Awareness for Everyone

Self-awareness to better live life in a mad, mad, mad world Your best ally and most reliable resource is you. Practicing self-awareness puts you in touch with that truth. Self-motivation What IS self-motivation? It is finding your own inner resources to motivate yourself to do things. Self-motivation is not selfish. Putting yourself first is NOT selfish. Selfishness only occurs when an action you perform wantonly denies somebody abundance and prosperity. Self-motivation is making a way to do something. Consciousness creates reality. EVERYTHING in the universe falls into this. Self-talk What is self-talk? When you get inside your own head and look at your thoughts and feelings, often you create an internal dialogue. Sometimes, this dialogue takes no form in true words, but more in feelings and impressions. Sometimes this takes you down a dark path. It can also get abusive. Despite the fact you'd never take this sort of abuse from someone else, when you do it to yourself you might think that's just fine. You believe that you deserve it for doing wrong, messing up, and being imperfect in various ways. You have the ability to use mindfulness to become aware of what you're thinking and what and how you're feeling. When you do this, you open yourself up to recognizing just what you're thinking and saying about yourself and can change it as need be. Mindfulness and self-awareness Self-awareness is for everyone. This is achieved via active conscious awareness. That is mindfulness. Mindfulness is knowing your inner being, and really getting to know who, what, where, how, and why you are. You're utterly worthy and deserving of this. That's why self-awareness is for EVERYONE. The more you see and practice this the more you can help others to do the same. That, in turn, can change the fear base of society to a more reason-based one. You are thus empowered to live that way and use self-awareness to be all that you desire to be in this one-shot you get at life. One Last Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool Practice mindfulness and active conscious awareness. To be self-aware and practice mindfulness, pause from time to time and ask these questions: ·        What am I thinking? ·        What am I feeling? ·        How am I feeling? ·        What are my intentions? ·        Is my approach to things angled towards the positive or negative end of the spectrum? ·        What are my actions? These can all only be answered at this present moment, in the here and now. That happens to be the only time that's really, truly, real. Use your self-awareness to change anything about your life that you're not okay with or desire to alter. You are thus empowered. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They are not, contrary to popular belief, scarce or lacking Sometimes it feels like it's all spinning out of control. Is this really the truth of society? Have people become this dominantly sad, depressed, and discourteous? It sure as hell feels that way. Yet I believe that's not the truth. Why? Because everyone desires kindness, compassion, and empathy. Unfortunately, too many outside influences make them appear to be lacking, scarce, and something you must compete for. What if the truth is that they're abundant and the competition is a lie? Most competition is BS Let's be honest. Most competition, as we are shown it, is bullshit. It's a lie. If you're playing golf, tennis, or participating in a game show, you're competing with others. Pro sports and the like are competitions. Otherwise? You're not truly competing with anyone. This is part of where the weaponization of fear totally comes into play. Multiple types of authority figures will tell you that “they” are competing with you for this, that, or the other thing. If you don't compete with “them” you will lose what is rightfully yours. This, of course, is utterly untrue. Everybody wants kindness, compassion, and empathy It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from. When it comes to yourself and your life, you desire to receive kindness. You want people to be compassionate towards you. You desire empathy for who you are, your goals, ideals, beliefs, values, and whatnot. Unfortunately, the biggest problem with this is that many people don't recognize that to get kindness, compassion, and empathy, they must be given. You set yourself up to not receive them when you don't give them. First, let's recognize this important fact. Kindness, compassion, and empathy are in abundance. They are infinite. There will never be a lack, insufficiency, or scarcity of kindness, compassion, and empathy. They are in abundance beyond your comprehension. Secondly, everybody desires to receive kindness, compassion, and empathy. However, not all recognize them for what they are. So much time is viewed as being in competition, and so many false narratives about lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are put forth, that they drive people to think they're limited. That's not true, as they are abundant and infinite. Thirdly, nobody is any more or less deserving of kindness, compassion, and empathy than anyone else. The wealthy aren't more deserving or worthy than the poor. FYI, this applies to the planet, animals, and virtually everything you can think of. Kindness, compassion, and empathy for everything is never bad. Practice giving kindness, compassion, and empathy To get more kindness, compassion, and empathy, practice giving them. You'll see that the more you give, the more you will find to give. Then, ultimately, the more you give, the more you get. Practice locally. Because in truth, you have such a limited reach that this is where you can do the most good. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by practicing this. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Look around you and figure out where you can give more kindness, compassion, and empathy both to yourself and other people. Hold doors, help old people across streets, and the like. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pie is Not Limited This is an abundant universe with more than enough for everyone. The implication, sometimes blatant - but more often subtle - is that the thing you desire is finite. Tangible or intangible, there's not enough and if you don't take yours, you'll miss it. There's only so much pie to go around because it's limited. The truth, however, is that the pie is not, in fact, limited. Abundance is everywhere in everything This is not a universe of lack, scarcity, or insufficiency. It's an abundant universe. Stretch your mind and see that abundance is real in both the material and immaterial. Most, if not all lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are artificial. The pie is not limited. When it comes to the things you want and desire, tangible or intangible, the pie is infinite. The limited pie is a trick Implications of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency – limited pie – are false. They're artificial, created by this person, that government, that industry, or whatever/whoever else to disempower. People who believe in lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are disempowered. Why does empowerment matter? You are the only one in your head, heart, and soul. Nobody else can think your thoughts, feel your feelings, experience your emotions, and so on. You're it. Outside influences can provide some info and context. However, for the most part, empowerment comes from within. Active conscious awareness is mindfulness. You gain it not via your 6 senses, but rather your inner being. Becoming aware, in the present, of your thoughts, feelings, actions, approach, and intentions, makes you consciously aware. Using them or changing them is mindful and empowers you. Empowerment is how you choose and decide for yourself how to live your life. This will show you that the pie – tangible or intangible – is not limited. This is an abundant universe with more than enough for everyone. The notion that the pie is limited is not true. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Write out a list of all the things you need or desire to have. This should include both tangibles and intangibles. Divide the list into three parts. Must haves                       Not absolute musts       Desires you can live without Figure out the things you can't live without, the things you really want but aren't musts, and the things you desire but could live without. Is there anything on this list that's not abundant? If not, why not? If you have it, doesn't someone else go without (or will they just have to wait for the next production run or choose an equal alternative?) Does this reveal to you how much there is to go around, and more? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can't make “them” understand People can change. But only if they desire to. When they don't, they won't. Sometimes you're forced to change. Circumstances utterly outside of your control force change. They happen, and they are outside of your control. Intellectually you know this. The heart, however, is quick to disbelieve. Change can be terrifying, especially when the other side is incredibly uncertain. You have a choice here, whether the change is of your own making or happenstance. Be afraid and resist from there - or - be reasonable and learn what you can do and what it means. The weaponization of fear Fear can be a helpful tool. When your life is in danger and you run because of fear, that can be a game changer. Much of the lack, scarcity, and insufficiency in the world today are utterly artificial. They're made up to evoke fear. When people are afraid, they're more likely to look outside of themselves for answers, help, and support. Especially when this is an intangible and not life or death. This has led to some of the deepest divides, without open war, in a very long time. You can't make them understand It's clear to me that one side of this coming election is all about obstruction, hoarding power, zero ethics, and worse. Sadly, I know they feel the same about the other side – obstruction, hoarding power, zero ethics, and worse. A complicit media and almost four decades of brazen greed and hyper-consumerism don't help. Worst of all, perhaps, is that you can't make them understand. Funny thing is, they feel the same about you, too. You can't make them understand. It's infuriating when you see injustice and can't do much about it. Attend the protest, make calls, write letters, send emails, and for the love of exercising your civic duty vote in elections. Sadly, that's the extent of the actions you can take. Try though you might, you can't make them understand. So what the hell can you do? Be understanding What I am getting at here is all about you and yourself. The only person who you can make understand is you. I could focus a ton of my time and energy on them. There has to be a way to make them understand, right? Reason, logic, science, something? There's something more to consider. Will that change anything about your life? Will getting them to understand what they don't impact you? The only way you can address this at all is to be understanding. Understanding of yourself. You, and only you, know your mind. You're the only one capable of knowing what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling, what intentions you have, your positive or negative approach, and your actions or inactions. They can't do that for you just as much as you can't do that for them. You can't make them understand. You can be understanding, but mostly only of and for yourself. This is not selfish. Working with and from this is empowering. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Actively pay attention to the words being used by advertisers, politicians, various leaders, and so forth. Familiarize yourself with some of the underlying issues that are dark and dangerous and only barely being addressed. Do what you can so that you are as able to understand as possible. Be mindful, and do what you can to be a good person and a good example of a reasonable, logical, decent human being. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are always choices and decisions being made According to multiple sources, human beings make over 30,000 choices A DAY. That is a lot of choices. But for the most part, you don't make them consciously. Let's face it, if you did, I think you'd probably go mad. Thirty-thousand-plus choices, per day, add up fast. That means that in a 30-day month, you make 900,000 choices. Hence, per year you're making more than 11 million choices. It's a very good thing that so many of the choices you make are automated. Recognize and acknowledge the levels When you get down to it, choices and decisions come in four sizes. They are big, medium, small, and seemingly insignificant. Big choices include major life-changing things like marriage and divorce, moving, college education, bariatric surgery, and the like. Medium choices include big purchases, vacations, buying and selling stocks, and so on. Small choices include stuff like choosing what to wear today, where to go to dinner, the route you take from point “a” to point “b”, etc. Seemingly insignificant choices are the most rote, routine, and subconscious. This includes choices and decisions about when to get out of bed, scrolling social media, what you eat and drink, how you brush your teeth, what tabs you leave open on your browsers, and other seemingly insignificant matters. Nothing you choose is truly insignificant. Because they're so numerous, they're far more important than we often credit them for. Life's choices and decisions are yours to make When it comes to being consciously aware of choices, most people focus only on the big and medium choices. While they are impactful, they're the tip of the iceberg. That's because below the visible are the small and seemingly insignificant choices. They are the base structure on which the medium and big choices are based and made. Mindfulness puts you in the driver's seat. You can use your knowledge of your thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, and approaches to alter your choices. The power is wholly yours. Your choices and decisions factor into everything you do. Big, medium, small, seemingly insignificant, and everything in between, you have the power to use conscious awareness and mindfulness to choose. That can change your life for the better. Unfortunately, you live in a fear-based society disempowering you at every turn. False notions of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency are bombarding you to believe that you can do little to nothing to take control or make useful choices and decisions. Nothing could be further from the truth. You have the power. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: For the next 5 days, every morning, take one thing a day that falls under “seemingly insignificant choices” and actively, consciously make a choice or decision about it. This can include changing how you brush your teeth, what time you eat, what you eat, any habitual action you could change but don't necessarily need to. Observe how you feel throughout the day about making choices and decisions. Has altering that “seemingly insignificant choice” made the making of other choices and decisions, actively, easier? Consider if this has a positive impact on your self-awareness continuing to apply it. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Patience begins with me I write about conscious reality creation, mindfulness, manifestation, and the like frequently. Each time I write about it, I explore how it requires combined thought, feeling, action, and a positive approach. Then, from there, you must apply intent with your action to make manifest the tangible or intangible. Intent and action and time. Seldom, if ever really, is it instantaneous. When it comes to me and my choices, do I apply them? Not enough, no. This doesn't just apply to fencing at all. Overall, my patience on nearly every level of my life has been disregarded, ignored, and shunted away. Ironically, as much as I teach patience here and to new fencers, my own is lacking. Recognizing and acknowledging the need for greater patience Upon closer examination, it certainly looks to me like a lack of patience is causing me distress on many levels. The blockage I've been trying to identify might all come down to this. It starts by recognizing my impatience. Recognition is only the beginning. It needs to also be acknowledged. That way, I'm saying not just “I see I'm being impatient,” but also “I acknowledge my lack of patience needs to be adjusted by me.” Recognized and acknowledged, now I can start to do something about this. What do I do? The first step is to pause. Pause before I type, pause before I attack when fencing, pause before I get on the road. Then, be mindful, and consciously aware of what I'm thinking, what and how I'm feeling, my approach, then my intention and actions. Am I being patient or impatient? This is a question I haven't been asking, but clearly need to be. When I meditate, this should be considered. When I do, going forward I need to be more cognizant that I'm doing as I say. Maybe you have patience that I don't. Pausing, however, is good for you, too. In a society where it's always “go go go”, pausing allows you and me to better get a handle on things. You and I can take more time to be present, here and now, and work smarter (not harder). I see I have some work to do here. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Here's an exercise to invoke more patience. This is a simple 3-step applied patience process you can use anytime you make choices or decisions or do anything at all. Step 1: Pause. Don't just go. Pause, reflect, consider first. Step 2: Be mindful. Be consciously aware of what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling,  your approach (positive or negative), then your intention and actions. Step 3: Act. After steps one and two, consciously and mindful, act. ·        Pause ·        Be Mindful ·        Act Does this added step of patience help you better balance? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's always something to be grateful for Even on the worst days you might experience, there's always something that you can be grateful for. It might seem impossible in the face of sadness, grief, and uncertainty, but that doesn't lessen the truth. Thank you are among the most powerful words you can say and feel. They might be equal to I am and I love. Whatever follows “thank you” is a powerful acknowledgment of something that makes you feel good and positive. It empowers you not only to recognize and acknowledge the one item you're saying “thank you” for, but also find and be grateful for more. Gratitude is the ultimate fuel for empowerment When you're distracted, it's easy to lose sight of your own conscious awareness. Distraction starts to pull you into mindlessness, taking you away from intent and action. That then allows you to lose yourself in your subconscious mind. The subconscious mind will often take everything put into it at face value. One of the best ways to begin to access mindfulness is gratitude. Finding and expressing gratitude for things tangible or intangible is a matter of intent borne of thought and feeling. Practice empowers The world needs more empowered people. If more people are empowered, those who maintain the fear base of society with artificial lack, scarcity, and insufficiency become visible. Gratitude is always positive. It always empowers, both when given and received. Gratitude, mindfulness, and positivity are linked because all are tools of incredible empowerment that, together, can change your life and put you more in control. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Start a gratitude journal. At the beginning or end of the day (or both) take a moment to write down 5-10 things you're grateful for. Write them out in complete sentences like, “I am grateful for this life I get to experience. Thank you.” Use both grateful and thank you in your sentence. After you've written them out, read them (preferably aloud). As you read, let the feeling of gratitude that goes with the thought and words sink into your consciousness. Read them three times each. Note how you're feeling after you do this. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Life is impermanent Life is unexpected and uncertain. No two days are alike. Similar, maybe, but not the same. Change is the only constant in the Universe. That's because the Universe and everything in it is impermanent. Buddhism takes a deep look into the nature of impermanence. But outside the Buddhist way, it's often disregarded, ignored outright, or denied. You strive to create things permanent and enduring, as does everyone. The reality is that nothing is permanent. Nothing is enduring. The meaning of life is to live You are one of 8 billion individual people on Planet Earth. Every single person has one unspoken goal in life. To live. Think about it. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you know, your goal in life is simply to live. You will go to great lengths to ensure that this comes to pass. Everything above about what it takes to live is artificial. To live, all you truly need to do is breathe in. All you can control is your inner being Nothing at all in the entire Universe will give me control over any of the above. What I do and can control, however, is my reaction to it. Specifically, my inner being. I control my thoughts, feelings, actions, approach, and intentions. What I do in the face of adversity, pain, suffering, frustration, and the like. How is this an empowering realization? I can't control anything external at all. I can and do, however, control my emotions, thoughts, feelings, and actions. This is empowering because it means I can shift my focus and stop trying to control what I can't control. What you do control is your thoughts, feelings, actions, approach, and intentions. However, it takes mindfulness and active conscious awareness to do this. The empowerment comes from this realization. You are the only one in your head, heart, and soul. Nobody but you think your thoughts, feel your feelings, intend your intentions, and take your actions. These are all that you control. That's a lot because controlling them determines what living looks like for you. Real, genuine, actual living. Life can't and won't always be one given way. Accept control of nothing and just live Mindfulness lets you accept what you can't and don't control. Then, when you be here, now, you live. You're alive. Your heart is beating, you're breathing, and thus you're living. “Just live” looks small. But isn't that, truly, the goal of every single being? Aren't you on this Earth, here and now, primarily to live? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Is there something outside of yourself driving you crazy? Impacting your mental, emotional, and spiritual health? Take a close look at it. What is it? What impact is it having on you? Write this down.z Here's the question to ask and answer: What, if anything, can you control about this? Include everything you can think of when it comes to answering this. Then, take that information, and decide if said thing is yours to control at all and how much power, if any, to continue to give to it. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discipline and its uses The word “discipline” gets tossed around a lot. Often, it's attached to a concept of doing something with full attention, within rigid parameters, and with no room for mistakes. Too little discipline and shit doesn't get done. Your art isn't made, your practice isn't improved, and you leave a bad impression of yourself. What if I told you that's not the truth of discipline? What if discipline is less rigid and more about mindful, consciously aware practice? A different approach to discipline Discipline is not extreme willpower to get the job done. Instead, it's an idea of active, conscious awareness to move yourself and your goals forward. Life is in a constant state of motion. As part of that, change is the only constant. For the most part, there are three ways to live life. 1.      Let life live you. Mostly you live by rote, routine, and habit, letting whatever happens, happen. 2.      Curl up in a ball and await death. Life sucks, there's little to no point in anything, the world is coming apart at the seams, so why bother? 3.      Take the wheel and drive your life. You do things to live your life, make choices and decisions, and seek growth, change, and so on. These are not absolutes, other ways fall between these. Mindfulness is the core of discipline There are two lies about how art is made that often derail a burgeoning artist. The first is that you must be uniquely skilled and talented, gifted, born to this world entirely to make your art and be a wild success as a bestseller, storied painter, world-renowned chef, and the like. Only those so endowed are worthy. The second is that only by rigid, strict, ongoing, never-ending practice and extreme willpower can you succeed or be worthy of calling yourself an artist. Only those who give hours of their life, their time, and sacrifice to it are worthy. Discipline begins with mindfulness and choosing to do your work. Discipline is active conscious awareness in practice. Recognizing and acknowledging this shows you that it's easier to act on your goals and create what your heart seeks to share with the world. Practice is important, but perfect practice through strict discipline is not real. Your work - and the choices and decisions that go into it that lead to doing it- is discipline. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Is there something that you have desired to do but put off doing? Write it down. Also, write down why you haven't done it yet, any reasonable or unreasonable reasons behind that, and anything else that comes to mind. Then, work out how to do it. Write that down, too. Now – do it. Get to it. Discipline yourself to begin. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fear is frequently weaponized to be unreasonable All opposites, like positivity and negativity, black and white, good and evil, are extremes. They're not, as most would suggest, opposite sides of a coin. That's because the space between them isn't so thin as the edge of a coin, but far broader, making it more akin to a cylinder. Recognizing this is important because you and I live in a fear-based society. From the semi-harmless, like certain forms of advertising, to blatant falsehood and lies, like large swaths of politics and religion; fear is everywhere you turn. Fear is so deeply interwoven in society that it frequently goes unrecognized. Reason versus fear Fear is not necessarily bad. After all, without fear, human beings would never have survived to become the constructive, creative beings we are. Intangible fear is the main type of fear people experience today. It's weaponized blatantly and subtly to direct and misdirect you. The only way to combat this sort of fear is not fearlessness, but reason. Reason is looking at the fear and asking if it will truly harm you. Mindfulness of fear Mindfulness has two district brands. Internal and external. Part of the nature of this fear-based society is to distract you. Thus, its focus tends to the external. Active conscious awareness is self-awareness. It's the key to being aware of you, yourself, here and now. That then tells you who, what, where, how, and why you are. Choices and decisions You make choices and decisions every single day. Some are big and especially impactful. Most, however, are small, partially by rote or routine or habit, but still impactful. When you let fear do the driving, you will be swayed by outside forces. Conversely, when you let reason drive you, you're practicing active conscious awareness. Ergo, you're taking control. Reason in face the fear defeats fear. The more each individual practices reason, the more habitual it becomes. That, over time, as it gains traction from person to person, can turn this world from fear-based to reason-based. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Is there something you're afraid of? Specifically, an intangible such as success, failure, love, and so on. Write down what it is. What are you afraid of? Then, ask these questions: ·        What am I afraid of? ·        What do I think will happen if this comes to pass? ·        How do I think this will change the way I perceive myself? ·        How do I think this will change the way others perceive me? ·        What will the suffering be like if this comes to pass? After you've asked and answered these, can you apply reason to them? Not rationalization, reason. As in you look at them, detached, and ask if they might be as awful as you fear? See if this lessens the fear. Meditate on it if you meditate regularly.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Women are not objects Women are people, too. When men pass laws that impact women's rights, body autonomy, and the like, we can no longer stay silent. It's time for us allies to be more vocal about this. Women are not baby factories. NFL Kicker Harrison Butker is an ass who has no idea what he's talking about. Men are not better than women just because we have penises. LGBTQA+ people deserve equal treatment Who cares who these people desire to have sex with or not? It doesn't matter how anyone identifies themselves in the grand scheme of things. Speak up and speak out We can't just sit on the sidelines and ignore what's going on. Especially in light of this upcoming election. Transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, and other prejudices and biases need to be pointed out and stood against. Take a stand for what's right. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Pause and consider your actions. Speak up. Speak out. Get off the bench and the sidelines and take action to support those being marginalized. Be the change you wish to see in the world and be good. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're only competing with yourself There are plenty of contests out there where it's all about competing. Yet, aside from such intentional competitions, you're not in competition with anyone else for anything. Let me repeat that for those in the cheap seats. YOU ARE NOT IN COMPETITION WITH ANYONE ELSE FOR ANYTHING. Unless you participate in a contest – a race, a fencing bout, any professional sport, a spelling bee, and the like – you're not competing. You're only competing with yourself Let's go back to academia. The truth of placement in any given class has nothing to do with competing for grades between people (not in general). The only person you're competing with when it comes to grades is yourself. The funny thing is, once you leave academia and move into jobs and “real life” situations, lots of forces tell you both blatantly and subtly about all the competition you're in now. Except, the truth is, you're still only competing with yourself. The lies of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency Have you been told that “they” are going to take your money, your job, your way of life, and worse? All of these messages are tied to lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. Here's the most shocking truth of this. All of these messages are bullshit. The vast majority of what you're told is in limited supply, is lacking, insufficient, or is otherwise scarce, isn't. That's because most of these notions are completely artificial. Maybe some tangible things are in short supply. But they can all be replaced by something else with no true detriment to anyone. The intangibles – including peace, respect, love, empathy, kindness, and compassion – are in more abundance than you can imagine. The only person to be better than is yourself Human beings grow, evolve, and change throughout their lifetime. It's not really competing to improve who you are, how you treat others, and what you do or don't do. Maybe some people want to compete with their prior self to make themselves even better. That's not competing with anyone else but yourself. You can always win this competition, often just by showing up. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: The next time you're not alone, like in a store, on a bus, walking down a street, in an office or classroom, or anywhere similar and mostly public, look around you. Notice the other people. Note how they're the same as you. Observe how they're different from you. Most importantly, become aware of these people. That done, ask yourself these three questions. ·        Am I better than them? (Spoiler alert – no) ·        Are they better than me? (Answer – no) ·        Am I competing with any of these people? (Again, no) When you're out and about in the world, and you encounter other people, randomly or otherwise, guess what? You're not competing with them. What's more, you're not better than they are nor are they better than you are. Repeat whenever you find yourself thinking about competing with others outside of playing sports or the like. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The reality of what a comfort zone is Comfort zone is an inaccurate term. That's because, though it implies comfort, mostly the zone is one of familiarity. You know it, what's within it, how it works, and all that you can expect from this zone. It's comfortable only because it's familiar. When faced with the uncertain and the unfamiliar, having a comfort zone can and will make you feel stabler and better overall. The problem is that from within your comfort zone, your growth is massively limited. That's because to grow, evolve, and command change, you must be willing to move into the uncomfortable. This is the ultimate open cell you can't leave. Or more realistically, are afraid to leave because outside of it is the unknown. Trauma is a thing             The truth is that I've spent most of my adult life in combat mode. I've fought depression. There have been many struggles finding and keeping jobs (and getting paid anywhere near what I'm worth). During most of my 20s and 30s, I moved through a lot of relationships and attempted to put my polyamorous, square-peg self into a monogamous round-hole box. I've struggled with my weight, self-worth, and working on balancing my emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical health, wellness, and wellbeing. In the past 15 years or so, things have shifted. A lot. My life is stable, and I haven't the foggiest idea what to do with that. It's like I subconsciously need the challenges, the drama, the issues, and the troubles. Because without them I'm feeling oddly stuck. Applied mindfulness Practice active conscious awareness. Mindfulness is being actively aware, here and now, of your thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, and choice of a positive or negative approach. That present awareness opens the way for you to see not how it should be, or how “they” desire it to be, but how it is. This, however, can be really disconcerting. Particularly if you have been practicing mindfulness with a modicum of success. For example, via that practice, you've also made active choices and decisions for how to live your life, your way. How to leave a comfort zone One foot in front of the other. To quote Lao Tzu, “The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one's feet.” The first step is to recognize that I'm in an undesirable comfort zone. The second step is to recognize that it is, in fact, mine to leave. Then, the third step is to acknowledge this. Skipping acknowledgment is the equivalent of recognizing that the first step out the door is a 2-foot drop, but not taking that into account when you take the step. After recognition and acknowledgment, the fourth step is to leave the comfort zone. There is, however, an important bit to keep in mind here. Why? What is my why behind leaving the comfort zone? To leave a familiar but not comfortable place is a good answer, but still doesn't explore the next part. Where am I striving to get myself to? That's the tough part. It requires that I strike a balance between where I am, here and now, and where I desire to be. To get from here to there, steps must be taken. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: If you're feeling in any way stuck, examine if there's a why you can put a finger on. If so, consider where you desire to be, then take the following 4 steps: 1.      Recognize that you're in an undesirable comfort zone. 2.      Recognize that it is, in fact, yours to leave. 3.      Acknowledge this. This cannot be skipped. 4.      Leave the comfort zone. Repeat whenever you seek to make changes for yourself and your life. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do you do when you can't find the words? Sometimes you just don't know what to say or write. It's never just the words you use. Even the written word can convey a degree of tone, intent, and attitude. Communication is a complex mechanism of expression employed to convey ideas. It's how you and I can share notions, agree and disagree, and expand (or, frankly, shrink) our overall knowledge base. Communication can be both internal and external. Communication within and without Whole people are made up of 4 specific elements. One is tangible, the physical. The other three are intangible, the mental, emotional, and spiritual. Everyone has these four elements to themselves, yet how developed each is varies wildly. The intangible elements have a rather intense impact on how communication works. This is why it's more than words. Words are physical. That means there is still a mental, emotional, and spiritual element to all communications. Most of these are incredibly subtle. That's because of the intangible nature of the mental, emotional, and spiritual. This is also where miscommunication is frequently born. Words and body language go hand-in-hand when it comes to in-person conversations. Looks, how you stand, sighs, what you do with your hands, coupled with the words you speak convey an almost surreal amount of information. Communication is never just words You can be with a person, in the same space, and still misspeak, misinterpret information, and misunderstand. You think you're expressing yourself, you think you're reading another's cues, and then learn you utterly failed to communicate with one another properly, and now there's hurt. Even the unintentional hurt caused by miscommunication feels bad both given and received. What do you do when you can't find the words? For me, the answer is to keep searching. Maybe they're not here now, but they always come when called. Become more consciously aware and mindful of your own nonverbal, wordless communication styles. I've had a real eye-opener into how what I do and don't do, without words, can create an incredible degree of misunderstanding, which in turn leads to hurt feelings. That sucks. I can choose to learn a lesson from it, and by recognizing, acknowledging, and being accountable for my failed communication beyond words, I can grow and learn. You can do this, too. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Before you say anything to anyone, or send a DM or email, no matter what the topic is, pause. Consider your words, what they are, and what they will convey. Think about nonverbal elements that might go into it. Then act from there. It might not seem like much, but sometimes pausing and considering before acting can avoid confusion, miscommunication, misunderstanding, and other issues before they might even occur. Be mindful of what words and nonverbal communication you put out into the world. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every great began as a beginner Whether they were a leader, writer, painter, artist, athlete, or whatever, they started as a beginner. Nobody enters any given field as an expert. Nobody. Yes, some people advance quicker than others. This is dependent on inherent skill and/or talent, how they learn, how fast they learn, natural ability, and all sorts of other factors along the way. Still, even those who have the most gifts and innate proficiencies begin as beginners. Nobody starts at the top of their game. Unfortunately, there's a loud false narrative about the latently able starting at the top. It's okay when you don't get it right at the start There are, of course, numerous stories of people making lots and lots and lots of attempts before succeeding. Some of the most successful people in history endured tons of failures, false starts, and other challenges on the way to their success. They tried and failed and chose to keep working. They didn't do the half-assed, half-hearted “try” Yoda warns against in my favorite quote, “Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.” They do. It's an attempt, but an action that is doing rather than half-assed trying. The process is never the same for any creation, discovery, recognition, or success. The process, however, is similar. Thought leads to idea à Idea leads to actionable item à Actionable item leads to action à Action leads to learning from success or failure. The top of their game isn't necessarily THE top The GOATs all began as beginners. Not a single one of them appeared on the scene fully formed, greater than any other, ever. Holding them up as the pinnacle of achievement is often touted as inspiring. Yet frequently it has the exact opposite effect. Mindfulness to reach the top of their game Very seldom, almost impossibly seldom, does someone luck into the top of their game. Unplanned success and achievement at any given thing is almost mythical, like dragons. Nobody truly starts at the top of their game. They do the work, they attempt and have small successes or failures, and they make new attempts again and again until they succeed. That action isn't chance or luck or random happenstance. It's mindfulness. Active conscious awareness is mindfulness. Success and what it is varies from person to person. Measuring success is a highly individual matter. What's more, success is different for every individual. Maybe you're a beginner, maybe in the middle, or maybe at the top of your game. Wherever you are, mindfulness is the key to getting where you desire to go. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Try something you've never done before. Is there something you've been curious about trying out? Is there something new that has caught your attention you want to attempt to do? Might there be something you've not attempted because you were worried that you'd not be good at it? Do it. Take that thing and do it. OR, if there is nothing already in your queue, take up a new art/hobby/activity that piques your interest. Don't worry that you might suck at it, that's how everyone starts. Be the beginner and try this new thing. Write down what it is, how it goes, and how it's making you feel. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are choices and decisions so powerful? What you're never taught in school is how to be yourself. You're taught to read, write, communicate with others, and be part of the machine of your given society. You're never taught how to know yourself, basic psychology is only covered when you reach college (only if you bother with college and take any path along that line), and self-learning is not something you're taught. The truth of this life is that you are not just a cog in the machine. Rather, you're a human, being. You're capable of some pretty amazing things. The gurus, demagogues, and supposedly elite of society aren't better than you and me. They are not more worthy and deserving. They've just broken away from the herd, tasted power, and decided to hoard it for themselves and treat the rest of us like sheep. They've done what they tell you can't and shouldn't be done to maintain the false control and power they perceive themselves as having. Recognizing that you have the same power is imperative. Accessing it is easier than you realize. It's simply a matter of employing active conscious awareness and making choices and decisions. Mindfulness is all about choices and decisions Leaving the rote, routine, and subconscious living behind can be done by working with active conscious awareness. To use active conscious awareness to make choices and decisions is a matter of mindfulness. To begin practicing mindfulness, you just need to be present, here and now. Action often implies the physical. The truth is, it's not literally what you do as much as it's choices and decisions that you make. If you've not been a regular maker of choices and decisions, you'd be amazed at how often you have opportunities you don't consider. Even the most minor choices and decisions build strength to make larger and more impressive/more important things in your life. Actively choosing and deciding is how you can gain what little control over your life experience is available to you. Yet that seemingly little control is the key to being who, what, where, how, and why you desire to be. Choices and decisions empower you Most of the “power” claimed by leaders, gurus, demagogues, and the like is utterly false. The first step in taking the wheel to drive your life and choose your path is to exercise choices and decisions. Turn off the autopilot, and don't let yourself follow rote and routine and habit. Instead, choose and decide things. Actively and consciously apply mindfulness to make more choices and decisions. This is the most empowering thing you can do for yourself. You are the only you that is, and you are not just here to exist and survive this life. You're here to experience, explore, grow, evolve, and thrive. Choices and decisions are how you gain control on any level. You, and I mean you, are worthy and deserving of this. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Today, take a moment to write down every choice and decision you make. No matter how large or small, write it down. At the end of the day, mark all the choices and decisions you normally disregard as unimportant or make almost entirely by rote and routine. Repeat this process tomorrow, and see if you add any new active, consciously aware decisions to your practice. Once more, at the end of the day, mark all the choices and decisions you normally disregard as unimportant or make almost entirely by rote and routine. Examine if this has a positive, negative, or neutral impact on your self-awareness. Continue to work with this as necessary. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might get broken, but you won't be beaten The modern world is obsessed with extremes. So many things are viewed as either/or, rather than the far vaster middle between them. It's all black or white, never mind the shades of grey and myriad of colors between the opposite poles. One Size Fits All never fits all. Yet you're constantly bombarded by messages to conform, to find your accepted place in society, and to be a cog in the machine. When it comes to your mental, emotional, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing, lots of things might break you along the way. Nobody teaches you any better You're taught throughout your youth to care for your body in numerous ways. Diet, exercise, dental care, hair and skin care, all of these get tons of focus and you're taught to mind them. This is not true of your intangible, other elements of your being, however. Thus, stress, fear, anxiety, depression, and uncertainty are invisible illnesses that silently attack the physical via the mental, emotional, and spiritual. This can become quickly overwhelming, especially if you fall for the messages of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency, then turn outwards to solve these matters. However, the first step to any healing when you're broken starts within. It's all about mindfulness and choice You have more power than you probably realize. When you get broken physically, fixing the damage is usually direct. Mental, emotional, and spiritual damage is another matter. There is no One True Way for everyone, with one exception. Active conscious awareness, i.e., mindfulness. Mindfulness practice of this sort begins with becoming consciously aware of what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling, what your intentions are, the positivity or negativity of your life approach, and what you are or aren't doing. So, you might (and let's face it, most probably will) get broken in one or more of the elements of your health, wellness, and wellbeing along the way. However, you won't be beaten unless you allow yourself to be. Broken but not beaten is a choice Some challenges will feel insurmountable in this life. So long as you are here, drawing breath, and capable of independent thought, feeling, action, and intention, you won't be beaten. Unless you allow yourself to be. Everyone gets broken along the way. That's the nature of the human condition. So long as you live, you can recover. There are always resources to help you heal. No matter how you're broken – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually – something is available to you to aid your recovery. When you get broken you are not beaten unless you allow yourself to be. Unconditionally, you are worthy and deserving of making choices and decisions to heal on any and all levels necessary. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Think back on a previous experience that broke you. Were you broken physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or in multiple ways? How did you recover? What did you do to help that? Did you take steps to aid your recovery? Write it all down and keep it handy so that, the next time you're broken, you'll see that you've been broken – but not beaten - before, and can do it again. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tapping into this place between the subconscious and conscious mind The Void or The Flow State are references to that place outside of time and space where you simply are. They're the ultimate expression of the here and now — the present moment. In the flow, you ride along aware and unaware at the same time. It's an amazing disconnect where super cool things happen. Creativity directly connects you to The Void or The Flow State. That is one of the best ways to see, recognize, and develop your empowerment. The three states of mind Everyone everywhere is made up of three minds. The first is the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind is how your neurons fire to make your muscles do things, your heart beat, your lungs breathe, digestive system process food, and so on. The second is the subconscious mind. This is where your memories, values, beliefs, and habits live. For the most part, they simply are. You can access them at will, but that requires a conscious act. The conscious mind is your inner mindset/headspace/psyche self, as you perceive it here and now. It's the conscious awareness of who, what, where, how, and why you are, now. Via the conscious mind, you can access the subconscious to make changes, create new habits, review old memories, and so on. Two specific and separate places exist between the conscious and subconscious mind. One is the ego. The other space between the conscious and subconscious mind is The Void or The Flow State. This is a place where you simply are, being, doing, and existing, here and now. The Void or The Flow State lacks ego and loses track of time. How does the void of the flow state work? When you reach this place, you tend to find yourself in a metaphorical current, being carried along by the act of creating, working your mind, body, and/or soul. It's a place where thought, feeling, intention, approach, and action are one, moving automatically. Unlike the automation of habit, rote, and routine, however, The Void or The Flow State results from mindful conscious awareness action. This differs from habit, rote, and routine, because it's a product of intent. You are doing a thing consciously and intentionally, rather than habitually and subconsciously. The act of the doing combined with the intent leads to The Void or The Flow State. When you work in this place, it's one of the most empowering feelings you can get. The Void or The Flow State can't be forced Trying to force your way into The Void or The Flow State will have the opposite effect. Instead of being in that place where you are - doing, being, creating, in the now – you'll connect to the ego and its artificial reflection and expression of who, what, where, how, and why you believe you are. This will keep you out of The Void or The Flow State because it's missing the element of surrender. Why is this so empowering? Because any act where you have reached the ultimate place of present conscious awareness is your doing. Because you thought, felt, intended, and acted on something to make a thing happen, and then allowed it to be, you empowered yourself from the start. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Set aside 30-60 minutes to do an activity that you enjoy. To attempt to get into the void or the flow state, begin with a 2-minute breathing exercise. Set a timer. Breathe in as deeply as you can. Then, breathe out completely. Repeat for the full 2 minutes. Once your breathing exercise is complete, go to it. Do the activity you set the time to do. Allow yourself to get completely immersed in it. Once you're done, check how long you were at it. Did you lose track of time? Did it feel as if you simply were doing and being, in the moment? If yes, you experienced working from the void or a flow state. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gratitude is essential to our health, wellness, and wellbeing Gratitude is never a bad thing. It is a matter of positivity and it always builds and never destroys. Saying thank you, and meaning it, expressing the feeling behind gratitude is a tool for change. When we express how grateful we are for things we have, things we receive, tangibles or intangibles, we empower ourselves, as well as those around us. Gratitude in this way also improves our health, wellness, and wellbeing. On every level, gratitude is important to mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing. In the face of institutionalized disempowerment and disenfranchisement, we need every tool we can get to fix this. Gratitude is not selfish Not to put too fine a point on it, but feeling grateful and expressing gratitude is not an act of selfishness. How can I express gratitude when so many people are suffering so horridly? Because feeling grateful for things in no way disempowers anyone else. All those people who are experiencing awful things and suffering do not have their lot in life made worse when you are thankful for things. I know how hard this is. But consciousness creates reality. When we get focused on all this awfulness around us, we discuss it, we rant about it, we feel terrible seeing it, then we inadvertently energize it more. Being grateful and expressing gratitude is positive. Tangible or intangible, big or small, gratitude is always empowering There is no such thing as negative gratitude. Sure, there's false gratitude, but that's not gratitude. Genuine, true, real gratitude is always positive.  Genuine gratitude is an expression of appreciation. Appreciation is a direct pathway to kindness, compassion, and empathy. Everyone, everywhere, desires kindness, compassion, and empathy. Saying thank you, giving thanks, and offering gratitude are all positive, empowering acts. What's more, they are just as powerful when given as when received. Gratitude is abundance Saying thank you, and FEELING thankful is empowering. When you receive genuine thanks, doesn't it make you feel good? Giving it is equally – if not more powerful than - receiving it. The number of things for which we can be grateful are infinite. Mindfulness and gratitude How can you recognize and apply genuine gratitude? By using mindfulness. This form of mindfulness is active conscious awareness. It's not recognizing the world without via your six senses, though that is a factor. It's more about knowing your inner being. To do that requires active conscious awareness. This is a matter of recognizing, here and now, in the present, what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling, what your intent is, if your approach is one of positivity or negativity, and what your actions are or aren't. Tangible or intangible, big or small, gratitude is always empowering and always positive. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: In the now, say and feel Thank You at least a dozen times today. Whether to someone or something or to yourself, say it. When you say it, think it, feel it, and intend it. In this way, you empower yourself to change your life for the better. Gratitude is an expression of appreciation. Because like attracts like, appreciation appreciates. In this way, not only do you empower your life for the better, you empower the world for the better. To give this an extra boost, at the end of the day, before you go to bed, write out at least 5 things you are grateful for. Read what you write and put the energy into it to feel it. This practice can be applied forever. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growth comes only from leaving our comfort zones Despite being an actor in HS, a DJ in college, and serving as a court herald in my medieval organization – and speaking publicly in front of hundreds, sometimes – I'm more introverted than extroverted. Ambivert is a fair approximation for me. Doing this uncomfortable thing is extremely positive for my overall life approach. Why and how does that work? You can't grow from your comfort zone What does it mean to live? It's not simply a matter of existing, of being half-present, of just surviving. It's about thriving. Having experiences, learning things, meeting people, doing things, and the like. Unfortunately, this means there will be pain and bad things. However, that's just a part of the life experience. Living isn't always comfortable, and that's okay. Growth comes from experiences. Some are tangible, others intangible. Actively growing is empowering, and opens you to all kinds of potential, possibilities, and options. Becoming comfortable getting uncomfortable This is just like any muscle. The more you work it the stronger you get. It is equally important that you work and grow your mental, emotional, and spiritual muscles like you would your physical ones. This will be uncomfortable. That's largely because you are stepping into the unknown. There is no certainty in the unknown save uncertainty and the unknown. Getting mindfully uncomfortable The first step in the process is to identify what you desire to change. Mindfulness around this topic begins with acquiring conscious awareness of my thoughts, feelings, actions, approach, and intentions. Just thinking and feeling this out is a step away from my comfort zone. That's because it points me in the direction of the unknown and uncomfortable. Mindfulness can only be practiced by each of us individually. The power of non-toxic positivity Looking at both the positive and the negative - and choosing a positive approach - is genuine positivity. Toxic positivity ignores, disregards, and discards the negative. That's unrealistic, unhealthy, and of course toxic. Doing the uncomfortable thing via conscious awareness is a positive approach that can help you actively grow, change, and evolve. Growth comes only from leaving our comfort zones. Since I would rather take the wheel and drive my life than just go for a ride, this is how I empower myself, and is worthwhile to me. That's why doing the uncomfortable thing is positive. How empowering is that? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: When something uncomfortable happens in the next week – specifically anything that draws you out of your comfort zone, like a conversation, an opportunity to do something new and unusual, or the like - consider it before you act on it or dismiss it. What you believe – positive or negative – is true. After something pulls you out of your comfort zone or otherwise causes you to feel uncomfortable, it's easy to go negative. However, you have a choice. Here's the exercise: 1.      Write whatever the situation is/was down 2.      Explain why it generated the emotion it generated 3.      How are you feeling? 4.      If negative, can you refocus to find and/or create a positive? This is meant to show you how self-awareness and mindfulness empower you to change any belief you hold. It will also show how you can get comfortable and work with positivity in an uncomfortable situation. this in mind going forward. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choice is how you can take control of your life experience Quite possibly the single greatest superpower that we have is choice. The rest of the animal kingdom on this planet largely has a very set life path. Humans, however, have choices, like to merely survive or thrive. Some are the product of environment, privilege, birth, etc. However, most are inherent to all and are immaterial/intangible. This is due to the perception versus the reality of control. The perception of control is all about outward appearances. People doing things, having things, and being things that make them appear in control. Yet most of that is false, and not genuine control. Why? Because the only things we have genuine control over are our internal processes. Specifically, thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, life approaches, and so on. All of which are intangible and immaterial. Why is this the only real control we have? Because we alone exist in our heads, hearts, and souls. You alone control your mindset We have zero control over anyone or anything apart from ourselves. We can't control other people. Change is inevitable and the one and only constant in the Universe. It can, will, and does happen. All the time. Who you were is not who you are or who you will be. Sometimes this is in subtle ways. Other times in blatant ways. This is why beginning with mindset is important. Because by recognizing and acknowledging your mindset – which only you can do – you can gain control of it. Mindfulness for choosing What you have utter and total control over is your conscious awareness. However, this works only in the now, in the present. That's where mindfulness enters into it. The truth is that thoughts, feelings, intentions, approaches, and actions/inactions are most of what you can control in life. That's because they belong wholly, entirely, unequivocally to you. Being mindful empowers you. Choosing is empowering When you make active, conscious choices, you are taking control of your life experience. Via actively choosing, you make a decision and drive your life. When you are consciously aware you can practice mindfulness. When you're mindful, you enable yourself to exist here and now, in the present (which is the only measure of time that's genuinely real) to actively choose. Active choice is empowering. When you choose, you are deciding who, what, how, where, and why you are. Ultimately, that is how you can take control of your life experience. Choice is like any muscle. The more you use it the stronger it gets. That's why choice is empowering. Ultimately, choice is how you can take control of your life experience. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Tomorrow, be mindful about all the following choices. Pay attention to them, and before you make them, consider why you make them: ·        When you get dressed ·        What you choose to put on ·        What you have for lunch ·        Any conversations you initiate ·        What music you listen to ·        Any website you choose to visit ·        Any other active, conscious choices you make throughout the day At the end of the day, write down anything you remember about your choices. How did they make you feel? Were they worthy of you? Did you feel empowered by active, consciously making your choices? Keep this in mind going forward. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the meaning of life is staring us right in the face? If, as I postulate, the meaning of life is To Live, education and learning are a cornerstone of that. One of the failings of many of our leaders is their desire to keep us ignorant. It's a matter of their retention of control to keep us reliant on them to understand certain matters. Rather than empower, they prefer to disempower us by slashing education and maintaining the false control that they think they have. Coupled with this, we are not taught in any formal way how to recognize and know ourselves. At least, not beneath the surface. We're hyper-focused on appearance and other elements of the body, often to the exclusion of the rest of what we are. Hence, we neglect to account for mental, emotional, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing in favor of the physical. Education is empowering Learning builds up our ability to not only acquire new information, but to better understand the world around us. Life is all about learning. The more we learn, the more we grow. The more we grow, the more we become able to consciously create our realities and manifest an incredible world. As we educate ourselves, we can create something greater, something better than the collective reality we find ourselves in. We can empower ourselves, and from there empower one another to make the world a better place and change the narrative away from fear to reason. True education cannot be forced Formal schooling tends to be more about learning how to learn than gaining knowledge and understanding. Unfortunately, many people consider their education done when formal schooling ends. Knowledge is power. True power is the empowerment of the self. When we're empowered, we can build incredible things to better ourselves. By bettering ourselves and living our lives as fully as we can, we better the world around us. What's the Meaning of Life ultimately got to do with self-awareness? If the meaning of life is to live, then you must be self-aware to do that. That means not just recognizing the world outside, but the world within you. To do so, you must question your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions, here and now. Only in the now can you be truly present as the now is the only time that's truly real. You have the power to understand the meaning of life by experiencing all it has to offer. To do that, you need to live, That begins via self-awareness, and self-awareness is for everyone. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This is an exercise for living life. Start by setting aside 5 minutes where you can be completely by yourself. Get a pen and paper/notebook, tablet, or some other means to write or type. Set a timer for 5 minutes. For the first 2 minutes, just breathe deeply. Breathe in as deep as you can, let it out fully. Repeat until those 2 minutes are up. Now, ask and answer this question: What experiences do I desire to have to feel the most alive that I can? There are no wrong answers. This can be taking regular walks in nature, sex, naps, travel, read a book, watch a funny video, or what-have-you. It's less about the actual experience and more about how that will make you feel. Stop at the end of the 5 minutes and look at what you've got. How can you apply it? If it's a financial issue, are there alternatives that will also make you feel alive? Repeat this whenever you question the meaning of life and your place in the Universe, or anytime you have uncertainty or just feel like doing this analysis of your life and desires. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How and why does your approach to the unknown matter? Sometimes, when you can't put your finger on why you are feeling a certain way, the answer is simple. The unknown. When you are facing many uncertainties, challenges, and questions with unpredictable outcomes, you seek answers. Yet the outcome of all the above is utterly unknown. Recognize, acknowledge, and consciously choose your approach You can make choices to take a different approach. If you allow yourself to fall victim to your visceral senses when they're negative, that's the approach you'll take to everything you do today. However, if you choose to seek positivity and take that approach, that will be the approach you take to what you do today. Either way, the outcome is unknown. The truth is that outcomes on almost every level are largely unknown. No matter what you plan, what you do, or your intentions, shit happens you didn't expect, adding to and altering the outcome and expanding how much is unknown. Hence, if you have any desire at all to make choices and decisions for what your life looks like, choosing your approach to the unknown is a must. The three primary ways to live this life Every single human being is here for one primary purpose. To live. I'm increasingly believing that the meaning of life is just that simple. To live. ·        Let life live you ·        Curl up in a ball and await death ·        Get behind the wheel and drive life Everyone shifts between these from time to time. Nobody is immune to being hurt physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually. There are also other ways to live this life between and apart from these three. Mindfulness and self-awareness of control in your approach to the unknown We have a very limited amount of control over the world around us. Externally, this amounts to what we wear, to some degree where we are, and how we present ourselves to the world. Otherwise, all the rest of our control is internal. What that means is that it's all about conscious awareness. Rather than letting your subconscious mind do the driving via rote, routines, and habits, you're choosing to apply active conscious awareness. That practice is mindfulness. Via mindfulness, you can know what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling, your intentions, and actions you do or don't take. From thought, feeling, intention, and action, the choice of an approach to life is yours to be made. NOTE: Your feelings and emotions are valid. Nobody but you can feel them, after all. However, you can assume control of them via mindfulness, and rule them - rather than let them rule you. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This tool is for recognizing your approach and changing it if necessary. To begin, set aside 5 minutes at the start of your day to do this uninterrupted. Take a full minute to do some deep breathing. Focus wholly on your breaths in and out for that minute. Then ask, ·        How do I feel right now? ·        What am I feeling now? ·        Is there anything I am anticipating that's coming up? ·        Do I think today will be good, bad, or neutral? Please write both the questions and the answers. Based on your answers, how would you define your current approach? Does it suit you? If yes, carry on. If no, here's how to act to change it. Take several deep breaths in and out to center yourself. Then, write down these questions and the answers to them, answering immediately as you ask: ·        What am I thinking? ·        How am I feeling? ·        What am I feeling? ·        What do I desire? The above mindfulness questions help you be more self-aware and present, here and now. With this conscious self-awareness, if you are dissatisfied with the answers you can take action to change them. That is the best way to face the unknown. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not knowing things is how you grow and evolve Multiple forces are pushing the idea that “I don't know” makes you weak, makes you inferior, and sets you up to fail. They don't know something? Look how inferior they are because they don't know and we do. This is utterly backward, however. Scientific curiosity is born of looking at something, saying “I don't know but desire to learn.” The unknown is where great discoveries abound. Seeking answers when you don't know is how we got to the world we're at today. Empowering learning and growth All learning of real knowledge begins with recognizing that there are things you don't know. More than that, there are things you don't know but desire to know. Thus, you start to do what you can to learn. “I don't know” leads you to question things and empowers you to seek answers. Social studies, advanced math, and science in school start to address this and teach you. However, it doesn't address the question “Who am I?” That is a self-directed matter. Who you are can be known to you, and you alone. That's because you're the only one in your head, heart, and soul. Nobody but you can know you, as such. Self-awareness 101. Working with and from “I don't know” makes you stronger, not weaker The truth is that admitting “I don't know” makes you strong. Not knowing things doesn't make you lesser, unworthy, or defective. Truth is, it makes you human. “I don't know” applies to everyone everywhere. That doesn't make you lesser, or weaker. It empowers you to grow, learn, and evolve. Because nobody knows everything about anything - but human beings are inherently curious and seek to learn, grow, and evolve - the starting point is inevitably “I don't know”. That's why “I don't know” is so damned healthy. It is from not knowing that we seek to gain more knowledge. I don't know, because there is always something to be learned No matter what scale you measure life, the Universe, and everything on, there is always something to be learned. When you are taught to fear “I don't know”, you are disempowered. You remain sheltered, ignorant, and at the mercy of the people telling you not knowing makes you weak. Nothing could be further from the truth. There will always be things to be learned. Knowledge to be gained. That's why it's healthy to admit “I don't know.” Without that admittance, how else can you grow, evolve, and expand what you know? How else can you know who you are and change if that isn't who you desire to be? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Is there something you have always desired to know? Take steps to learn it. Watch the YouTube videos, visit the website, read the blogs, buy the book, and/or experiment with the practice. Whatever it is, make the time and the effort to learn it, however best you learn things (reading, watching, listening, doing, and so on). Don't put this off until tomorrow. After you finish listening to this podcast, take something you don't know – but have always desired to know – and make the effort to learn or learn about it. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does anything I do Matter? The Squirrels in my brain are being major dicks at the moment. Why? Because they're chewing on thoughts that do me no good and are almost entirely out of my control. On top of my work to be as genuine and true to myself as I can be, there are other things I can't pretend don't exist. It's far too easy to feel a sense of impending doom and gloom about the world right now. Taking a different vantage point While the above can and does impact us in different ways, for the most part, this is indirect. Here's the thing – what can I do about anything going on in the world at large? The answer is little to nothing. Focusing on it and giving it all of my attention doesn't help the situation. Unfortunately, it also doesn't help me and my life. When you look at the big picture, and the situations all around the world, it feels like anything we do doesn't matter. However, that's simply not true. Does anything I do matter? Of course it does. It matters to me. What that means is that anything that I do matters. It matters to and for me. Ah, but isn't that selfish? From a certain point of view, yes. That, however, is dependent on your definition of selfishness. Mine is simple. Any action taken with malice of forethought, knowing full well that you are causing hurt or harm to another, and YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT, is selfish. Acts of self-care, though someone might call them so, ARE NOT SELFISH. When you begin with self-care, you become more empowered. When you are more empowered, you become a beacon. That beacon can help others to also become empowered. Does what I do matter? Hell yes. Because we get one shot each, in this time, living and experiencing in these bodies. How I make the most of that time is what matters most. That starts for me, first. Am I making choices and decisions to live, to do, to experience life? Or not? Are you? Does anything I do matter to the big picture? In the abstract, no. However, when you zoom in on yourself and your life, it absolutely does matter. Know this – choosing to be the best you that you can be, to live with passion, does no harm to others. We're not in competition for either tangibles or intangibles. Hence, you or me deciding to live as fully as possible doesn't mean someone else can't. When I am mindful of and work with this, I'm empowered. I believe that choosing and deciding to live life as fully as possible matters. To make anything I do matter to the big picture, I must start with myself from within to do more without. This is not selfish, but it is self-interest. I alone live my life and can be who, what, where, how, and why I desire to be. You have the exact same power and ability, too. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Write out everything that is on your mind right now. List it in three columns – good, bad, neither, or neutral. Please each thing on your mind – no matter what it is, and if it's big or small, personal or global – on the page or screen. Give yourself 2-5 minutes to do this. Stream of consciousness, write anything that comes to mind. When done, highlight, circle, or underline anything you cannot directly control. For example, politics, war, horrible people and business practices, and so on. When done, rewrite the list excluding all of those things. From the new list, when it comes to the neutral or the bad, what, if anything, can you do with or about it? Lastly - write out all the things from the list that you removed because you cannot control them. What, if anything, can you do about them? If nothing, can you release them and move on without them? Use this exercise anytime you find yourself questioning if you matter and/or feeling overwhelmed. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The world needs more genuine, non-toxic positivity to combat the fear Whether we like it or not, we live in a fear-based society. All around us are messages aimed to keep us afraid. Why? This might come across as cynical, but I can't disprove it: Because capitalism demands sales. One of the best ways to get people to buy goods and services is via fear. The best way to combat a fear-based society is with reason. Reason, tied to logic, is the antithesis of fear. That's because reason often exposes fear for its bullshit. Genuine, non-toxic positivity versus toxic positivity The use of toxic positivity has made genuine, non-toxic positivity seem hard to distinguish. It causes many to automatically dismiss all positivity, genuine or otherwise. Neutrality doesn't help anyone when all is said and done. Neutrality can't combat negativity. Positivity, however, can. Genuine, non-toxic positivity. It's a matter of choice in the face of negativity When bad things happen you'll experience an immediate, visceral, automated reaction to it. That varies from person to person, and it takes more forms than this podcast is covering. After that initial reaction, however, you have a choice. Feed the negativity or feed the positivity. Certain happenings appear to have no positivity tied to them. That's the nature of uncertainty. Yet they can teach you something, help you grow and evolve, and open you to make choices and decisions for change. That's a positive, is it not? The challenge of outside influences People might see you choosing to move on from something via genuine, non-toxic positivity, and form an opinion. Then, they might share their opinion. It might run completely counter to what you're doing. Whose life is It anyway? Nobody but you is in your head, heart, and soul. Ergo, there is nobody else who can think for you, feel for you, act for you, or intend for you. It's all yours. What does genuine, non-toxic positivity look like? First and foremost, it does not apply to anyone other than you. You recognize and acknowledge the world can be an imperfect, illogical, even awful place. Bad things might be happening/have happened, and they're not to be disregarded. Then, you practice mindfulness to be consciously aware of yourself. What this looks like is recognizing something has happened, but that either/and/or it's a learning opportunity, a blessing in disguise, an unavoidable change, or a chance to start something new, change direction, and so on. This comes down to making choices and decisions for how you approach life here and now and then moving forward. Genuine, non-toxic positivity is working with potential and possibilities to live life on your terms and in your control. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: We're going to use Gratitude to connect to positivity. Expressing gratitude always generates positivity. Genuine gratitude is never negative. It's always a positive force in the world. At the end of the day, before you go to bed, for the next week, please write down 5-10 things you're grateful for. When you write them down, write out, “I am so grateful for *insert tangible or intangible here*. Thank you!” After you write them out, read them out. As you read them, pause between each to feel the gratitude for them. This can be anything – big, small, silly, whatever. That means it can be sunshine, the purr of your cat, being able to tighten your belt more, a song, a person, breathing, or anything else you can imagine for which you can be grateful. After a week, examine what impact, if any, this is having for your overall attitude and life experience. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recognize and acknowledge what you do and don't (can and can't) control The world is at your fingertips. On the one hand, this is incredible. Only in the last two or three decades have we had the power to learn and know anything at all about any topic whatsoever. On the other hand, this is terrible. There is so much information available that it can be incredibly overwhelming. What's more, finding fact versus opinion – informed or utter BS - is another challenge that can only be overcome by choice and action. Parsing out the information constantly bombarding you can be increasingly challenging. It's even harder when many of the solutions you're offered line someone's pockets and at best offer temporary comfort or relief. Is there anything you can do about that? Misrepresentation of selfishness When you let your mind, body, and spirit fall into disrepair, you experience ill health, depression, anxiety, crises of faith, disassociation, and other signs of poor health, wellness, and wellbeing. You, and you alone, can make choices and decisions to care for your mind, body, and spirit. Genuine selfishness is done with malice of forethought. Hence, self-care, and putting your own health, wellness, and wellbeing first are not selfish acts. Is there anything you can do about that? The world seems to be going quite mad, right? Yet, there's an important question about this that you might not ask. Is there anything that you can do about that? The answer is going to vary from person to person. For the most part, it's “that depends”. Overall, however, the answer is going to be no. That doesn't mean there's nothing at all I can do about these things. Why does knowing the limits of what you can do about that matter? Does it do you any good to worry about things outside of your control? If you give large swaths of your time, attention, and energy to these terrible things, constantly watch the news, and scan social media, can you change them? Are you a bad person if you don't give them more than a passing thought and basic, vague acknowledgment? NO. Why? Because you can control only a limited, few things directly. All of them are or start within you and belong solely to you. Specifically, you can control your thoughts, feelings, actions, intentions, approach to matters tangible and intangible, choices, and decisions. That's it. How? Active conscious awareness. Practicing mindfulness My definition of mindfulness is active conscious awareness in action. What that means is not just going with the flow or living by rote and routine, but asking questions here and now, in the present moment, to become actively consciously aware. If you worry, fret, and focus on things you can do nothing about, you can choose to change that. Recognizing, acknowledging, and working with this can change your life in multiple ways. How? By changing your focus to things that you can do something with and/or about. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: For the next week, practice the following: Whenever you read something online, watch the news, are told something by friends, family, or anyone else, about a problem, challenge, issue, horror, or whatever, ask, Is there anything I can do about this? If the answer is yes, consider doing something about whatever “this” is. If the answer is no, however, work to let it go, release it, or just don't think about it beyond the initial conversation. At the end of the day, write down anything that has stuck with you that you can't do anything about. Then, to alleviate the tension it's still causing, write down, “I'm sorry there's nothing that I can do about that.” Does this make you feel better and free up brain capacity for other things?   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The whole body is impacted by active conscious awareness Everything begins with thought. Thought happens on three levels – unconscious, subconscious, and conscious. The unconscious is how you breathe automatically, digest, blink, and the like. The subconscious mind is where beliefs, values, habits, and memories live. You can access them, but doing so requires a conscious act. The conscious mind is how you engage with the world within and the world without, here and now. Mindfulness is how you can access the conscious mind, which is how you access your subconscious mind. But it's also how you do everything that you do. Hence mindfulness isn't about the mind alone. You are physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual           Every person on Planet Earth has four elements that define them. These are the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Body, mind, emotion, and soul, if you will. All of these make up the greater whole of everyone and our overall health, wellness, and wellbeing. The three levels of thought – unconscious, subconscious, and conscious, work in concert all the time. We are best able to be our most connected selves on every level, here and now, when the elements of our health, wellness, and wellbeing are balanced. This is why mindfulness isn't just about the mind. Mindfulness and health, wellness, and wellbeing Since everything begins with thought, applied conscious awareness makes perfect sense. After all, if you aren't clearly aware of your thoughts, all else will gets muddled. This is why mindfulness isn't just about the mind. It is also about the body, the soul, and everything else that goes into making you, you. Without active conscious awareness, you cede control. Mindfulness applies to the body and soul because neither can function without the mind. The sum total of you can be controlled by you via active conscious awareness, here and now. That is mindfulness in action. Why does being present matter? Here and now, right this moment, in the present, you can choose who, what, where, how, and why you are. Mindfulness is your superpower Via mindfulness and control of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions, you can be, have, or do anything. Mindfulness, active conscious awareness, is the initiating thought that leads to being the best you that you can be. Mindfulness isn't just about the mind. The whole body is impacted by active conscious awareness practice. That superpower is how you can be virtually anything you desire to be. Via mindfulness, you can recognize your options and make conscious, active choices about what paths to walk - or not - to the desired end. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Let's use mindfulness to check in with your body and spirit, rather than your mind. However, this does begin with your mind, since it starts with thought. Give yourself at least 5 minutes to do this. Begin with one minute of deep breathing in and out to center yourself, and be as calm and present as possible. That done, ask these questions, here and now. You can choose to write them down or not. ·        Is my stomach calm, churning, or otherwise unsettled? ·        Is my heart beating slow or fast? ·        Do I have any pain anywhere in my body? ·        Am I experiencing any sense of loss, confusion, uncertainty, or the like? ·        Do I feel like I'm in control of my life? Yes, all of these originate in thought and the mind, but they focus on and address the body and spirit. Similar questions can be asked that can also produce mindfulness of your body and spirit, specifically. Use this tool to better know yourself in all possible ways.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Just be yourself” is all well and good, but… Two of the most distressing things that dominate our society are the expectations of others and the “shoulds.” Early in our lives, before we're even scientifically capable of self-awareness, our parents and other family members guide us. Eventually, it moves from guidance to direction. We accept that the expectations of others, personal or impersonal, when not met, make us outcasts. Add to this all the “shoulds” presented along the way, and we bend, twist, and reshape ourselves to fit a given mold. We wear masks in public that can prove difficult to remove in private. Start with recognition and acknowledgment Before you begin any work to break out of this mold, it's very, very important to understand one thing. Nobody is at fault or to blame for this. What's more, placing blame or seeing fault does nothing for you. That's because placing blame and fault displaces feelings and emotions. Why? Because even if you can place blame or fault, does that change anything? No. Only you can get to know the real you. That's because you're the only in in your head, heart, and soul. That begins and ends within you. Learn self-awareness to be yourself Nobody lives in a bubble. You should have some awareness of the people, places, and things around you. This applies to both the direct and indirect. However, you don't need to be utterly bombarded and inundated with this info. The key to being yourself is self-awareness. This is right in front of you and readily accessible to you. Yet nobody teaches you this for all sorts of reasons. Largely because one-size-fits-all for this can't be easily applied. To be actively consciously aware, all you must do is be here, fully present, and in the now. Then ask, ·        What am I thinking? ·        What am I feeling? ·        How am I feeling? ·        What do I intend? ·        What am I doing? This active, conscious awareness is mindfulness. To be mindful of yourself is to be yourself. Mindfulness, conscious self-awareness, and yourself Everyone has both a conscious and subconscious mind. Your subconscious is where your beliefs, values, memories, and habits live. Your conscious mind is where you actively think about things. Making a regular practice of active conscious awareness – mindfulness – tells you who, what, where, how, and why you are. That is how you be yourself. Mindfulness is how you can be yourself. Because when you know, consciously, what you think, feel, intend, and do, you are capable of choosing to be who, what, where, how, and why you desire to be. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Are you being yourself? For some people that's not an easy question to answer. Let's see what we can do to help with that. This will require at least 5 minutes of uninterrupted time. Sit at a computer or write in a journal everything that comes to mind when you ask these questions: ·        Who am I? ·        What am I? ·        Why am I? ·        How am I? Give yourself 1-2 minutes to answer each question. Once you've written this down, read it. Do these answers reflect you being yourself, or who you believe others expect you to be? Another step to take, if the answers don't suit you, is to work out what you can do to change them. Write that down, too. When done, does it feel like you know yourself better?   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what it is – food, media, entertainment, drugs – you have ultimate control Consumption isn't only about food and drink. It's also about what you watch, read, listen to, see, and take in. Ours is the ultimate consumer society. Overall, people can connect, communicate, learn, and consume vast amounts of anything you can conceive of, tangible or intangible. Despite all the news and information about so many negatives, the world isn't a dangerous place on the brink of self-destruction Junk food for the mind, body, and soul is too readily available Lack of mindfulness of what we consume is how we wind up consuming a lot of junk food for the mind. This is not just food and drink, it's everything. News, information, entertainment, advertising, religion, government, take your pick. Whether it's to eat a cookie or an apple or watch kitten videos on YouTube or propaganda-spewing influencers, you have a choice. What you eat and what you watch will impact your health, wellness, and overall wellbeing. This will be true of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual self. How do you be mindful of everything you consume? All mindfulness on every level begins with the same thing. It's active conscious awareness. To engage mindfulness, all you need to do is ask and answer any of these questions, here and now: ·        What am I thinking? ·        What am I feeling? ·        How am I feeling? ·        What do I intend? ·        What am I doing? These can only genuinely be answered in the moment. Asked of the past or the future, you can't know or trust the answers. That's because the past has bias and experiential pitfalls while the future is uncertain and unknown. To be mindful of what you consume, you need to ask questions, here and now, like, ·        Why or why not consume this news/food/drink/information? ·        Will consuming this make me feel good or feel bad? ·        Is this consumable good for me or bad for me? ·        What value, if any, is in this consumable? These and questions like them, asked and answered here and now, tell you if what you're about to consume is helpful or harmful. What does it take to be mindful of what you consume? Awareness. Recognition. Acknowledgment. Action. First, awareness that you can choose what you consume, Then, you can recognize what those choices are. After that, acknowledge them as above and how they'll impact your health, wellness, and wellbeing. Finally, act on it. Make mindful choices about what you're consuming. When it comes to what you consume, more mindfulness of it allows you to choose healthy versus unhealthy options, whether they'll impact you physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or all the above. This empowers you to take the control that is your right for how to live your life. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: At least once a day, for the next week, be mindful of what you consume. Write down these questions and ask them before you consume food, drink, information, social media, or the like. ·        Why or why not consume this news/food/drink/information? ·        Will consuming this make me feel good or feel bad? ·        Is this consumable good for me or bad for me? ·        What value, if any, is in this consumable? If possible, write the answers down immediately. Otherwise, write them down when you can (within the same day, please). Does this make you feel more aware of what you're consuming?   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Undesirable, annoying, upsetting, and disappointing things happen to everyone I recently had to deal with such a situation with the publishing of my latest book. My initial, visceral reaction to what went wrong was anger, and a desire to curse, scream, lash out, and rail against the Universe. But that was only the immediate, visceral reaction I had. What good would any of that do me? Pause, reflect, redirect I stopped and took a deep breath. Okay, this is upsetting, annoying, disappointing, and frustrating. All true and all, I think, justifiable. But now I have a choice in front of me. React in a useless but potentially releasing way. Shout, curse out my luck, blame myself for failing, get angry, and generally let this negatively impact me, my day, my weekend, or however long I choose. - Or – I can acknowledge that this sucks and ask, “What the what?” Then take whatever action is available to me to resolve this problem. Admittedly there's a third option, too. Do nothing, walk away, ignore it for now. While there are certainly times, happenings, and circumstances where that might serve – this is a form of inaction. I believed that action of some sort was my best course to choose. Getting angry and reacting by screaming about it and cursing everything and everyone out gets me nowhere. Knowing that, I made all my choices for how I'd respond with a positive approach. What you do next is always a choice Your visceral initial reaction to things that happen is automated. Some things that happen will make you squee with excitement and joy. Other things that happen will make you scream, curse, and throw a temper tantrum. Then there are the reactions that fall between these extremes but are no less automated. Immediately or near-immediately after your visceral reaction, you have a choice. Respond with continued anger or continued joy? What if you make the wrong choice for what you do next? This has paralyzed lots of people along the way. What if I choose wrong? What if how I respond does me no good? Frankly, unless this is a life-or-death choice, it's always changeable. If you choose wrong, and you're still here, you can choose again. How you respond in-depth is always a choice that can potentially disempower or empower you. Wouldn't you prefer to feel empowered over feeling disempowered by how you respond? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This might not be immediately applicable. When something unexpected happens, unless you're incapacitated, please write it down, as well as how it made you think and feel in the moment when it happened. Be as detailed as you can. Now that some time has passed since the initial reaction, what do you desire to do next? Look at what happened, how you reacted to it, and where you are now. Write down at least 5 positive steps you can take next, as well as 5 negative steps you can take next. Please note, this can only be things that YOU can do. Also, they can impact only your life experience, because you can't change anyone else's. When you're done, read what you've got. Which of the options do you desire to pursue? This is all about what's next after an initial, visceral reaction to something happening to you. The main purpose is to affirm that any and all choice related to it belongs to you, and you alone. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Empathy can better the world around us The holiday season has begun. This can be extremely difficult for many, stirring up a host of wildly different emotions. How we feel the emotions we feel differs. Feelings have both a how and why to them. Depth, sensation, the actual way in which we feel things varies from person to person. This boils down to every single emotion because we're all individuals. However, the similarities in what these emotions are shouldn't be ignored or disregarded. And, further, nobody's emotions and how/what of feelings are greater or lesser than anyone else's. Empathy is for everyone Empathy seldom stands alone. It frequently tags along with kindness and compassion. The world we live in today is rocked by so much fear, and so many messages of scarcity and lack. Apart from more accountability, the one thing that I think would be of tremendous help to the world would be more empathy. Empathy allows you to put yourself in the other person's shoes. This is where some confuse this for sympathy. I can best describe it thus: sympathy is saying, “Wow, I'm so sorry you are going through that,” whereas empathy is saying, “I see how you're feeling, and I desire to understand your feelings.” Gaining understanding Empathy is understanding, and I think we need a lot more of that in this world. Feeling empathy towards other people is how we build bridges and create the best world we can. Empathy is where we can see that this is a world of abundance with room for more prosperity and good for everyone. When you see the terrible things happening in the world at large, consider your response. Can you empathize with people who are suffering? I think that if we find and feel more empathy, we can do a whole lot more to make this world a better place for everyone. But first, we must empathize with ourselves. Empathy for health, wellness, and wellbeing Human beings have 4 elements to their health: mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual. If one is out of balance, they all tend to be unbalanced. When you apply empathy to yourself you become more empowered. That can be more readily turned outward. Before you know it, you can be more empathetic towards others. Mindfulness is key to empathy, as well as kindness and compassion. You're worthy and deserving of empathy. Experiencing optimum health, wellness, and wellbeing is right for all. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This one might be a challenge if everyone around you is largely okay. So it might not be immediately applicable. If someone you know is suffering in any way – can you put yourself in their shoes? Can you imagine in your mind's eye what they're thinking and feeling? From there, can you picture what it would be like to be going through whatever they're going through – even if it's something you disagree with or take issue with in any way? Write this down. However, write it down as if you are that person. “I'm thinking about ‘x'” and “I'm feeling ‘y'” and the like, in first person. Read what you wrote down. How does this make you feel? This is a way to practice empathy. However, please note – empathy in no way means you can help another that doesn't want help. It gives you a perspective that can be applied to others and yourself, which can lead to more kindness and compassion all around. The world can never have too much kindness, compassion, and empathy.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mindset gives choices direction and intent When it comes to choices you do or don't make, your mindset will set up your outcome, at least to a degree. It's imperfect, but that's the nature of the Universe. When you go into a situation expecting a negative outcome, you're very likely to get it. Shouldn't that mean if you go into a situation expecting a positive outcome, you're very likely to get it? Yes, but not exactly. That's due to the unpredictable nature of the Universe. Mindset and competition When you have a mindset that you're going to lose, it's not much of a stretch to call yourself a loser. Then, before you know it, you're expecting shit to go wrong, problems, failures, and you set it all up to go precisely that way. Of course, this can be reversed. When you have a mindset that you're going to win, it's not much of a stretch to call yourself a winner, develop confidence, find possibilities, potential, and set yourself up to grow, evolve, and take control of your self. Mindset matters in everything we choose to do We have control over very little in the Universe. Most, if not all of it, is within ourselves. Specifically, we control our thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. Doesn't seem like very much, does it? The truth, however, is that it's everything. Thought + Feeling + Intent + Action = A creation! Mindset enters into this if you stop and question the validity of the process, or if someone else causes you to question it in some way. Only three things are guaranteed and true for everybody. Birth, life, and death. Everyone is born, everyone lives, and everyone dies. Mindset matters to mindfulness and control When you engage in active conscious awareness – mindfulness – you open yourself to assuming control of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. When all is said and done, that control is pretty much the only control you really, truly, have in life. Mindset isn't permanent. You can control it, choose it, and change it as necessary. This ultimately empowers you. If you're having a bad day, mindset will show you if this will be the whole day, or if you can act to change it. That's why mindset matters with everything you choose to do. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Let's apply mindfulness to check on your present mindset. Take 5 minutes and put yourself somewhere that you'll be uninterrupted. Take a deep, deep breath in, hold for a two-count, then let it out. Repeat twice. Write down these questions and their answers: ·        Right now, what are you thinking? Is it positive or negative? ·        Right now, what are you feeling? Is it positive or negative? ·        Right now, how are you feeling? Is it positive or negative? ·        Right now, has your day been positive, negative, or neutral? If 2 of 4 are negative, you're likely in a neutral mindset (also if the answer to the last is neutral). You might need to check if you're applying active conscious awareness or living subconsciously by rote, routine, and habit. If 3 or more are negative, you're likely living in a negative mindset. Ask why your answers were negative to get insight into changes to make. If 3 or more are positive, you're living in a positive mindset.  How empowered are you feeling recognizing and acknowledging this?   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does everyone experience overwhelm from time to time? Absolutely, yes. But not everyone chooses to actively reduce and separate themselves from overwhelm. Human beings were not designed to have overwhelm be our default. But here we are. Everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you something. Then, we're being pulled every which way by friends, family, so-called leaders, influencers, and total strangers with a virtual bully pulpit of one form or another. We don't recognize the danger The major downside to the instant, constant connectivity of our smartphones, the bombardment of messages in our environments, coupled with the need for acceptance and human interaction is a potent brew that, unchecked, ferments to overwhelm. According to Gallup, as of 2022, 72% of people have their mobile phone with them when they sleep. And 64% of people check it first thing in the morning, whether it was with them in the night or not. We've been increasingly indoctrinated to not recognize the danger. We just accept half a dozen billboards back-to-back-to-back, advertising on busses, music in bars and restaurants, and the propaganda of the “new normal”, until we're so overwhelmed that we lose perspective, lose awareness, and have no idea how we got here. You can recognize overwhelm in yourself The only person in your head, heart, and soul, is you. Nobody else can think, feel, intend, or act for you. If you don't work it, nobody else can or will. When you stop and consider all the data you are absorbing daily – passively and actively, subconsciously and consciously – it becomes apparent that it's a lot. But you can recognize this. That, then, empowers you to do something about it. The choice is yours You live in this world with all the messages constantly scrabbling for your attention. Thus, you get to decide if you allow them to reach you, impact you, and sink into your psyche passively or actively, subconsciously or consciously. The choice in this is whether you allow it to settle in and be your norm. Or not. You can mindfully take steps and various actions to reduce, lessen, and fix the impact of overwhelm. But it's not passive, it's only achievable via active choices. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Overwhelm reduction tools Each of these can help you reduce overwhelm in your life. I've employed all of these myself and found them to be quite helpful. Put away your smartphone Put your smartphone/tablet/laptop down and walk away. Go to nature or out on the water Go somewhere without the constant advertisements and messages. Journal therapy Journal. Write down what's overwhelming you. The vessel of overwhelm A visualization tool my therapist taught me. Find a place you can have privacy for at least 5 minutes. Take a deep breath. Visualize a container of some sort. Visualize opening the container. Once it's open, take everything that's currently having an impact on you – mentally, emotionally, physically, and/or spiritually – and place it, item by item, in the vessel. Take all the pains, fears, discomforts, annoyances, and all else you don't desire to deal with now, or that you recognize you have zero control over, and put it in the vessel. Once done, seal it up. Feel free to visualize locking it tight, placing it in a safe, or otherwise setting it somewhere secure and away. Take a few deep breaths in and out, staying with the visual of those things you removed and placed in the vessel. Welcome back. How do you feel? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gratitude empowers – given and received I have an amazing life. And for that, I have tremendous gratitude. Gratitude is something we easily take for granted. That's not anyone's fault, per se. But when you live in a mass-consumption, consumer-driven, fear-based society, gratitude is easy to shunt away and take for granted. By having gratitude for what you already have, you can get what you desire. However, having and expressing gratitude for all you already have alters your desire in positive ways. Gratitude and mindfulness Mindfulness – as I define it – is active conscious awareness of your inner being. It's achieved by a combination of sensory input (via your 6 senses) and knowing – in the present, here and now: ·        What you're thinking ·        How and what you're feeling ·        What your intentions are ·        What actions you are or aren't taking Being consciously aware of these makes you mindful. And it tells you, right now, who, what, where, how, and why you are. When you're present and actively consciously aware, you can recognize what you do have. Material and immaterial, mindfulness opens the door to look and see what you have for your life. With this awareness, you can offer thanks and practice gratitude for those things. Why is that important? Because if you're not grateful, how do you expect to change anything or get anything new? Thinking, feeling, and saying “thank you” builds bridges When you practice mindfulness, you're creating inner self-awareness of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. That active, conscious self-awareness in the now makes you wholly present. Once you gain mindfulness within, you can look at the intangibles you have. Your emotions become clearer. Then, you can turn your head, heart, and soul to your outer world. With a clear perception, you can see the things you have, the people in your life, and the good therein. When you see this from such a clear, mindful perspective, it's apparent the good you have. Gratitude also shows you – and the Universe – if your desire is genuine or based on consumerism. When you're grateful for what you have, what you need – really need – becomes clearer and easier to get. Ergo – yes, gratitude for what you have can get you what you genuinely desire. And there is never, ever such a thing as too much gratitude. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Every day for the next week, at the end of your day, write out 5 things you're grateful for. These can be either tangible or intangible. They can be big or small, significant or insignificant – it doesn't matter. Seek, find, and choose 5 things (people, places, whatever) for which you have gratitude. When you're writing this out, please do so in this manner: “I am so very grateful that I have *insert tangible or intangible person, place, thing, or whatever* in my life.” Then, read each one, aloud, three times. Don't just read the words, feel the gratitude. Say “thank you” aloud after the third time reading them. After a week of this practice, see how it makes you feel. Do you feel the empowerment that gratitude creates? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if it's staring us all right in the face? The quest to find the meaning of life has occupied the human mind for most of recorded history. Why are we here? What are we doing? What's the answer to the question of life, the Universe, and Everything? (That one we know – it's 42). It's easy to argue that philosophy, religion, and science are all on the exact same quest – to discover the meaning of life. Each has their own approach to the question. I believe that the answer to the meaning of life is quite possibly the simplest thing ever. Without further ado – what if the answer to the meaning of life is this: TO LIVE. How can it possibly be that simple? Here are the reasons why I make this claim. First – how many people do you know that don't genuinely live their lives? Secondly – how do you feel when you are acting intentionally Thirdly – We are all energy. Why transmute from pure energy to a body if not for one reason – TO LIVE? Lastly – Occam's Razor. The idea of Occam's Razor is that when presented with multiple possible answers, the simplest is usually the correct answer. Shouldn't the answer to the meaning of life be deep and complicated? The idea that the meaning of life is abstract, deep, and complicated has led to discourse, disagreement, argument, violence, and ultimately to war. Rejecting simplicity is human nature. While knowledge is certainly power, and better than ignorance, it comes with a price. The loss of innocence. There are necessary complexities. It takes time, study, will, desire, and training to learn skills like medicine, piloting, and electrical work. We add all sorts of unnecessary elements to our lives – often in the hope that it gives us a deeper sense of meaning. If I have it all, won't I better know the meaning of life? Mindfulness to recognize the meaning of life Active conscious awareness is not about what's in the world around you. This is about your inner being. It's current, present awareness of your conscious mindset/headspace/psyche self. When it comes to the meaning of life, mindfulness informs you if you're merely surviving and existing or living and experiencing. Are you making choices and decisions to learn, grow, see, do, feel, and experience all the potential, possibilities, and wonders of this life? This is not about grand and glorious purpose. It's about the choices we make daily. Rather than make ourselves crazy seeking challenging answers to the meaning of life, isn't it entirely possible it's simply to live? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is this – go live. Do something that gives you a new experience, teaches you something new, and exposes you to potential and possibilities you've never been exposed to before. Visit that place near or far, read that book, make that call, sign up for that class or experience – just make the choice to do something not rote, routine, or otherwise the regular in your day-to-day experience. Don't do something idiot or unsafe – but don't utterly avoid risk, either. Accept that acting to live like this might cause you mental, emotional, or spiritual pain (more likely than physical pain). After you've done this thing – or even made the appointment or took the first step to do this thing – write down what it is, why you desire to do it, and how it makes you feel. Note especially how alive and connected it makes you feel. Does it make you desire to do more things and experience what it's like to live? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You are the only you there is Do you like yourself? Be honest. Let's take this a step further. Do you love yourself? This might bring up questions of conceit, arrogance, narcissism, and so on. But self-love is not any of these things. It's about treating yourself how you would prefer that others treat you. Many of us put ourselves last. The journey of a thousand miles… Your health, wellness, and wellbeing will fluctuate over your lifetime. Multiple factors will impact them. These will be tangible and intangible, and further variable with time and experience. This means something that threw you off or made you ill yesterday could empower you and make you stronger today. Ceding all your power to anyone is pointless. Know why? Because nobody but you can be you. The only person that occupies your head, heart, and soul is you. What does it mean to care for yourself? Nearly everything related to self-care in our culture is focused on the physical. Diet, exercise, body modification, buying things – all ties to our physical selves. But the physical is only a quarter of our total self. Mental, emotional, and spiritual health gets too little attention and respect. They're treated like an unwanted child of our health, wellness, and wellbeing. Whole generations and marginalized communities see therapy and mental health care as taboo. Most of your mental health is rooted in your subconscious. There, seated amidst your beliefs, values, and habits, the base of your mental, emotional, and spiritual self exists. You're the whole package Self-care must address all of you. You should be mindful of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. This can be done by practicing active conscious awareness. This is done by asking: ·        What am I thinking? ·        What am I feeling? ·        How am I feeling? ·        Why am I doing (or not doing) this, that, or the other thing? ·        What are my intentions? Each of these puts you in touch with the intangible elements of your health, wellness, and wellbeing. That's where caring for yourself starts. Why should you care for yourself? I think that I've figured out the meaning of life. It's so simple that it feels too simple to be true. But that's why I'm convinced it is - To live. If you're listening to this, you probably live a largely comfortable life. When you care for yourself, you give yourself the power to make more choices and decisions. That is empowerment, and that's how you can optimize all that you do. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Do one thing – for at least 5 minutes – for you, and only you. Read, meditate, take a walk, eat a treat, take a nap, turn off your phone, get a massage, watch something that makes you laugh, blast your radio, take a drive, or whatever. Do something that feels good and is for you alone. Immediately after your activity is done, write down (or type) what you did, why you chose to do it, and how it made you feel. Do this at least once a day, every day, for a week. See how that impacts your overall health, wellness, and wellbeing. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Action to change your life is only as difficult as you make it When it comes to finding the best ways to complicate my life, I'm an expert. This tends to come from overthinking things, overanalyzing, self-doubt, uncertainty, fear, and similar factors. However, no matter what the factor is – it all comes down to me. Nobody but me is in my head, heart, or soul. Thus, nobody but me can determine what works or doesn't work for me. When it comes to my life and any changes I desire to make to it – I alone can choose those. More complexity doesn't mean better. Sometimes simple really is the answer. I've learned this through 30+ years of fencing. Working to change your life is never one-and-done The truth is that there is no one-time-only change that you can make for your life. Or rather, you can't sustain your life on a single change. That's because change is constant. The only constant in the Universe. Change can, will, and does occur all the time. And most of it is not yours to control. But there is change you can control – that's your approach to life, the universe, and everything. Your life, your reality, can be altered by choice by you. And that's through conscious awareness. In other words, mindfulness. Mindfulness is easy Being actively consciously aware is easy. All you need to do is focus on being present, here and now. Then, to gain mindfulness of your life, ask questions answerable only here and now, like, ·        What am I thinking? ·        What am I feeling? ·        How am I feeling? ·        What am I doing? ·        What are my intentions? These questions can only be answered in the now. Thus, they make you actively consciously aware/mindful. Changing your life – depending on where you're starting from – can look incredibly difficult. But does it need to be? No. It's only as difficult as you choose to make it. Change your life step by step Changing your life will take time. Recognizing and accepting this is super important. Chunking it down – when it comes to changing your life – is a matter of not just focusing on the end goal, but stepping stones along the way. You must take steps to get from where you are to where you desire to be. But it really is that easy. You don't need to overanalyze every idea, just start taking steps. As Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” If you're working on changing your life, take at least one small step every day. It might simply be altering how you approach things, your self-talk, or general thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. Keep it simple. That's all you need. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Change something today. Change your bedtime, when you wake up, your toothpaste, your morning routine, a route you regularly drive, how you prepare your tea or coffee, how you part your hair – anything small and relatively easy to change. Then, change one thing tomorrow. Note – nothing that you change must be changed permanently. This exercise is designed to make change more familiar and something that you can control. This also helps show how big changes can start small. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who are you? This is a massively loaded question. Who you are can vary depending on the time of day, the company you're keeping, your mood, and numerous other factors. The short answer is that you are you. No matter what happens, the only one in your head, heart, and soul is you. Yet being yourself can be challenging because of the need to be accepted. The truth is that you are always yourself. And you should be yourself because you can't be anyone else. Ever wonder what the world would look like if you – and everyone – could just be yourself? Kindness, compassion, and empathy matter In the United States, over the past decade or so, you've probably noticed a trend. Certain people, claiming liberties, rights, privileges, and the like – in the name of being themselves – have been utter dicks to everyone else. That's because a key element of being yourself gets ignored. And that's kindness, compassion, and empathy. You have a choice. But consider this – do you desire to receive kindness, compassion, and empathy from others? Being yourself means being true to yourself Have you ever created a version of yourself that you presented to one group or person but not another? And has that identity been difficult to maintain because – though created to gain acceptance by another – it wasn't true to you? That's why being yourself means being true to yourself. It's the only way to really, truly, genuinely know and be you. Being yourself is not a license to be a dick There is a common thread to this – kindness, compassion, and empathy. Or a lack thereof. You know right from wrong. Not the black and white variants, but the shades of greys and color between them. You know not to randomly murder people just because, not to shove every slow walker on the street before you out of the way, not to urinate on public sidewalks, and so on. If you think something someone does makes them a dick – don't emulate them. Don't do what they do. Don't be a dick. It's a surprisingly simple measure. The world needs your unique self in it. Because even if the why isn't entirely clear – that is why you are here. To be yourself - and all the good and bad, potential and possibilities - that comes with it. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: To know if you're being yourself – right here and now, write down the following questions one at a time, with the present answer – before writing and answering the next question: ·        What am I thinking about right now? ·        What am I feeling right now? ·        How am I feeling now? ·        What's my current intent? ·        What are my present actions? This establishes in the present moment the basics for who you are. Based on this, write this question, and answer it immediately: ·        Am I being myself or being disingenuous to myself? If the answer is yes – more power to you! If no – being mindful of this information gives you the control to change what you dislike and do what it takes to better be yourself. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do You Think You're the Only One Feeling Uncertain? Though we tend not to talk about it in this way – COVID-19 changed the world. Here we are - a few years after the pinnacle of the crisis - and find ourselves left with tons of paradoxes. For every good thing learned in the pandemic, a bad thing was learned, too. Rather than address these things and use this as a growth opportunity, more often than not attempts are made to go back to how it was before. That has caused a largely ignored and unaddressed mental health crisis for nearly everyone. That's why – more likely than not – you're feeling uncertain. You are utterly not alone I had high hopes that maybe, just maybe, we'd emerge on the other side of the pandemic with a new sense of ourselves. We'd all have a better sense of self, of being self-empowered, and of having control of our life experiences. Choosing to quarantine ourselves, maintain social distance, and masking would open us to seeing how interconnected we all are. Maybe I'm naïve, and maybe that was overly optimistic. But I'd thought we might just learn a thing or two we could carry forward. When you are bombarded with conflicting info you can't help but feel uncertain Extremism was spotlighted during and immediately after the pandemic. Good and bad, extremes were highlighted as if they were directly in front of us all, in ways humanity has never experienced before. Never before have we as a society had the technology for instant information. The immediacy of news and information gets used and abused to spread messages of fear, hate, distrust, and other negative emotions to make you and me uncertain. When you get uncertain information poured over you like a never-ending waterfall, feeling uncertain will take root in your head, heart, and soul. Why is nobody talking about this? Because uncertainty also says that talking about this could make you an outcast, pariah, or in some other way shunned. Active conscious awareness Everyone has at least passive beliefs, values, and habits. These exist in our subconscious minds. Many are rote, routine, or just accepted by us as being what's what. However, everyone also has a conscious mind. That is where you can be actively aware of the world around you, where you are, who is with you, what you are taking in, and so on. But more importantly, your active conscious awareness makes you aware of yourself. You are worthy and deserving of making choices and decisions that alleviate feeling uncertain. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This exercise should create mindful certainty in this moment. Look around you. Choose an object you can reach to, take hold of, and look closely at. Do that. Look at the object and really observe it. Examine, study, notice its imperfections, nuances, and whatever else you can. Does the object cause you any thoughts or feelings? If so – what are they? Don't overthink this – be here, present, and in the now with your thoughts. Pause. Consider the object. Note how you can be certain that it is, that it's in your hand. The physical presence of the object, here and now, is a certain thing. Write down your final thoughts and feelings about this. What and how it makes you think and feel related to the certainty of its existence and being. See if you can expand that out to other parts of your life. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. Nobody's life is perfect. That's not the truth, though. The truth is that everyone's life is perfectly imperfect. Everyone makes mistakes. You, me, everyone. We all get it wrong, choose poorly, and hurt ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually. On the other hand, everyone succeeds. You, me, everyone. We all get it right, choose wisely, and help/heal ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and/or spiritually. Choices, options, decisions, opportunities, empowerment We live in a society with rules and laws. On top of that, there are traditions, “norms”, and tried and true ways and means. Small children play with passion and abandon. They try new things all the time. The world is full to overflowing with potential and possibilities. Somewhere along the way, however, they get introduced to concepts like winning and losing, competition, right and wrong, morality, and more. Now, the potential and possibilities are curtailed by restrictions, money, expectations of others, and various other artifices. Self-empowerment is something we all have. It's how the perfectly imperfect is recognized and applied to control the elements of our lives that we can control. Perfection is wildly variable What to me is perfect to you might be an utter disaster. What you see as perfect I might see as imperfect. This is utterly natural – because that's how the Universe works. We are constantly striving for perfection. And when it eludes us, we suffer. Over and over we cycle through this. We are as variable as perfection. Thus, we sometimes chase, other times just exist, and sometimes embrace the imperfection of life. That's human nature. Mindfulness of perfection and imperfection The mythical, elusive “they” prefer people to be merely existing and living largely subconsciously. “They” suggest that the “perfection” of the world as we know it shouldn't be questioned. Nothing could be a bigger lie, frankly. We can choose to change our lives. That might have challenges to it, open us to imperfection, and be scary. But we have the power – we just need to choose and decide to take it. Embracing our perfectly imperfect lives can show us a world of potential and possibilities waiting to become our reality. We just need to choose for ourselves what that is, in the present. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This can either be applied to an existing project or a future one. Take something you've been putting off because you wanted to get it perfect or were waiting for an appropriate time. Whether it's writing a chapter, creating a poem, building a website, creating a photo album, cleaning a room, or whatever. Stop waiting for the “perfect” circumstance and do it. Clean the room, write the chapter, paint the wall, build the website – just do it. Done is better than perfect. What's more, perfect is in the eye of the beholder. Waiting for the perfect time, circumstance, or whatever becomes procrastination. So, big or small – just do the thing. Get it done. Because done and perfectly imperfect is better than not done. Note how finally getting that thing done feels. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They love you but they don't get you My family largely doesn't get me. They love me, I know that. But they don't get me. What does that mean? I do things, take approaches to matters, and live in ways that cause them to scratch their heads, wonder how I can possibly be content or happy this way, and probably question my sanity. To thine own self be true I've spent a lot of time getting to know myself. Beyond getting to know myself, I've spent a lot of time learning to like and even love myself. Not in a conceited way – but in a healthy, self-caring, self-worth way. I had to make a choice. Live my life for me or for them. No disrespect to the people who share my heart – but I had to live for me. I get me, you get you A conversation with my wife – the person other than me who most gets me – sparked this topic. Because I realized we have another shared commonality between us that we'd not recognized or voiced before. My family doesn't get me. Her family doesn't get her. The realization of this – in context – is new. But it prompted me to ask this question – when the people who share my heart don't get me, how do I handle this? The answer has been to continue to get myself. I keep working on being consciously aware – mindful – of who, what, where, how, and why I am. And rather than try to be who they believe I am or should be – I will love them and keep being me, even if they don't get me. That's because they don't need to get me. Just like I don't need to get them. Or you. You don't need to get me. You need only to get yourself. Choosing your life paths Recognizing and acknowledging that the people who share my heart – my family – don't get me, could be seen as a negative. I can only be me, and I can't think or feel for anyone else. It's not a negative that the people who share my heart don't get me – it simply is. Recognizing and acknowledging this has allowed me to embrace my eccentric, weird, geeky self. Rather than keep striving to be someone I'm not, I'm striving to be me. The genuine, authentic, true me that I am. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: A huge part of getting yourself is being actively consciously aware – mindful – of yourself. To that end, take this moment to pause. Answer this simple question, right at this moment. What are you doing? Not the overarching goal of your current actions (or things you're putting off, or whatever). I mean right now, asking this question, what are you doing? For example – I'm sitting at my desk, recording this podcast. When you have your answer, I'd like you to reframe it like I'm reframing this. “I'm a human being, sitting at my desk, recording my podcast.” Think about that statement. And with that, how do you feel when you say it aloud? Several times a day for the next week, try this out. Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody lives a perfect life You've had both good days and bad days in your life. Like it or not, life has had its ups and downs. Nobody ever experiences just one emotion or feeling. And that's a good thing. Why? Because you need to experience it all. That's part of living life. Life is made up of many a paradox and uncountable extremes. But most of life occurs somewhere between any given extremes. Change is a constant inconstant You have experienced change in one form or another all your life. If you're no longer a child, you've changed your body shape, size, hairiness, and more as you aged. What thrilled and motivated you when you were 10 has likely changed – or at least changed in perspective. Change has been with you and a part of you and your life all the time. Change is the one and only constant in the Universe. It is always happening and can't be stopped. You can choose how it impacts you. Sometimes you can shift it, alter it, avoid it to a degree, and even change it again. This is where the Buddhist ideal of impermanence is super helpful. Feelings and emotions are in your control This is another place where toxic positivity gets it all wrong. The implication that you can ignore, disregard, and put on blinders to all other feelings and emotions in favor of positivity is disingenuous. Things happen that cause a visceral emotional reaction and/or feeling in you that, when it occurs, just is. And it's different for everyone. That's because the what of a feeling is different from the how. The what is the label and the how is the presentation. Mostly, the what is the feeling while the how is the emotion. Life is in constant motion One of my favorite quotes from Yoda says, “Always in motion is the future.” No matter what you plan – you have no control over what might occur. Random happenstance might utterly shock and surprise you. The feelings and emotions in that moment just are. And they occurred as part of life's constant state of motion. While you can choose your feelings and emotions, it's only possible at this moment, in the here and now. Recognizing and acknowledging the constant state of flux of feelings and emotions empowers you to use mindfulness for control in the present moment. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Here's how to know what you're thinking and what and how you're feeling, right here and now. You need to set aside 5 minutes. Place yourself somewhere comfortable where you'll be uninterrupted and undistracted. Set a timer for 2 minutes. Start the time. Take as deep a breath in as you can. Hold it for a silent 2 count, then exhale. Repeat until the timer goes off. Ask yourself this question: ·        What am I thinking? Think about it. Then write it down. Now, ask yourself this question: ·        What am I feeling? Think about it. Then write it down. Finally, ask yourself this question: ·        How am I feeling? Think about it. Then write it down. Look over what you've written. You are aware of your thoughts and feelings in this moment. This moment is the only moment you can truly, genuinely be self-aware. What has this taught you? Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thinky-thoughts and brain weasels defined Thinky-thoughts originate in the subconscious, usually attached to memory. Another form of thinky-thoughts is not based in subconscious memory, but on your beliefs, values, and habits. Brain weasels, squirrels in the brain, and the like are chittering voices that will tell you how much you suck, what you're not good at, and all sorts of similar things that aren't true. They usually are the spawn of your comfort-desiring ego and often reflect the voices of sometimes well-intentioned friends and loved ones. Passive conscious awareness Everyone is of three minds. One that's unconscious, one that's subconscious, and one that's conscious. The unconscious mind is purely automated functions of your body. The subconscious mind is almost entirely run by rote and routine. The conscious mind is your conscious awareness of yourself. The conscious mind can be both passive and active. The passive is when you are aware of yourself and your surroundings – but not doing anything to actively engage. The active is when you practice mindfulness. It's asking questions about what you're thinking, what and how you're feeling, what you intend, and what you are or aren't doing. Passive conscious awareness is where thinky-thoughts live. Because while they originate in the subconscious via memory, belief, value, and/or habit – they can only be engaged by the conscious mind. Thinky-thoughts are the road not taken and other uncertainties Thinky-thoughts might originate in the subconscious with memory, belief, value, and habit. But they're not necessarily focused on the past. They can also be placed in the present and the future. They tend to go deep – hence why I call them thinky-thoughts. What thinky-thoughts aren't is the here and now. They're what was, they are alternative notions of what is, and notions and ideas of what may be. But they're not the present, the here and now, or your true reality. The rodent thoughts of brain weasels most often chitter, squeak, and cause second-guessing, self-esteem issues, and a sense of unworthiness. They're obnoxious, annoying, and unkind. And they are not yours – they are lying liars that lie. Employing mindfulness Active conscious awareness. That is genuine mindfulness. Mindfulness is active conscious awareness both of your inner mindset/headspace/psyche self and the world around you. Rather than passive and wholly internalized, mindfulness uses your 6 senses to naturally engage and bridge the internal with the external. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Identifying thinky-thoughts vs brain weasels is easy to do via mindfulness. Dealing with each takes the same process, though brain weasels are arguably easier to destroy since they are not your creation. If you have any chittering, annoying notions floating about your mind, sharing doubt and uncertainty that you're rather sure isn't yours, those are brain weasels. If you have notions based in subconscious beliefs, values, and habits, or tied to memories – those are thinky-thoughts. To deal with either, you just need to set-aside 5 minutes. Spend 2 minutes deep breathing to centered. Look at the brain-weasel or thinky-thought. Ask yourself: ·        How does this make me think? ·        How does this make me feel? ·        What does this make me feel? ·        Is it mine, or an outside influence? Asking and answering these, here and now, tells you what you're working with. And from there, more active conscious awareness – mindfulness – will let you make change to address, remove, or otherwise deal with these. Repeat as necessary.      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Am I the only one who struggles with things? Some of the things of this nature that I struggle with are tangibles. The biggest is my health. But for many reasons, the primary reasons behind my weight issues, thus, are intangible. This stems from the underlying struggles ranging from philosophical – who, what, where, how, and why am I; to societal and personal – am I good enough, will this make them like me more, will I be more acceptable to him/her/them if I'm another way, and so on. Couple all that with ongoing mental and emotional struggles like depression, self-worth issues, self-value questions, and the like – and these things are many and easily overwhelming. Logically, I know I'm not the only one who struggles with these things. Everybody struggles with something Tangible or intangible, everybody struggles. Big or small, important and unimportant, everybody is struggling with things. And the reason is simple – because you're human. There are three absolute certainties of life for everybody. You're born, you live, you die. Ultimately, you and I are alone. And alone can lead to loneliness - which is why we seek connections with friends, family, strangers, and so on. Recognizing, acknowledging, and embracing our struggles Virtually every good or service you can buy is sold to you on the premise that it'll lessen a given struggle. When it comes to your health, wellness, and wellbeing – and struggles therein – it's in you. That doesn't mean you have no choice but to go it alone. Lots of programs, books, medical professionals, therapists, videos, and more can offer insight, assistance, and help with this. Embracing change, growth, and evolution The one and only constant in the entire universe is change. It can, will, and does occur all the time. This in and of itself can be deeply distressing to people. Things are a certain way, have felt to always be that certain way – and when they aren't, uncertainty is disconcerting. This is the source of probably almost – if not all - of our struggles, tangible and intangible. We need to talk about this more This gets shunted off to taboo, impropriety, and other notions of inappropriateness so that we don't discuss it. I believe that the more we recognize, acknowledge, and embrace our struggles to one another – the more we're empowered to work with them, together and individually. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This week's tool is super simple. Do something extra kind and nice for yourself. One day this week, set aside time for yourself (and if it will feel good, include a loved one/loved ones). Treat yourself to an exotic desert, a delicious meal, a movie, a play, time in a hammock or on the beach, or something equally relaxing and pleasant. No phone, no tablet, no connections to the outside world. Escape and do something that makes you feel good, content, and free of struggles. For however long you allow yourself – simply be in that space.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if rather than pursuing happiness we're seeking conscious awareness? The pursuit of happiness is a notion often repeated in stories both fictional and nonfictional, inspirational quotes, and from lots of sources you encounter frequently. All advertising aims to sell you and me happiness. Buy these shoes, get that car, drink that soda, and happiness is yours for the low low price of your conscious awareness. Because that's what I think the ongoing, never-ending pursuit of happiness is distracting you and me from. Genuine, active, conscious awareness. What if rather than happiness we're pursuing conscious awareness? Who is in your head, heart, and soul? You. Only you. And that means you're the only one who can know your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. Not only know but truly, genuinely be with. And beyond that? Change. When you're mindful you are empowered. That empowerment allows you to take control of your life experiences. From there, you can do things that you think well of, that feel good, have the best of intentions, and are marked by actions you are content with and even proud of. And that – when you get down to it – is happiness, right? How is the pursuit of happiness a distraction? When your team wins the prize, or your celebrity gets the coveted award – you're happy for them. More than that, you feel as if their victory, their win, their happiness is yours, too. But is it? Did you get the prize? Is your life in any way improved from the win? No. Hence, you're distracted by the game, celebrity, and pursuit of victory/happiness they are undertaking. Chances are you don't think about yourself at all when you focus on the game, the celebrity trials and tribulations, and so on. Happiness in and of itself is limited. Why? Because you cannot always be happy. Sure, you can mostly be happy, and have a happy attitude – but being happy? That's fleeting and impermanent. Should it even be a pursuit? Pursuit tends to evoke notions of escape, chase, competition, lack, scarcity, and insufficiency. What you are after is trying to get away or hard to find or you must get it before another, right? This is simply not true. You and I live in an abundant universe. There's not just enough – there's more than enough. You are here. That's all you need to know to recognize that you're worthy and deserving of conscious awareness, happiness, or any other good you desire to have in your life. And you need not pursue it to have it. Because conscious awareness is already yours. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Do something that makes you happy once a day, every day, for the next week. Don't overanalyze it, don't debate over and over – just do something that makes you happy – whether it's big or small. That means take a nap, eat ice cream, walk in later, have sex, read a book, or do anything at all that makes you happy. Make a conscious effort to do something that makes you happy, that doesn't require pursuit, great expense, or anything else. Act on it and do something to make you happy every day for the next week. Write it all down. How do you feel? Does doing something that makes you happy every day feel empowering?   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Change is inevitable, and impermanence is reality The one and only constant in the Universe is change. Change can, will, and does occur all the time. No two moments are the same. Alike, maybe, but the same? No. That's how frequently change occurs. You might not believe it. But because people tend to resist, combat, and overall won't accept change and the reality of it – tons of conflict on many levels is the result. A great deal of this is based on ignoring or denying the reality of change and impermanence. You might not be familiar with impermanence – but it's a useful notion to know. What is impermanence? Impermanence is defined by dictionary.com as: Noun the fact or quality of being temporary or short-lived. Why is it good to recognize and embrace impermanence? Think of it this way – if the Universe is nearly 14 billion years old, the Earth is 4.5 billion years old, and the average human lifespan is 80 years – human life is distinctly impermanent. During the span of your life, people, places, things, experiences, and everything else you can imagine will come and go. Good, bad, or otherwise – nothing lasts forever. Embracing this truth can be empowering and massively positive because it opens you to better handling when things go badly. Nobody at all has good days all the time. Some of these seem bigger and more impactful than others. And they will be. That's partially due to attachment and comfort zones. Attachment is when you are unable and/or unwilling to let go of something. It might be seemingly small. Comfort zones are places of extreme familiarity and the impression of stability that might not truly be comfortable. Recognizing impermanence Everything and everyone you know changes. It's a constant, a given, a universal fact. Slow or fast, change can, will, and does occur. All the time. Thus, nothing in your life – nothing you know, feel, believe, or value – is unchangeable. That's impermanence. And recognizing impermanence opens you to more easily roll with the punches in the face of change and its inevitability. Why? Because since impermanence recognizes that everything everywhere changes – you empower yourself to be better able to work with and through change. This is a positive notion because it means the bad, negative, unpleasant things that happen will pass. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This week's tool requires you to let go of something. Choose an item you have that doesn't truly serve you. I don't mean a useful tool, a special paperweight you got from your grandfather, or anything that you frequently recognize. Choose something you have but barely notice, often forget about or hasn't been useful to you for some time. Give it away. Don't sell it, give it away. You can donate it somewhere or just randomly pass it to a stranger. If you can give away that item anonymously, do so. Either give away 3 items on 3 different days this week or multiple items all at once. Release anything you've been at least partly attached to but aren't anymore. How does it feel to detach from this mostly useless thing? Will you remember giving it away in a week or two? This lesson in impermanence can be deeply freeing and empowering to you.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Focus on what you can't control, you cede your power I'm not saying it's not good to have a general idea of what is happening in the world at large – but when that's your primary focus, you shouldn't be surprised when it has all your time and attention. Then you find you have less control over your life than you desire, and/or you feel like you've little to no control. The primary issue is this – what you focus the most on is what you give your attention to. That means that if you focus on people, places, and/or things outside of yourself, you lose focus on yourself. Control begins with active conscious awareness Active conscious awareness is mindfulness. This is the act of being present, here and now, and aware of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. When you focus on your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions, you can see if they suit you – or not. And if not – you now have the power to change them. That's empowerment. Focus on yourself, and you empower yourself. However, this probably leads to this question: Isn't this selfish? NO. Why not? Because self-care and self-awareness are not selfish. Focus within versus without Focus on what's outside of you - the people, places, and things you have little to no control over – and you lose sight of yourself. When you focus within, however, you empower yourself. That's because when you focus within, you get clarity of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions. Focusing within empowers you to take control of these and align them to best suit your life. Why is this important? In a culture where the idea of being “woke” has been weaponized to suggest that such awareness is bad should tell you everything about why this is important. Because the people “in power” – knowing that the truth is that it's utterly fake – don't want “woke” people. “Woke” people are awake, aware, and empowered. When you turn your focus inwards, you gain clarity of your true needs, desires, likes, dislikes, and so on. Focus within empowers you to change what you need/desire to change. Empowerment is limitless. Everyone has the right to it, and almost all lack, scarcity, and insufficiency you encounter is artificial and intentionally disempowering. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This week's tool requires you to choose yourself. For the next week, don't watch any TV news programs. Avoid CNN, BBC News, the major networks, local news, all of it. Do not watch any news media. Additionally – set a time limit for how long you allow yourself to surf any social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok – limit yourself to no more than 5-minute blocks on any of these sites – and try to keep this to no more than 3 times a day. Then, at the end of the day, write down if you notice less tension, less stress, and any increase in your ability to focus on your life. At the end of the week, if you can see a difference in how you're thinking and feeling, and that you have greater focus within – consider continuing this for another week. Repeat as often as it feels right or becomes a habit.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choosing to change begins with recognition and acknowledgment The other day, I came to a stark realization. I needed to actively change. As always, it's a choice of approach and direction for you to make. I am no longer aligned with the reality of my life when it comes to certain habits and beliefs. Passive recognition and acceptance My story. On a personal level, I had become so comfortable in my friendships and how they worked – that I missed that they changed. They changed without me. This is neither good nor bad. It's just the truth. And it's taken me quite a long time to recognize and acknowledge it and what it is. Pre-pandemic, I had friends who were like family to me. Through no fault, no mistakes, and no determinable thing – those friendships changed. That's because we all changed – and those changes made us different enough that the once-close friendships shifted. Recognizing when you need to change Change happens. It's the only constant in the universe. I am in no way blaming anyone or anything for this. And to anyone reading this who I consider a friend – you know I mean no disrespect, but you aren't a close confidant of that nature. But the major realization I've had is this - I have not let go of that comfort zone. What does that mean? It means I need to change. The illusion of the old friends who are like family, and close confidants, needs to give way to the true reality that is my life. This is not a negative I know that this might read as negative. But it's not. I'm not lamenting a loss, blaming anyone or anything, or seeking sympathy. I'm sharing that I'm recognizing that while the reality of my life has changed – I need to change with it. When I came to this realization, that the comfort zone of my friendships has changed – I felt elated. This didn't create longing, sadness, or any negative emotion. I didn't feel bad when I realized the nature of the friendships I have aren't like older, but no longer close friendships. Instead, I felt free. It was a relief to recognize and acknowledge this. The world changed, and the people I walk it with changed, too. The confusion caused by this false comfort zone has lifted. And that's tremendous, empowering positivity for me. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: This might not apply to you now but might be in the future. Write out your answers. Think about something that you did regularly a year ago. Maybe it was time spent with friends or family, a regular activity like going to a gym, or something of that nature. How do you remember it feeling? Are you still doing it now? Is this activity what and how it was a year ago? If so – find another to analyze. If not – why not? What changed? Was it you or was it extenuating circumstances? Now that you know it's changed have you made changes to alter the impact this had on you and your life? If not – do you need to make changes, and if so – what does that look like? This information goes a long way toward greater self-awareness and working with rather than against the inevitability of change.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your mental health should not be neglected Where do you find the good in yourself? The good in yourself is abundant. And that's a reflection of the truth that you and I live in an abundant Universe. There is more than enough good to go around. Everyone deserves care, kindness, compassion, empathy, and love. Your true desire is along that line. Mental health (emotional health and spiritual health, too) gets insufficient attention. But self-awareness depends on your knowledge of your health, wellness, and wellbeing. And only you can recognize how that looks. What is resistance? To quote Pressfield directly, “Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your work. … If you take Resistance at its word, you deserve everything you get. Resistance is always lying and always full of shit.” Resistance is a force that stands against your work to be your best self. It frequently manifests as procrastination, excuses, indecision, and anything and everything that keeps you from doing your work. Resistance and mental health Resistance is a product of the ego. The ego, as I envision it, is a construct between your subconscious and conscious self that you project to the world at large - but also reflect back to yourself. From The War of Art, “Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” To be who you are requires fighting Resistance. You've done it before – even if you didn't call it this. As such – you can do it again. This battle will bring up issues of self-awareness that directly impact your mental, emotional, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing. Fear again Fear is often the most impactful isness on our conscious awareness. Yet it's largely intangible. One of the most recognizable elements of Resistance is fear. Again, from The War of Art, “Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance.” “Fear doesn't go away. The warrior and the artist live by the same code of necessity, which dictates that the battle must be fought anew every day.” Do you recognize Resistance and how combatting it empowers you? This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Today we're going to take something you need or desire to do and chunk it down as part of combatting Resistance. Even if you don't have something of this nature in front of you now, you can use this tool going forward. Let's put this into step. 1.      Identify the thing you need and/or desire to do 2.      What are its constituent parts? 3.      What needs to be done immediately, what can be delayed, and what can be put off? 4.      Set times to accomplish the individual elements 5.      Do the work Chunking anything down that you face – even small things – can empower you to get them done with less resistance. By doing this, you beat Resistance – and that goes a long, long way towards improving your overall health – mental, emotional, spiritual, and even physical.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter the obstacles, you always have a choice Very rarely do you get to go from point ‘A' to point 'B' smoothly and obstacle free. And every time you come across challenges and obstacles in your life, you can give up, push through, or try another way. That doesn't always feel true. There are plenty of times when it feels like you're stuck, trapped, and without recourse. The trouble is, you always have choices – but they're not always welcome, good, or desirable choices. What is empowerment? It's too easy to take the meaning of being empowered as being given power by another. Power given to you by anyone who is not you is artificial. Sure, there's a degree of power to being a parent, a guardian, a boss, a teacher, and the like. But that's not about power as much as it is about authority. Empowerment is claiming your power to live your life on your terms. It's never a one-time matter. You Leaving it to random chance disempowers you You can't count on getting lucky when you allow random happenstance to decide your fate. By not choosing, you cede your power to random chance, circumstance, or perhaps fate. But when you decide not to decide or choose not to choose – you are disempowered. Choice is like any other muscle in your body. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. Hence, the more you actively choose - the more choices you find you can make. Give up, push through, find another way? I believe that every choice presents these options. No matter what the choice might be – these three options always exist. Giving up is a choice. Pushing through can be fraught with challenges. Finding another way is the other option. Right, wrong, and other constructs When it comes to choices, it often feels like there's a right choice and a wrong choice. When you place these in universal moral fabrics – it's easy to lose sight of what matters most when it comes to choices. But the constructs of the given extremes aren't so important when all is said and done. Choice, even in the face of obstacles, empowers you. When you're empowered, you can help empower others. When more people are empowered – things improve for everyone. You always have a choice – even poor choices are still choices. This week's Applied Guidance for Mindfulness Tool: Is there an obstacle you have in your life presently? Even if there isn't, you can use this exercise to analyze your available choices. Write down the issue/problem/obstacle. Now, write and answer the following? ·        Should I give up? What will happen/be the consequence if I choose this? ·        Do I push through? What will happen/be the consequence if I choose this? ·        Can I find another way? What options are there? What will happen/be the consequence if I choose this? This will not just provide clarity of your options/choices. It might help you decide what to choose and why to choose it. Whatever you do – the choice is yours to make.   Author Website Email Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok Blogs: titaniumdon.com and mjblehart.medium.com Cover artist Fe Mahoney: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaliasInspirations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices