[Mindfulist] February 5th

[February 5th] Knowledge: “All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” – Leonardo da Vinci

I’ve actually been getting a cosmic lesson in perception it would seem. Personally, I’m noticing a very big need to be more mindful of my perception of specific people and the way in which they affect me. I recently noticed an old resentment begin to flare up due to an awkward situation. Needless to say, I found myself dwelling on the past, worrying about how certain situations could arise, and generally wasting my time on people and things that didn’t deserve even a single ounce of that energy. I stopped myself and though, why are you doing this to yourself, [so-and-so] is NOT worth this anxiety, nor is [this person] worth the physical ramifications of my resentment! I had a moment of mindfulness and did my best to shift my focus to more important things, trying to be more present in the moment instead of the past or the future. I remembered that my mind can and will negatively affect my physical well-being (I have a wonderful chiropractor to thank for that knowledge — resentment = sciatica). I worked through a lot of old resentment that I was still carrying around, and I’m trying to be more mindful in a quest to identify factors that cause feelings of resentment, stop them, and retrain myself to react in a more positive manner. It is my knowledge — my perception — of myself, the people around me, the things around me, and the situations and circumstances occurring that cause my mind to effect my body. (The lovely “cause and effect” premise we all grew to love in grammar school!)

I guess this is probably the message all these “signs” are trying to send me — stop, think, reflect, retrain.