What’s on your to-do list today? How much do you plan to get done? And once you’ve completed those tasks, will you finally rest, basking in the joy of accomplishment?

Or will you fidget anxiously as you contemplate what you have yet to do?

Are we really ever “done,” done?

Rather than being a cause for exasperation, acknowledging this fact can allow for compassion and openness as we surrender.

If you’re like me, you have days’ worth of things to do – always – ranging from business, to family, to long overdue cleaning.

It’s no wonder that so few of us take time for ourselves.

We believe that time for ourselves is a waste of time, not “productive.”

And over time, this thinking becomes a problem.

Pushed ever-forward without stopping to catch a breath once in a while, we live just a few steps ahead of where we are — sucked into the future by the next task, and the next, and then next…

Only to be stopped when get sick (or just sick and tired of toiling away), get in an accident because we were distracted, lash out at our loved ones because we’re at wit’s end.

These seemingly unavoidable consequences of being spread too thin don’t have to occur!

We can surrender, on a daily basis, to the fact that we need a break.

To sit. To breathe, To enjoy the view.

And then we can go back to what we were doing with a renewed sense of purpose.

It begins by being mindful of how we feel each moment. To be mindful is to know with the depth of our own experience.

Surrendering to our own experience, we know the way. It was there the whole time.

Quick Meditation Tip

Choose a time to sit each day that works for you, and stick to this time. If morning works, great. If it’s evening, that’s fine too. Consistency around this time is most important in the beginning as your body gets used to relaxing. You establish a rhythm of relaxation, just like your body’s natural sleep cycle, and as your body relaxes more easily, so will the mind.

Mindful Homework

During the busiest times, drop your focus from what’s in front you – the next phone call, the next client, the next checkbox on that list – just for a few moments (unless you’re operating heavy machinery and doing so would put yourself in danger). Expand your viewpoint to include the feeling of the chair beneath you, your feet on the ground, the air on your skin, clothes on your body, the sounds, the smells. Reside in this totality of NOW for a few breaths, then go back to what you were doing. Were you able to do it?

Quote From Adam

“Don’t worry if those around you aren’t doing their best. Just worry about how to make yourself worthy. Doing your best is the surest way to remind those around you to do their best. But to be worthy requires the continuing practice of mindfulness. Only by practicing mindfulness will we not lose ourselves but acquire a bright joy and peace. Only by practicing mindfulness will we be able to look at everyone else with the open mind and eyes of love.”

-Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Miracle of Mindfulness”