Breathe In… Breathe Out…
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If you want to be successful at anything in life it makes sense to dedicate yourself to it 100% doesn’t it?
Far too many people, myself included on occassions, are guilty of spreading themselves too thin.
They take on 5 projects at once, they work multiple jobs, they attend multiple social groups, they read and research many books at one time, even down to dating more than one person at a time. Obviously if you are doing 5 projects you can only give 20% of yourself to each one – and that is assuming that you are giving 100% effort!
And this multi-tasking culture that we have adopted spreads into smaller aspects of people’s lives: watching television while they eat, being on the phone while they’re driving, and listening to music while you’re reading. All examples of things I’ve seen (and done myself).
However, the worst offender I have seen in recent times was a man in a business suit on his bike in the middle of Central London on his mobile phone. Not a hands-free kit, ear-piece, or head-set, but actually holding his phone to his head cycling through an area of the city that I would never want to even drive through. Oh, and by the way, this guy didn’t have a helmet on either. At one point I saw him stationary at some traffic lights and I managed to hear him discussing work and business deals. I wonder how much these deals would be worth to him if he lost his life?
Obviously this is quite an extreme example but I wonder how many times during the day that you do multiple activities at once, not giving any thought to the lack of effort any one of those tasks is being given.
What do I mean by this? Very simply, take the number of tasks you are doing, divide them into 100% and that is the maximum amount of effort and productivity you can give them. Of course it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realise that you will never reach your potential through doing this.
With some practise it is very easy to become more present with your activities and to focus on just one thing at a time. Firstly, eliminate the non-essential activities that take up a lot of time. Secondly, organise you day so that there is enough time to do everything. And thirdly, watch!
Watch your thoughts, and watch your actions. Whenever you notice that you are not being mindful of what you are doing and doing multiple things like brushing your teeth while packing your bag – STOP! Just one thing at a time.
To bring yourself back into the present remember the saying: “B.I.B.O.” This simply means, “Breathe In, Breathe Out.” When you get caught by your own mind cheating on your mindfulness, take at least one big breath in, and one big breath out.
What do you wish you had more effort for? Do you sabotage yourself by doing too much?
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