Gene Williams

Hello everyone, @Paige PIlege, @Alshattuck40, @Emma , and @Gillian Sanger, I really appreciate your insight and sharing here. Regards, Gene

Hi @James Karrel , I don't know how I missed your post. I hope you are still doing well with your 100 day challenge. Thanks for sharing this. I plan to make this my practice today. Thank you @Paige PIlege, I need some motivation today and your approach reminded me about the power of intention. I will follow your lead and focus on a couple of priority projects and something fun. May you have a productive day today!! Regards Gene

Welcome Allen, Nice to meet you and I look forward to following you in your posts. Regards, Gene

Thanks for the book recommendation @Gillian Sanger. I want to learn more about Mindful Eating. I know that one of my challenges is reaching for "comfort food" which is not a healthy way of managing emotions: often when I am feeling tired.

Hi @yogawithpriyanka, Thank you for the invitation but I can't commit the time to this and don't think I am qualified to teach yoga/meditation. I am very much a student and still learning. I wish you all the best. Kind Regards, Gene

Good morning, Your mini vacation sounds lovley @Gillian Evans. This weekend, I took Friday and Monday off work and had a nice long weekend. I spent a day visiting a lovely cottage. Here was the view. @Paige PIlegeI am also continuing to read Tara Brock's book, Radical Acceptance. Wishing you all the best with your business.

Thank you @yogawithpriyanka, This is a beautiful practice. I will focus on this practice today. Kind Regards, Gene

Hello @Faune, This is my challenge as well. When political leaders abuse their power and hurt people, I do feel strong aversion. When you have time, I suggest reading this thread because dealing with this kind of aversion was a major theme: Kind Regards, Gene

Day 28: Positive Future Write for 3 full minutes for each journaling prompt below. Once you’ve finished, take a few minutes to reread what you wrote and reflect. Journaling Prompts: 1. What I’ve learned from this 28-day challenge is… Mindfulness is a deliberate practice that has to be applied every day. I found that it is quite easy to "forget" about being mindful and get caught up in an unconscious stream of thoughts. In particular, I found that when I become extremely busy with a lot of project deadlines, hours can pass by without being mindful. When I do remember to be mindful, I become aware of the thoughts, feelings and emotions and they often feel like an avalanche. 2. What surprised me is… Some moments of mindfulness where everything appears to be bright, shiny, or acute. I am not sure if this is what "bliss" feels like and I am not even sure if this is an illusion. These moments sometimes feel pleasant, but I am not sure if they are truly real. What is behind the pleasant experience? Perhaps they are real if I am not clinging to them? Each moment of mindfulness is what it is, and I need to accept it and not expect to reproduce the experience. 3. What I feel committed to is… Finding ways to continue to be deliberate about being mindful each and every day. That is my intention, but I am also aware that when I become extremely busy, I lose my motivation to be mindful. This is when the practice is needed the most.

Day 26: Remembering Motivation Integrated Practice: Write for 2 full minutes for each journaling prompt below. Once you’ve finished, take a minute to reread what you wrote and reflect. Journaling Prompts: 1. An intention I'd like to hold for myself is... To remember to be kind to myself today. I tend to forget that it is ok to say I allow what is happening. I am becoming aware of the fact that much of my mental and emotional suffering occurs because of the constant states of aversion I experience. I am not always aware of how this state creates a dark cloud which causes suffering. 2. Things I can let go of are… Let go of aversion to people, places and things.

Day 25: Focused Attention & Open Awareness Integrated Practice: At your next meal, practice mindful eating. Bring an open awareness mindset to this practice; see how much of the experience you can be present to including the flavors and textures in the food, the sounds occurring around you and as you eat, the colors and smells, etc. Reflection Questions: Q.) In what ways did the mindful eating practice affect your experience of eating? I was aware of the texture and smell of the food. I was also more aware of the person I was having dinner with and felt more present during the conversation. In addition, I became more aware of wanting to continue with my stream of thinking about what I had to do after breakfast and shifted my awareness back to practicing being aware of my meal. Q.) How can you apply this type of practice to other areas of your life? This type of practice can be used whenever I am completing any task. I could apply this to work projects to focus on the task at hand instead of engaging in the thoughts and emotions I often relate to getting the work done (i.e. the story line about deadlines, impact of conversations, not getting things done, too much work to do etc.).

Hello @Joseph, I can really identify with what you are saying. My background is in social work and when I began my career, this was also my experience. I remember working with people who were in conflict with the law. I also had to check my values, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and assumptions. One strong memory that has stayed with me for many years is a pearl of wisdom from an experienced community worker who often said, "Just because you made a mistake, it does not mean you are a mistake". When I think about this statement, I often think about the powerful role that stigma has in shaping peoples lives. We need helpers and providers who work in our systems to take the time to check their values, assumptions, and beliefs because people who work in the helping profession have an important role to play to help people to understand that they are not mistakes and they matter! I see mindfulness as a pathway to bring this kind of awareness. Thank you for sharing your journey. Kind Regards, Gene