A Lesson learned at 30K feet - Breathe, Reflect, Repeat

I grasped for breath as I reached airport and rushed towards the counter for check-in counter. "How could I be so careless?!", I cursed myself. It was quite a run, when I realised that the flight is at 5:40 pm and not 6:40 pm. I ran towards the flight as the last call for passengers was being announced. I just didnt care that people were giving me weird looks when I was running fanatically while grasping for breath. I breathed a sigh of relief when I entered the flight. Took my seat, wiped the sweat on my face, took a few long breaths. I checked my mobile phone which was about to die with 10% battery. "10% -S××××!!!", I cursed myself again!  I messaged the important people that I have safely boarded by flight and switched it off, as i would need the remaining % battery when I reach the destination.

Switiching off mobile sometimes is a liberation. Feeling disconnected with the OCD of looking at mobile is a blessing... in disguise... Opened my diary and wrote 2 times - How could I be so careless!!! ,and ruminated over this for the rest of the duration of the flight.

We do this all the time! Dont we? Having worked in IT operations for years now, I know the costs of being careless. One wrong click on a production environment can have an inexplicable huge impact.   And yet it happens sometimes. 

We need to develop that awareness and attention. You dont become mindful overnight and it doesnt come easily. Like all skills, being mindful requires practice.

Some of the ways to develop this consciousness are below:

1. One thing at a time - We constantly juggle with mutiple things at a time. We boast of being multi-taskers. But the fact is that you cannot be conscious of multiple things at once. In this episode here, I was multi talsking and I didnt prioritize checking the flight details till the last moment. You need  to pay deliberate attention to each thought and feeling that arises in your experience. Practice developing awareness of just one thing at any given moment.

2. Acceptance -  Observe the moment with acceptance and love without being judgemental. Temporarily, let go of the need to change, fight, or deny any aspects of your experience. Let it be. Observe and accept.

3. Focus on Now - There is nothing you can do to magically alter the past. Let go of past and future… they are illusions.  Focus on Present to change the future by choosing right things now.

4. Journal your experience - Once you begin to realistically notice, describe, and accept your present-moment experience just the way that it is, you will have the power to make new choices and develop new behavioral patterns.. which is what I am doing now by writing this post. :)

5. Meditate - try to disconnect with thoughts everyday for a few minutes. This gives more clarity every day.

Lets try to consciously attempt to improve the awareness, attentiveness and carefulness.

Until next time...