Organize Your Calm

...an essay from Organized Calm by Linda MillerTM

Transform the ordinary into the extraordinary by giving your mind the framework it needs to rest, and your heart the ability to calm down and feel at peace…

In the big picture of life’s continuum, the energy that flows through all of it comes down to you and your singular journey; in this case, life is, indeed, all about you. As you move through the years, the universe conspires to bring you your own set of trials, tribulations, and joyful adventures meant to teach you the lessons you’re here to learn. As some philosophies suggest, these are the lessons you have designed for yourself. The universe also provides you with tools to tackle the stormy episodes and get more enjoyment out of the sunshiny times. Mindfulness is one of them. But being aware and mindful of what’s going on right in front of you on any given day takes some practice, and just as with anything else you practice, a little behind-the-scenes know-how and a few secrets can help deliver a more meaningful daily existence and the joyfully-lived life you seek. Using a 3-step process to de-mystify the kind of everyday mindfulness that turns ordinary into extraordinary begins by first examining what your mind needs and what your heart wants.

Step #1: Find Your Organized Calm

Your mind likes organization: it wants to see an organized closet, a pantry that’s neatly stocked, a de-cluttered garage, a tidy apartment. The brain likes to hear well-constructed sentences that make sense, or musical notes that fit together in measures that flow along with a rhythm it can understand. This organization of sight and sound frees up valuable headspace to just ‘be.’

Your heart longs to feel at peace, not anxious or distressed, but tranquil and calm. A calm heart is able to open up and do what it does best, which is to give and receive love—the hallmark of all human interaction.

With an organized mind and a calm heart, you are ready for the second step: paying attention.

Step #2: Pay Attention

As with everything in life, you get more out of what you pay attention to. Big, splashy events are easier to notice—wedding days, graduations, baby’s first steps, an A+ on that test you studied so hard for; it’s the small, regular, day-to-day happenings that don’t stand out or grab attention. But there’s a bit of magic that lies in the regularity of everyday life if you can find a way to see past the obstacles that complicate the picture.

It is a tall order to pay attention these days in a world filled with rapid communication, 1-click-away purchases, multi-tasking expectations, ADD, and practically Insta-everything. We are programmed to receive and absorb information quickly and pressured to respond instantly, which can make even a 30-second sound bite seem too long as we bounce from one device to another.

How do we slow it down, take a breath, lower our heart rate, see color, and feel joy?

On the other hand, days and weeks are filled with patterns that follow an order, and as we sink down into a routine, life becomes automated and patterns get repeated. Vacations and changes of scenery break up the routine, and at other times patterns change organically, but for much of the time, we humans happily follow our habits and patterns. The same routine that feels good, however, lulls the mind into operating unconsciously, making it possible to mindlessly go through the motions of getting a job done without remembering the actual work you did or being at the party but unable to recall any enjoyment because your mind was elsewhere.

Missing out, divorced from the moment, and going through your days unaware or less aware leaves a lot of life on the table.

Whether absorbed by technology or stymied by repetition, a more meaningful, richer existence is right in front of you waiting for you to pay attention to it. The magic that can be found in the midst of all the busyness or rote routine of the day has more to do with the sunlight that streams in, the birds that sing, a neighbor waving, your co-worker smiling, a child’s whisper, flowers that appear, or the person at the stop sign who lets you go first. As daylight surrenders to dusk and you hear the stage fall silent, see the lights fade to black, and watch as the curtain drops on a day that will never come around again, you have an opportunity to reflect. If you’ve been paying attention, you may be able to reflect on a little bit of magic.

By paying attention to the life that’s happening right in front of you, you can get the most out of your day, which leads to the third step: awareness.

Step #3: Shine a Light

Being able to shine a light on everyday tasks, routine habits, commonplace incidents, and happy accidents has the potential to deliver to you a deeper appreciation and reverence for all of life. With practice, you will be able to spot opportunities for mindful attention in many of the daily activities that you might otherwise mindlessly perform, transforming the ordinary things you do each day into extraordinary experiences by raising them up to a higher level of consciousness. Living life at this loftier elevation lets you glide along on a kind of mindfulness jet stream, lifted high enough to see what lies ahead with anticipation, look back at your days and weeks with appreciation, yet able to fully immerse yourself in the moment, proving to yourself that all of life can be a meditation.

All of Life Exercises

These three examples start you off in the direction of mindfully appreciating all of life.

• Wake up differently. Give attention and intention to the way you get up in the morning and as you get out of bed, don't just wake up, awaken Agency. Acknowledge yourself to yourself as you watch your hand open the blinds to let the light in, feel your confidence build as you close your eyes and take a deep breath, exhale slowly and lift your chin up, stand tall, feel your independence, and silently smile to yourself as you start out, ready to make your own decisions, take empowered action, and move through your day radiating the power of agency.

• Cleanse your chi. Make the everyday morning routine of washing your face a ritual of renewal that sends positive energy zooming down through all your cellular layers as you deeply, meaningfully, and lovingly cleanse your skin. As you approach the sink, watch your hands reach for the faucet to turn it on, see water streaming down, and feel it turn from cool to warm. Lift gentle heat to your face, warming your skin as pores begin to give way, release tension, relax, and open up. Let soapy goodness embrace your skin like a haven of hope as you feel foamy lather seep in, bubble up, and reach deep down—emulsifying, unearthing, unclogging, flushing out toxins and debris, purifying each cell, and sending clean, clarifying, positive energy down through all your layers. Rinsing and reaching, turning off the faucet, and pressing a soft, dry towel to your face, you exhale, feeling the ahhhh… your skin’s vibrant glow renewed.

• Rest with reverence. Shut down the hectic day, quell the brain’s mindless chatter, and give your body the calming relaxation it needs with a reflection that fosters awareness, appreciation, and reverence. As your day finishes, purposefully pause to take a moment for yourself. Breathe, inhale deeply, and feel air stream in through your nose. Exhale slowly and listen to the sound of your breath leave through parted lips, emptying and cleansing. Acknowledge the triumphs and trials this day has brought to you—the labor and the lightness. Recognize that this is your time to rest, to let down, to relax and release. Notice late afternoon yield to eventide, imagine twilight whispering to you the promise of respite, and take your reward for a day, well done. Close your eyes, listen to the beat of your own heart—its life-giving pulse—and allow the silence of gratitude to descend and tame your thoughts as you slow down the race and gather the pieces of yourself into your still center, offering them refuge, gently pulling them together to find the joyspring of hope and love—the pure essence in and reverence for all of life.

~

Your ability to approach the day’s events with a restful mind and a calm heart—finding your Organized Calm—allows you to operate throughout the day from your still center, a place of tranquility and quiet knowing. If you listen closely to your still center, it will tell you what to do, which way to go, how to tackle your daily challenges, and maybe most important of all… how to find joyfulness in whatever life you are living on any particular day. Paying attention, being aware, and shining the light on commonplace incidents and happy accidents touches your spirit like nothing else can, and before you know it, you’ve become the alchemist who can transform the base metal occurrences of your day into golden moments to remember—pure magic!