Significant KEY of Awakening

There are so many "teachings" out there - so many messages. I have found there to be many common threads; however, things don't often click into place until I hear someone else say the same message/teaching using different words. A common message/teaching is about being in the now/the present/mindfulness (I love Matt Kahn's mantra: "I AM here now, here now I AM." Yep, cool stuff (I use this a lot when my mind likes to wander instead of staying focused on the task at hand)). 

So what does it mean to be present, what does it mean to be here NOW (in the infinite NOW as some like to say)?? Well, I'll be blunt, my interpretation is: stop multitasking! Seriously this is huge!!! This is what being “present”/being “in the now” is all about, and it’s such an integral part of the journey of waking up. If you’re going to make the commitment to wake up out of the dream you find yourself in, this is something you can do for free, no expensive mastery programs required 😂. But in all seriousness (as I am rather a serious person/being), I can't even begin to accurately describe the power behind the choice to stop multitasking. 

In my own experiences, I have noticed that when I am "attempting" to multitask (and I say "attempting" because, really, how well do I actually accomplish tasks when I'm trying to do more than one thing at a time - not very well, if I'm honest - I used to be an excellent multitasker before I woke up to the "level" where I'm at now, and here multitasking just doesn't work) I have felt a lot of tension in my chest and throat, sometimes to the point where I was feeling panic (panic attacks are something I was quite familiar with for a number of years). 

So if multitasking makes me feel overwhelmed (and sometimes way beyond overwhelmed) what exactly am I really accomplishing when I am forcing myself to ATTEMPT to accomplish more than one thing at a time, with general unsuccess (yes, I know "unsuccess" isn't a word, but it doesn't matter 😉)? Well, the honest answer is: semi-okay performance in the tasks I'm attempting, and generally a feeling like I could just scream. To me, multitasking feels like my first (and only) visit to Times Square in NYC - wow all the lights, moving stuff everywhere (even on the sidewalk) - I felt so dizzy, so uncentered, overwhelmed 😱. I couldn't wait to get the f*** out of there!!! Now that doesn't sound fun, does it? It's certainly not the way we deserve to feel (yes, you deserve to feel happy/calm/content - it's true!!!). 

If you begin to pay attention to how you feel AND how the body feels when you are attempting to do more than one thing at the same time, you may find that you're rather uncomfortable, so stop torturing yourself! Give yourself the permission to focus on the task at hand, one task at a time - breathe, pay attention to what you're doing, and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish in such a "short amount of time" (and you'll also feel much better - for example, your nervous system will thank you by responding in ways you find easy to be in the body: easy to breathe, et cetera - no sudden urges to scream 😄). 

So why aren't more of us abandoning multitasking? Well, because it's not always "easy" to do. I know that I often felt this internal pressure to work harder/faster/blahblahblah. Once I started ALLOWING myself the privilege of paying attention to what I am doing (especially while doing tasks I'd prefer not to do - such as cleaning: I like when the house is clean but I don't enjoy the act of cleaning, but I clean anyway because it feels good in my body when the house is clean), I noticed huge changes in myself and my life/experiences. This is definitely one of the areas of the journey where I had to infuse what I'll call "gentle discipline." I use the word "discipline" because I really had to almost force myself to be present to just one thing/one task quite often - it was really hard sometimes (this doesn't mean it has to be hard for you - I'm just sharing my experience), but also remember to be gentle with yourself. Ultimately, it's not a big deal if you find yourself in the middle of attempting to multitask - just breathe and bring yourself back to focusing on one task at a time. I found mantras to be really helpful  - not official Sanskrit mantras or anything fancy, just a simple phrase to repeat to keep me focused on what I'm doing (sometimes I sing them out loud to add a little pizazz to the day). Here are some examples: 

• in the shower: "hello beautiful miraculously optimally healthy eternally youthful body" (tongue twister)
• cleaning or washing dishes: "clean and pristine"
• manual labor (lol, like something challenging, lifting heavy things, whatever):  "I am so grateful to be able to physically accomplish these tasks"
• generic mantras to apply to whatever you want: "I am happy, I am healthy, I am abundant, I am free" or "thank you body for performing these tasks so well"

You get the idea ... So now, some examples of important times to stop multitasking (all times/tasks are important to focus on, but here are some I found to be a bit more significant for whatever reason):

🧘🏻‍♀️ Eat your meals at a designated spot without any tv/videos, technology, phone calls/texts/emails, or music - just eat. Taste the food, feel the textures … yummm …

🧘🏻‍♀️ Is someone calling or texting you? Sit down in a quiet room and fully engage yourself in the conversation , listen to what they have to say (and, no, I don’t mean sit in your car and drive and talk - that’s multitasking 😊)

🧘🏻‍♀️Stop bringing your phone with you wherever you go. If you want to check your email, go right ahead and check your email, but sit down and focus on just the task of checking your email. Don’t check your email and then answer a call or text before you've finished checking your email. (I actually keep my phone on silent unless I have an appointment, and I actually schedule "appointments" to talk on the phone with friends/family as well. I find this to be very helpful with staying present in the conversation because we've already set aside a specific time/space for this conversation to occur, so now I'm not "in the middle of something" else - I can just sit and listen and talk. It's really quite refreshing!)

Enjoy the journey of quitting the habit of multitasking - it's so wonderful when you make the commitment to be here now, in the present, paying as much attention as you can on one task at a time. This is one of the things I can guaranty will change your life in such significant ways. I give you full, complete, and total permission to join me in the realm of presence. 🙏

Love YOU,

Mary