Good advice for Humans.
( Depending on how your viewing this article, the image that I am referring to may be included below )
Instagram is good for some things. A friend shared a post today that really resonated with me, and I wanted to pass it along. The timeline mentioned in the post is flexible—do it until you get there. For some, it’s a week; for others, it could take four to six weeks or longer. Sometimes, it might take multiple attempts spaced out over months or even years.
If you read this and wonder, “How am I going to find the time to be in solitude?” The answer: you just have to make the time. My husband is on his annual week-long hunting trip, and I’m avoiding human contact unless it’s work-related. I’ve had more breakthroughs this week than I’ve had in years.
My sister usually takes a week-long solo camping trip. She reads, dreams, writes, paints, and sits in silence, bathing in the solitude. Sometimes she makes friends with chipmunks, kayaks, catches trout, and cooks her dinner. Moments like these allow us to actually hear ourselves think. This awareness is at the core of what it means to be a mindful human, in my opinion.
According to psychologists, mindfulness is simply the act of noticing things. Many activities can lead us to a state of mindfulness, changing our brain waves and even impacting our health. Not only does it affect us, but being a mindful human also physically impacts other animals and humans near us—this has been measured and studied. There are so many fascinating experiments you can read about. Scientists don’t fully understand how it works; they’ve just observed that it happens. Our brain is always running, and if it’s not running on autopilot, it’s often distracted by something outside of us.
On a personal note, something I’ve been practicing this week is what I call “Praying without ceasing.” I turn every thought into a prayer by being aware of what I’m thinking, actively noticing my thoughts, and directing them with intent to God, as if I’m having an internal conversation with someone other than myself. Instead of thinking, “wow that’s a beautiful tree” I’m thinking “lord, that’s a beautiful tree”. Or, “How am I going to respond to this text message, what should I say?” Becomes “Lord, How am I going to respond to this text message, what should I say?” For me, this has been the best week of my life.
Eventually, the time comes when you need feedback or advice. For that, my two cents is to seek out advice from people with expertise in the area you need help with.
Don’t ask your non-artist spouse or friend about your technique or what to change in your painting to make it better—go ask an experienced artist. If you’re trying to figure out how to update your website, find someone who has created a great website and ask them for advice. If you need feedback on your business card design, don’t ask someone who doesn’t already have an impressive business card.
Sometimes I ask my husband for feedback on certain things, but other times I hold back if it’s not his area of expertise.
I know this might seem like common sense, but sometimes we all need a reminder. In our excitement about what we’re doing, planning, or creating, we often share it with anyone who will listen. Unfortunately, this can lead to a muddying of our thoughts.
I would love to hear from you, hear about your breakthroughs and share in your excitement! One thing to note, if you are still discovering, keep it to yourself until you are there.
