Dial M for Mindfulness: Using the Golden Arches

Written by Maya Talisman Frost


Looking for mindfulness? Who ya gonna call?

Try dialing M.

It's easy to be mindful. It's just hard to remember to be mindful. That's why it's so important to pick our triggers. Here's a great trigger for mindfulness--the letter M. I'm a great fan ofrepparttar letter M. For me, it stands for mindfulness, meditation, mediation and mind massage. It's soothing to say: "Mmmmmmm." Add an H and you're thinking: "Hmmmmm." Add an O and you're chanting: "Ommmmmmm." It's hard to go wrong with M.

Okay, but inrepparttar 129903 course of your day, with allrepparttar 129904 M-words you hear, say and see, how can you possibly remember to be mindful each time? You can't. That's why you need to choose ONE M for your mindfulness trigger, and I've gotrepparttar 129905 perfect one:repparttar 129906 McDonald's golden arches.

No, really. Think about it. You've already got your own ideas about McDonald's. Maybe you love McDonald's food. Maybe you appreciaterepparttar 129907 convenience of a drive-thru breakfast when you're onrepparttar 129908 road. Maybe you hate its corporate identity. Maybe you've seen "Super-Size Me" and all you can think about is poor Morgan Spurlock getting hypertension in his month-of-McDonald's-food experiment. Maybe you feel guilty that you like McDonald's food. Maybe you feel upset that you feel guilty.

Whether you love to hate McDonald's or hate to love it, those golden arches are a complex trigger. It's time for a little piggybacking--intentionally superimposing a new concept on an already loaded one.

Here's how it works: The first time each day that you seerepparttar 129909 McDonald's golden arches--the sign itself,repparttar 129910 logo on a paper bag, an image on a television commercial--simply say, "I am mindful." That's it.

Trust Starts with You

Written by Margaret Paul, Ph.D.


The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication or on your web site, so long asrepparttar author resource box atrepparttar 129901 end is included, with hyperlinks. Notification of publication would be appreciated.

For other articles which you are free to use, see http://www.innerbonding.com

Title: Trust Starts with You Author: Margaret Paul, Ph.D. E-mail: mailto:margaret@innerbonding.com Copyright: © 2004 by Margaret Paul URL: http://www.innerbonding.com Word Count: 775 Category: Relationships, Personal Growth

Trust Starts with You By Dr. Margaret Paul

“I have a hard time trusting people.” “I never feel like I can trust my husband (or wife).”

It is very common for me, in my work as a counselor, to hearrepparttar 129902 above statements. Trust issues abound in relationships. However, resolving trust issues is not about getting another person to be trustworthy. It’s about you become a trustworthy person with yourself and learning to trust yourself.

BECOMING TRUSTWORTHY WITH YOURSELF

How often do you promise yourself you are going to do something and then don’t do it? For example, we often promise ourselves to:

Getrepparttar 129903 taxes done on time. Catch up on email, phone calls, and other correspondence. Eat better. Drink less alcohol. Stop reckless spending, gambling, or whatever puts us in financial distress. Stop getting angry. Stop giving ourselves up. Lose weight. Get more exercise. Get more sleep (or sleep less). Get together with friends. Clean uprepparttar 129904 house, or clean uprepparttar 129905 clutter. Be on time. Watch less TV or spend less time onrepparttar 129906 computer. Meditate or pray. Take time for ourselves. Finish a project. And so on…..

If you promise yourself you will do something and then you don’t do it, you are not being trustworthy with yourself. This would be like promising a child something and then not doing it. Eventuallyrepparttar 129907 child would learn not to trust you. The same applies with your Child within. If you promise yourself – your Inner Child – that you will take care of yourself in some way and then you don’t do it,repparttar 129908 Inner Child learns that there is no inner adult to trust. Since many of us project onto others our own inner issues, it is likely that if you are not trustworthy with yourself, you will project untrustworthiness onto others. You will continue to distrust others as long as you are not behaving in a trustworthy way with yourself and with others.

TRUSTING YOURSELF

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use