Notice one thing new, every day and write it down. Mindfulness means paying attention in a new way. We spend so much of our day busy watching out for what lies ahead that we don’t take the time to enjoy what is right in front of us. So notice one new thing every day and write it down. Notice something new about a person, a place, the way something tastes, a birdsong, the first blooming flower, anything new, each and…
The Happiness Project didn’t work for me. The very wise Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn once said, “The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.” Happiness surrounds us. I believe the real project is learning to notice it. I’ve spent the last few years overwhelmed with information, desiring to be anywhere than where I am in this moment, walking around in a daze, mindless, unable to focus, and…
I just started reading Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Essentially the author has done a lot of research on happiness revealing that what makes an experience deeply gratifying is a particular state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people are totally involved in a task that nothing else seems to matter since the activity itself is so enjoyable – think a musician totally lost in song or an artist completely absorbed in a project. “It is by being fully…