Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of your thoughts and emotions in the present moment. Being mindful can be described as thinking before you make an action and contemplating the outcome. People who are mindful of what they do are usually reserved and content with there surroundings as they are always thinking and being aware of were they are and what they are doing. An example of mindfulness is to focus on the here and now, not so much the past or the possible future. While it is good to plan ahead and try to predict what could happen, it is also sometimes important to turn your attention to what is effecting you at the moment and if you are happy with the results. I believe happiness and mindfulness go hand in hand because you are always living in the now, however your mind can wonder and become worried about "what if", there fore if you bring your mind to your body you will feel more whole and complete. To practice mindfulness means being in a mental state were negative emotions and behaviors such as anxiety, depression and addiction do not effect your life and you open up to what is really important. The awareness that this practice brings opens up ones perspective on just how and why the world works the way it does and helps you to understand your place in it. One of the best ways to practice mindfulness is tho meditation, were your focus is turned inward and can truly be at peace in your thoughts. The best description that I can give overall what mindfulness means is to make a conscious effort to live mind and body in what ever situation you are in and to be more aware of you actions and the role you play in the bigger picture. As a Buddhist, mindfulness is a big part of my life and how I go about my day to day life. How I incorporate mindfulness in my life to is to always think before I do something and carefully weigh the consequences of my choices. This can include everything from deciding were I want to move, to having a simple conversation with a good friend. In keeping my focus and awareness towards my own actions and less of that of people around me, it helps to make up my mind on how to react. I think of mindfulness as a mental tool that can be used to overcome obstacles that wold normally seem difficult without much thought put into them. As someone who has been described in the past to be "short tempered" mindfulness I think helps me in reducing hostility of my feelings. Being a more peaceful person is one of my ways of looking at how I can be more at ease with problems that can accrue that you would not see the solution to with a head full of anger and hate. In order to accomplish this, I use meditation as a guide to how I preform and my way of thinking. Mindfulness helps me to better understand myself and work on areas that I need improvement. In conclusion, mindfulness is a big aspect of my day to day living and has helped me overcome many of life's big dilemmas .
(another essay I wrote, thought I would share it)