Goodbye 2022!

Hello, there, fellow humans! If you are like me, you have recently said, "I cannot believe it is December already?" at least once this week. Christmas is upon us, and then New Year will quickly follow. The days are passing faster and faster, and before you know it, we will be celebrating another milestone that should have taken longer than it did to arrive.

The high rate at which time insists on passing alerts us that there is no time to waste. Whatever we plan on starting, stopping, changing, or learning needs to happen now.

For me, my focus has been on mindfulness and being present in the spaces I am in. I find myself talking about it frequently and have been working on it for most of 2022. Have I mastered it? Nope, not at all. I am still prone to multitasking. (I am eating my dinner as I write this!) But this is what I have learned through this process:

1. My phone is the nemesis of my mindfulness.
   have learned to leave my phone in another room or on Do Not Disturb when my goal is to stay focused - this does not have to be for anything super important. Sometimes the goal is to practice being present. Try it! Decide what times during your day will be phone free and notice how much more attention you give everything and everyone around you.

2. Reading is better with a book in hand.
   I love reading, and with so many books to consume, Audible has been my bestie for about four years! But I have noticed that it promotes multitasking. I rarely sit in a comfy chair, ONLY listening to my book. I have committed to reading with an actual book in my hands, and it changes the game. The whole experience entirely consumes you. The words, turning the pages, comprehending, and re-reading for clarification. It is impossible to do anything else when you are reading a book. I like that!

3. New Routine, who’s this?
   Creating new routines or modifying old ones is a great way to promote mindfulness in the tasks that we frequently perform. Next time you do the laundry, focus on the article of clothing as you put it in the washer. Think about where you wore it. When did you purchase it? While eating, focus on the food, the country it came from, how it is grown, its texture, color, and taste, and how it is fueling your body—being mindful while eating allows for a better appreciation of the food.

4. Know your No!
   To be fully involved in your life, you must learn to say no to others, which is not always easy. For a person like me who can spend all day on the phone with a friend or my sister-cousin, it is downright difficult not to chitchat throughout the day or complete simple tasks around the house. But through my journey, I have discovered that if I am on the phone while doing things, I am not being mindful of those things.

I am hoping that my mindfulness journey will help you with yours. Be intentional, direct, and certain that what you are doing is best for you! Have a fabulous Holiday Season, and I will talk to you guys in 2023!