One of my biggest personal goals is to live life more intentionally and to be more mindful, but what does that really mean? Mindfulness can mean many things to many people.
According to Google it means: conscious or aware of something. To me it means the same thing, but there’s an added element of bringing action to the act of being mindful no matter how routine or sporadic the situation. I believe actively bringing intention to your mindfulness practice is essential to self-awarenss, which is essential to self-care.
Get inspired by these 3 tips to help you be more mindful daily.
1. Create a morning ritual that gives happiness dominion over your day.
Creating a morning ritual, I always start my day with a prayer and meditation. Sometimes I do it while I’m lying in bed and other times, I get down on my knees. Sometimes this activity lasts for 5 minutes and sometimes it lasts 10-15. After this, I listen to songs with positive uplifting messages while I prepare myself for the day. When I get in the car, I either continue to listen to the music, or I tune in to an inspirational podcast. I pretty much do every day and on the days when I’m rushed and skip these steps, I notice a difference.
Many times during meditation, I verbally invite bliss and happiness into my day. I give them permission to reign over all things. Don’t be dismissive of the power that your words possess. Give the feelings and actions that you want to experience permission to guide your day.
Need inspo? Check out this list of my 10 go-to positive mantras.
2. Keep a journal or notebook nearby
Writing down your thoughts, feelings and goals is a very therapeutic process. That’s why I keep a journal handy at all times. Journals are amazing for reflection, but they’re also a great tool for having a record of your goals. You don’t have to limit what you write in your journal. Mine consists of poetry, quotes, gratitude lists, thoughts, book lists and more.
If you want to be even more mindful and intentional about writing in your journal, consider the location. Find a place that brings you peace. I stumbled upon a gorgeous park near my job and I go there specifically to journal during lunch sometimes.
3. Look for the value in the little things
Small actions can have a big impact on how your day goes. That’s why it’s important to see the value in every action that you take throughout the day, even the little things. For example, I know some people who don’t make up the bed in the morning. There are times when I’m in a rush and I skip over doing this as well. But, when I think about how good it feels to lay down in nicely tucked sheets it brings me good feelings. So, one of my daily intentions is to make up the bed before leaving the house so I have something to look forward to at bedtime. This is a very simple action, but it brings joy to me and alleviates being an additional item on my evening to-do list.
No matter how big or small the action, do it with intention; always.
How do you bring mindfulness to your daily routine?