Gratitude: The Art of Mindfulness

By Dana McClellan

I'll be happy when....

To most of us, happiness is conditional. It is a fleeting emotional state based on things, relationships or stations in life not yet attained. When it does make an appearance we are only ever able to get a glimpse of it because we have not yet mastered the art of mindfulness for any length of time. What is mindfulness? It is gratitude at it's best. It is being fully present in the now and holding it for as long as possible.

Here is one of the most beautiful videos you will ever see on the topic of genuine gratitude (mindfulness). Please watch. It's about ten minutes long and it is time well-spent.

I'm just learning this stuff, but I can tell you it has made a huge difference in my life. I find that when I take my camera out into nature, it's very easy to get myself into a state of mindfulness. Maybe that's why I crave nature so much, it brings more life to me. Other times are when I'm hanging out with my sons and I stand back for a moment and watch them interact with each other, or when I'm petting my dogs, or listening to a piece of music that moves me. I spend quite a bit of time in solitude during school breaks. During that time I immerse myself in books, music, writing, nature, and positive thinking as much as possible. All these things help me to be fully present.

Lately, I've been working hard at mindfulness with other people. I've had such a lack of confidence in myself all my life that when I've had an opportunity to meet someone, I'd be so focused on ME that it was extremely hard to remember the other person's name just ten seconds after hearing it. I'd be so caught up in how that other person might be judging me, I could barely retain the words coming out of their mouth. I don't want to be that kind of person anymore. When we truly love the person we are, that type of stuff is not an issue. We don't need that kind of approval from others, so we are free to include them into our sphere of mindfulness. I realize loving oneself isn't as easy as I make it sound. It takes a lot of work, but there are ways of obtaining this type of revelation. Louise Hay's books and videos are really good for this. Her exercises might seem silly at first but she's not a world-renowned author and healer for nothing. 

ONE LOVE!

Dana