Your life is made of a series of actions. From morning to night, in every moment, you “do” something. In the morning you get up, get dressed, go to the office or to school, do the housework, go shopping… Even when you stop to rest, you do not simply sit or lie down, relaxing body and mind for a little while: you watch TV, read the newspaper, use the computer, play with the children, and chat over the phone. Actions, always actions — unless you are a true “lazybones,” in which case you choose to do nothing and wait for others to do things for you. Or unless you are a “couch potato,” in which case you do very little exercise and activity and spend a lot of time in front of the television set. But you are certainly not such kind of person. So, let us admit that your life is full of action. Here a question arises: How much attention do you give to what you do? How aware are you of the task you perform?
You might believe this to be an idle question, but it is not. Do you think that you always “know” what you are doing, i.e. that you have fully consciousness while carrying out every single activity throughout your daily routine? Are you saying “Yes”? Think again. Go with your mind to the moment when you drink your morning coffee or tea. Do you fully enjoy every single sip, savoring the taste and flavor? Or — while bringing the cup to your lips — don’t you usually listen to the news, read the paper, talk to your spouse, or watch TV? How often are you unable to find your eyeglasses, the newspaper, your wallet or your car keys? You know you have put them somewhere but… where? This means that while you were putting such object some place, you were thinking of something else. Your mind was wandering. You were not paying attention. You were “unaware.”
You usually do not think about what you are doing because most of your actions you perform are “habits.” When you are brushing your teeth or putting your shoes on, you don’t give such actions any importance, you don’t need to think about them. So you keep your mind busy with something else. As you know that you make the movements needed automatically, you believe that it is not necessary to pay attention to them.
Your conviction may be acceptable for trivial actions such as those mentioned above. But a problem arises because, in so doing, you acquire a tendency to do almost “everything” without being really aware of your deed. Even when you give it a thought, it is a quick one, with no real commitment: you are too busy, you have no time to “waste,” you have to run! That is why quite often you do not savor your food, you do not actually “hear” the music you are listening to, you understand only half of what you are reading.
Have you ever wondered if everything you do is done in the best possible way? Do you believe you are meeting your highest expectation? When you prepare a meal, how much attention do you give your preparation? Only if you really love cooking, is it possible that you really concentrate, focus and, consequently, you get excellent results. When you are at the office, how much care do you give any paperwork that is on your desk? Do you carry it out as fast as possible, so that you can go back to talking to your colleague, or do you take your time to perform your job as well as you can? Do you care about excellence, even in the small details?
You certainly carry out your duties in an acceptable way, and you also do what others expect from you. All right. But what is “your” sincere, honest judgment about your performance? Is there a true concern behind your actions? Is there awareness of the importance of any act, thought, word that make up your life?
It is necessary for you to train both your heart and your mind on how to guide your hand. Wisdom and awareness can be achieved after “walking” a long way. The path is paved with the challenges you meet, the defeats you accept, the obstacles you overcome, the victories you enjoy. It is a long road indeed, but traveling it is a worthwhile endeavor, because it will lead you toward achieving the satisfaction and fulfillment that only “awareness” can provide.
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