For a while now I have been practising meditation every morning. It is actually incredibly difficult to still the mind, even when purposefully trying to practise mindfulness. We are wired to think all the time and we have to learn consciously to overcome this so that we can function optimally, and feel peaceful, whenever possible. We can’t stop thoughts coming into our head, but what mindfulness teaches us is to observe and step back from these thoughts and to still the mind where possible. Have you ever driven from A to B on auto-pilot, without actually knowing how you got to B? Or half-listened to someone while thinking about something else?
Inevitably this lack of mental clarity spills over into our working life. And when it comes to proofreading and editing, mindfulness is key to doing a good job. In order to understand what a person is trying to say, to suggest rephrasing where necessary, to look for literal errors, to apply consistency throughout, and often to format too, all at the same time, means that you have to have your wits about you and be really centred.
So it becomes really important to learn how to leave your worries on one side and not bring them to your desk, and to tune out the everyday concerns that can plague our minds. I can always feel the difference between being really connected to the text (and the person behind it) and being a little distracted; and in the case of the latter I will go back over the text (in my own time of course) until I’m happy I’ve done a good job. The moral of the story therefore is to spend a little time getting focused in the first place, or ultimately end up spending more of your time doing the job twice, or even three times!
If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment; live in the breath – Amit Ray.
The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness. Mindfulness means being awake. It means knowing what you are doing – Jon Kabat-Zinn.
Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more – Mother Teresa.