know thyself... but why?

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​Dear Why Team member,

I hope this message finds you well and that your week is off to a great start. This week we mindfully consider the following: Why awaken? Why pursue higher consciousness?  

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Consider your mindful versus mindless actions.  Which are more likely to be aligned with your higher aspirations?  Why we humans do what we do has been a source of endless fascination to me, leading me into the world of sociology, psychology, philosophy, and science. An Ancient Greek aphorism encourages us to, "Know Thyself." Why?  
Socrates answered it best, because:
“The unexamined life is not worth living."  
Wow, that's intense. 
Considering my own journey, however, I have to agree.  It's amazing I even survived my early mindless years.  While I have a lot of fun memories, upon reflection, I know I was largely running scared; it's amazing how fast you can run when you think you're being chased by a lion.  I thought that, or should I say mindlessly behaved, if I just ran fast enough I wouldn't be consumed, the irony being that this mindless approach was all consuming.  Maybe this is where we insert the line...
...”Fake it till you make it".   
Make what?  Make more?  
More of what?  
More of a life that is worth living?  
A life filled with joy?  A life at peace with the impermanence of all things - open to what each new day will bring?!  Hmm, maybe this will require a more mindful approach.  
 
Is being mindful at all times exhausting? Maybe, can’t say I really experienced it or that anyone experienced it for long periods of time. Why? Because mindfulness is observing the present, our current emotions and focusing on them. But all of a sudden, our busy life shifts the focus and our subconscious, or mindless self, takes the shape of the last emotion we were conscious to then influences our behavior. If the current emotion wasn’t powerful enough to change our mindless state, then we revert to a comfortable mindless state that will dictate our emotional state until we become mindful of the way we act and react to the world around us.  Think no further than the last drive you took and when you got to your destination you realized you were preoccupied by so many other things while “driving” nonetheless you made it safely to your destination.

We, humans, are herd creatures, if we think like the herd, we'll behave like the herd.  Are the majority happy and living fulfilling lives?  When I was 23 years old, I heard a recording that changed my life.  It was the first spoken record that sold over one million copies, it was titled "The Strangest Secret in the World" by Earl Nightingale.  It's timeless and gave birth to my mindfulness.

Forever after, I embraced and rejoiced in my different way of thinking.  Listen to the recording and you will too.  And for a higher awareness into the nature of your mind and it's machinations, consider reading the book titled
“The Untethered Soul" By Michael A. Singer.  It's off the charts, extremely helpful to one's pursuit of mindfulness.

We have all heard about good and bad habits ad nauseam.  What is rarely discussed is how mindlessly, or mindfully, they were developed.  The mind prefers habit.  Habits conserve energy, they are efficient and also a way to keep us safely in the herd - or so the mind thinks.  We all have habits that were mindlessly developed and those that were mindfully developed, of course, I'm sure you can guess the source of the limiting habits versus those that have been empowering. So, make the conscious effort at least during this week and try to be more mindful of your thoughts and convert them into positive thoughts if they are not already, so you can create a mindless positive track. Also, align yourself with positive, successful people and being part of the herd, won’t be so bad.

 Why is this awareness important?  Because as Simon Sinek says, "Leaders think differently, believe differently and challenge the status quo."  Make no mistake, the status quo is "what and how," what to do and how to do it.  Leaders leverage the question why to think differently.  Leaders are more mindful as to why they do what they do.  As a Why Team member, this is your charge, to think differently in service to others.  Your mindful actions can serve those who may be suffering under the yoke of habitual, mindlessly developed behaviors. Please read and/or listen to the above recommendations to further fuel the good mindful work you do each and every day.

Make it a great week,
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Steve Luckenbach