Three Simple Reminders To Enrich Your Life In An Instant
A dear friend told me recently that she still refers as a touchstone almost daily to some words of wisdom that I picked up from and shared with her after one of the first silent meditation retreats I ever attended back in 2007.
The life-enriching wisdom came from a beloved early meditation teacher of mine, James Baraz, and is distilled into three simple pieces of guidance:
Pay attention.
Be kind.
Let life reveal itself.
Simple of course doesn't always mean easy for us humans, with all our complex and protective layers of past experience and conditioning…which is why we practice.
Paying attention to the directly experienced — as mentally unfiltered and felt as closely as possible through the body and senses — present moment with fine-tuned awareness and with increasing layers of subtlety is the ability we cultivate through our mindfulness (and meditation as a profound tool to strengthen our mindfulness muscle) practice.
We reconnect to and amplify our innately kind hearts through practices like self-compassion and loving-kindness.
And we become better at letting life reveal itself through us as we reconnect to and fortify a sense of refuge, safety, and trust deep within the core of our Selves, which then ripples and reflects outward as greater trust in life and the universe at large.
I kept these three phrases scrawled on a Post-It note in a prominently visible spot for years as a gentle nudge to help point my daily intention, attention, and energy in a life-affirming direction. If they resonate — not just on a mental level, but most importantly on a visceral level — with you in a supportive way, maybe you'll feel called to do the same.
There's no need to overcomplicate things. The simplest wisdom is the most profound.
So take the simple guideposts that resonate with you, keep them in your line of vision, and rinse and repeat consistently with them until they drop so deeply into your being that they become the default way you go through the world.
And when in doubt, simply bring your intention back to paying attention; being kind; and letting life reveal itself.
With Love,
Melissa