From the moment we wake up in the morning, to the good night’s sleep at the end of the day, our conscious self comes in contact with virtually unlimited information. We filter that plethora of information to the amount that will be required for us to achieve the objectives we have for the day. This tailored information is most important to us according to the priorities we have set in our lives for the day or for the hour. Our mind is like a sieve which allows the information having a meaning to us to pass through. That information is digested, analyzed and assimilated for a purposeful outcome.
To be mindful is to be attentive to the experiences in the present moment with more or less no specific agenda than just being present. The information which seems to be unimportant is not filtered. How does it feel to understand such information? Let’s take a mindful visual walk for half an hour and feel it ourselves.
1. Make yourself a clean slate
The first step to take is to understand that our day to day information intake is biased. We take only the amount that is going to give us some results. Before starting the walk, one should become a clean slate, devoid of any information. Next, one needs to establish that whatever they are going to experience on their physical walk; the objects, things, people, vehicles, etc. are not different from them. You are not an absolutely separate individual, but a part of this carefully designed ecosystem of life and you are going on a walk to understand the interrelationship between you and all the objects around.
Time to go for the walk now, it could be anywhere; a street, a park, etc. The place does not matter, the idea of being mindful is the foundation here.
2. Start observing everything around you
By everything, I mean absolutely everything. Observation is perceiving something and adding a significance to the existence of the object, organism or situation being perceived. From the animated people, vehicles, animals, birds, or even wind, to the stones, the pavement, electricity poles, walls, buildings, staircases, your front door, sunlight, dust, convenience stores, fonts on the billboards, colors and yourself, everything around you has a story behind them. So what are you feeling when you have started observing?
These feelings will be different for everyone molded by their way of life, experiences, and circumstances.
3. Allow your creativity to keep playing its role, give life to things
“Keep playing”? Absolutely. Your creative mind has already started playing its role. The moment you allowed yourself to feel while observing, the creative engine has started. Now, I am not going to describe how one should feel because that would strip off the beauty of such an experience. Moreover, it will be my own point of view. You know what you’re feeling when you look at the electrical wires on the pole, tangled, trying to possibly untangle, or a stone on the road, still, waiting to change its position through a playful kick. Some of the observations that you can make can be:
Observing the faces of the people (without being awkward)
Taking a look at the pavement you’re walking on
Different advertisements on the walls, the use of fonts and colors
How the vehicles are moving on the road
Observe the wind’s effect on your skin, if it’s sunny, feel it too
Associating yourself with the objects around gives life to them. Everything is living now, with a proper existence and purpose. You need to observe and let go of any mental boundaries to give life to anything around you.
4. Understand the life in your own ways
You have given new lives to the seemingly unimportant things. Create stories out of it through your experiences. Connect your present self with the objects and their lives around you. There will be hundreds of things careful observations can teach you and allow you to experience your powerful creative mind.
5. Remember to keep observing
Our major part of life runs to keep ourselves standing on our feet and tackle all the challenges we face on a daily basis. Being mindful allows us to get ready for future tests that are going to come. Remember to keep observing the objects around you and understand their significance, even if it is once a weekend. ❤
A careful observation does not require any effort. A part of it requires putting yourself in the place of someone or something. Such a mindful experience gives you a glimpse of what the mind is capable of. There is an artist inside every one of us and experience is its medium (no pun intended). Letting your mind go free and experiencing your surroundings without any preconceived notions is the first dip taken in the ocean of possibilities.
Creativity and mindfulness can give life to anything.
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Written By: Rahul Sharma
©2020 Doodle Kit Project
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