Mindfulness.

What a simple word. You know what I’ve noticed about it? It’s a powerful word.

This word has been buzzing around in my brain for days now.

For those that who follow me on here or Twitter, know that I’m quite the fan of Perry Carpenter and his podcast, “8th Layer Insights”. He talks about security, but it’s all about understanding human nature, and how to address changing their behavior to be more secure in their digital lives. This past week’s episode was about “mindfulness”, being mindful of your surroundings, and how it can have an effect on your digital life. He and his guests talk about SLOWING DOWN, taking a pause, and carefully thinking through things, rather than acting on pure emotion and instinct. 

While Perry and guests may have been talking about security more than anything, the episode hit me on a more personal level. A much deeper level.

I need to be more mindful of my own surroundings, and how it’s affecting not my digital life, but my physical one. I’ve been reflecting on many things since hearing that episode. I’m mindful of how one aspect of my life has stifled my passion and creativity, almost to the point where I’m just plodding through life on autopilot.

For those older folks like myself, I’m reminded of an episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye is temporarily blinded by trying to light a stove, and during his time without eyesight, how his other senses became heightened, and how he suddenly became more mindful of the world around him, describing listening to a rain storm for a couple of hours. 

This in no way means that I’ve suddenly found the magic solution to make things all better, but more of an eye opener. Things really can have a snowball effect, and I’m more mindful of it now. It’s almost as if this behavior of mine has moved from the back to the front of my consciousness. Being ‘aware’ and being ‘mindful’ to me take on two different meanings; my being ‘aware’ of something feels like it’s more of a conscious thing, whereas being ‘mindful’ feels more to being conscious as well as subconscious, almost a full body ‘vibe’ sort of thing.

I’m still taking more of a ‘blend in with the masses’ approach to social media currently, but this was something that just touched on the right set of nerves that I felt compelled to temporarily break the silence. 

Take some time to be mindful of things, whether it is in your physical or digital life.