Mindfulness seems to be somewhat of a buzz word over the past few years. It is this thing that a lot of people say is good for you and helpful to have in your life, but I don't think a lot of people really understand what it is. If you are interested in learning exactly what mindfulness is, how to create a mindfulness practice, and how it can vastly improve your day to day life, continue reading.

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What is Mindfulness?

I believe that mindfulness grew in popularity when it did because of the direction our society has been moving. We are multi-taskers, we rarely slow down or have free time, we are stuck in our heads worrying about what comes next or what we did yesterday. As a society, we have a very difficult time being fully present in the current moment we are living in.

But that is exactly what mindfulness is, it is the practice of staying present throughout your day. It is being fully in an experience rather than simply going through the motions of it. Being mindful means that you are getting out of your head and into your body and life.

“Mindfulness clears the windshield of the mind so that we can see things as they really are.” — Travis Eliot

Why Would I Want to Be Mindful?

Regularly including mindfulness in your life can have many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. To name a few it gives you more control over your thoughts and decisions, it allows you to be more aware of yourself, it lets you hear your intuition more clearly, and you can experience more pleasure from your daily experiences.

Also, practicing mindfulness can have a positive impact on your confidence and self-esteem. There are a few ways that being mindful can improve your confidence and I will discuss them more below. So if you want to learn more about using mindfulness to improve your self-esteem and confidence, stick with me a little longer.

How Mindfulness Can Increase Confidence

Getting out of your head

So many of us spend so much of our time stuck in our own heads. We over-analyze situations, worry about the future, ruminate on the past, and prepare ourselves for every possible scenario that we could encounter. But all of that effort and energy is being wasted because it is not going into actually experiencing the life you’re living. 

Learning how to be more mindful throughout your day takes you out of your head and into your life. It can help ease self-doubt because it nips the over-analyzing loop in the butt. It will help you see situations more logically rather than through a lens of worry. Less worry and self-doubt = more confidence in yourself.

Getting to know yourself better

Like I talked about in depth in this post (journaling post), one of the foundational steps to building confidence in yourself is getting to know yourself better. But how are you supposed to get to know yourself if you are not paying attention to what's going on around or inside of you?

When we are not present in a moment, we are just on autopilot. We aren’t making intentional decisions but ones out of habit. This type of information is not helpful in getting to know ourselves better because it isn’t being actively chosen.

So getting more mindful in general will help you to grow your knowledge about yourself. It gives you the opportunity to absorb new information about your likes, dislikes, desires, thoughts, and actions.

To enhance your mindfulness practice, grab 10 free journaling prompts for self-discovery below. Use these prompts to increase your self-knowledge and grow your confidence in yourself.

Listening to your inner guidance

We all have an intuition or inner guide. You know, that little voice in the back of your head or that feeling in your gut that tells you when something is right for you or not? That little guy is always there for us, but we don’t or can’t always listen to it.

When we are stuck in our heads or in autopilot mode, we do not have the ability to hear our intuition. You must be present and ready to listen to your inner voice. So practicing mindfulness can help you to tap into this guidance more effectively. Learning to hear and listen to your intuition can greatly improve your confidence because it builds trust in yourself.

Being able to trust yourself is vital for having a positive relationship with yourself, just like trust is vital to any other type of relationship. So I challenge you to start tapping into your intuition on a regular basis. Start working on trusting it and see your trust for yourself flourish.

Getting in control of your life

Like I mentioned earlier, when we are in autopilot mode, we are not actively making decisions for ourselves. Because we are reacting out of habits rather than intention, we are giving away a lot of our personal power without even realizing it.

Practicing mindfulness and getting out of autopilot will then give you the opportunity to make more intentional decisions throughout your day. You will get to actually take control of your life rather than be passive to the experience of it. The more you are able to step into the driver’s seat of your life, the higher your confidence will soar. 

I mean, think about it, does it really feel that good to live life going through the motions? Or does it feel better to take life by the reins and live it how you want? The better you feel about the life you're living, the more confident you will be inside that life.

Wanna dive even deeper into your mindfulness practice??

Well do I have the dream experience for you! I have partnered with Sounds True to bring you a one in a lifetime learning opportunity that will take your mindfulness practice above and beyond your wildest dreams. The course is called The Power of Awareness and it is hosted by the two biggest powerhouses in the field of mindfulness, Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. This is the first training program from the Awareness Training Institute, founded by Jack and Tara, to share their combined eight decades of spiritual teachings and meditation work with participants from all around the world. 

In this breakthrough seven-week course, you’ll explore: 

• Healing difficult emotions, feelings, thoughts, and states of mind

• Simple techniques to access mindfulness by using your breath and body

• Becoming comfortable with both joys and sorrows

• Beginning to cultivate loving awareness for all beings and situations

• Discovering the beauty of starting exactly where you are

So are you ready to take your awareness to the next level? Enter your info below to learn more!