As I was entering the Bengaluru Metro recently, I noticed the caution message "Mind the Gap". It was a picture that stayed with me. What is the meaning of being 'mindful'? And how does it play out in our lives?
A couple of friends, who founded Monk@Work, have recently set up a way to measure Mindfulness using an online assessment platform called MEx, short for Mindfulness index. They came up with a framework to define Mindfulness as a combination of three key factors: Awareness, Attention and Acceptance.
Awareness: We have all experienced moments when we are looking but not really seeing. Say while driving on an open highway, we may be looking at the road ahead, but when the vehicle in front of us slows down, it may take a few seconds before we notice and apply the brakes as well. This moment when we "noticed" is the moment of "awareness". It is the moment of alertness and clarity of thought.
Attention: A common challenge most of us face these days is our ability to pay attention to the task at hand or even pay attention to the person we are conversing with, thanks to the constant 'pings' and 'pongs' of a message or an email notification on our smartphone. Our ability to sustain attention is literally hijacked and our ability to stay focused is compromised.
Acceptance: Most of us have experienced the urge to jump in and take action to 'improve' a situation. Acceptance is the ability to be at ease with the present moment in all that it brings - good and bad, joy and sadness. It enables us to access true creativity & strength that lies in our innermost core before responding to the situation with as much power or gentleness as needed.
Mindfulness can be described as a function of how "aware", how "attentive" and how "accepting" we are to both external and internal stimuli that we come across on a moment to moment basis.
In an increasingly cluttered world full of media that virtually follows us everywhere we go, our mind-space is so cramped that we tend to feel identified and even overwhelmed with many things: objects, people and, above all, our thoughts. Often, we may feel so identified - without even knowing it - that we feel one with the thing. So much so that when we lose that object or someone challenges our thought, we feel personally attacked - as if we were losing a part of ourselves.
On the other hand, when we are mindful, we create a gap between our idea of ourselves, and the object or thought that we are thinking about. This "gap" helps us to maintain perspective and allows us to deal with a loss of the object or a challenge to the idea at an arm's length. As a result, we are likely to be more effective in dealing with the situation.
We can better appreciate now why some people are frequently exasperated with their life situations while others seem to be able to navigate even the most difficult challenges that life throws at them, with relative ease. In conclusion, a high degree of Mindfulness can help us to lead a more empowered and balanced life which is not at the mercy of the world around us. We can all feel "At Home in the World" when we mind the gap!
Inspired by Thich Naht Hanh's "At Home in the World" and MEx by https://mindfulnessindex.com/home
Monk@Work co-founders: Sapan Shrimal & Gaurav Bakshi
Photo by Greg Plominsky at Pixabay & Abhidev Vaishnav on Unsplash
The author, Anuj Chadha, is Founder of Three Circles - Coaching to create the Life that you love! At Three Circles, we come with a deep understanding of what it takes to navigate the challenges that life throws at us. We partner with our clients, listen to their life aspirations, and support them to break through the obstacles that seem to be holding them back. Life is too precious to be unhappy, unsure, or unfulfilled. Give us the opportunity to partner with you as you re-imagine and re-create the Life that you Love!