the information that we glean through awareness in meditation and combine these insights with wisdom and discernment to make more intentional choices.
How do we know if we’re on the right track? We can feel it when something is off. It starts as a small nagging feeling in some part of your body, a sense that something just isn’t quite right. Not wanting to face the implications, you turn away from it and get busy doing something else. It grows, this nagging sensation, this inner knowing that whatever it is—this life you’ve built, this job, this city, this person—just doesn’t fit with who you are or who you want to be in the world. Maybe it never did. Maybe it just felt easier to go along.
You have a choice—resign yourself to the choices you’ve made and live with a growing sense of dissatisfaction, or do something different. Start right now. Take a step toward creating the life you imagine, the life that aligns with your authentic self. Life is short. Dare to live well.
To change one’s life: Start immediately. Do it flamboyantly.
William James
Jen Johnson is a mindfulness coach, teacher, and therapist teaching meditation for healing, creativity, and resilience. Learn more about Jen Johnson’s coaching and therapy services.