mindfulness – Page 3 – Welcome to MAX

MAX Mindfulness: The Past is Not Here Now!

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

One of the great benefits of using mindfulness is to release ourselves of the past. When we live mindlessly, so many of our thoughts, perceptions and reflections are rooted in our past. The past is gone and we only have the present moment. The future is not yet here. Mindfulness helps us stay rooted in our present rather than being sabotaged by our mind’s propensity to find blame and regrets in the past. Watch your mind and just see how often this occurs for you. Some examples that you might consider:

Many of our judgments on people we meet now are rooted in past relationships. He/She reminds me of ______. He/She is just like so and so. She/He looks like ______. They remind me of _________. Etc. We seldom meet anyone new without making some type of comparison with someone in our past. It takes mindful effort to center only on this person now!
A painful incident or event in the past continues to affect our present (and therefore our future). We might have been hurt or rejected at some point in our past. That event, if we are not mindful, can continue to affect us now through our perceptions and mistrust of the present – people and events. Yet the past has no ability to do that unless we allow it to. It is mindfully up to us.
We perceive a current person or situation as “just like that past _______”. It is doubtful a present person or situation is ‘just like the past’ and our context of putting that past into our present is unfair to any current situation or person.
We are moving through our day just fine when suddenly we realize we are depressed or disturbed in some way. Why? Looking closely we realize a thought entered our mind from the past that filled us with regret or feelings of inadequacy that is affecting our mood now.

If you pay close attention you will find that most negative mindsets come from thoughts from our past (or fear of the future), seldom is it the present, and even it if occurs in the present, it is often due to thoughts and comparisons to our past. That is why mindfulness is so important and can be so helpful to us in focusing on now – the present. It isn’t easy stuff to let go of the past and it takes focused thought (mindful thought) to stay in the present.

David Wine

David is the President and CEO of the MAX enterprise, having served in that capacity since its formation in 2001. He has forty plus years of leadership experience in the business and faith-based worlds, being an ordained minister, having been elected to the highest position in his denomination, and receiving numerous awards and recognition for his leadership in the insurance industry. He currently serves on numerous boards in the church and insurance sectors. His hobbies include hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing as well as being an avid reader. David and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, a son, and four grandchildren.

MAX Mindfulness: Stay out of BED!

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Mindfulness can be practiced in a lot of different ways. Besides specific breathing, focusing, listening and other similar exercises, mindfulness can be practiced through focusing on a thought or a sentence or a quote and just resonating with that for a period of time. Let me share one with you today:

BED: as in, Stay out of BED! What, Dave, is that all about? Well, in this case, BED, stands for three other words:

Blame
Excuse
Denial

These three words form most of the ways we skirt around self-responsibility and mindfulness is really one of the most powerful ways we can stay responsible to and with ourselves. By blaming others (the opposite of not taking responsibility for ourselves); by excusing ourselves (again not taking responsibility) or using denial (not my fault – something or someone else is responsible!), we create a context that leads to projecting onto others and other things the reason we are who we are or do what we do. We give up our personal power when we do that.

So this simple mindful exercise is taking a thought we can easily remember – Stay out of BED!- and then taking time to pause and reflect on ways we may be staying in BED in our lives. The awareness that comes with that reflection can then help us catch ourselves when we mistakenly blame others, excuse ourselves, or deny that we were responsible. And remember – always do this with a forgiving, loving, affirming attitude toward yourself! We all do this at times – it is not about perfection – it is about improvement and using mindfulness as a tool to enable this greater awareness of ourselves.

David Wine

MAX Mindfulness: What Am I Thinking Now?

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

There is one thing – and one thing ONLY – that we have the ability to control and that is our mind, our thoughts. That is why I believe practicing mindfulness is so important and can help us in every aspect of our lives. One of the easiest things to do is simply to put a note on our desks, computer screen, a string around our finger, – something to remind us to take time often throughout each day simply to ask:

What Am I Thinking Now?

As you notice what you are thinking, you can then decide whether you want to change that thought(s). I am simply amazed (a positive way to think about this) to find that so many of my thoughts are judging, analyzing, fretting, anxious, etc. But most of the time I am holding those thoughts subconsciously and not paying attention to them. Then I wonder why I’m not joyous and free and happy! When I pause often throughout the day to note, What Am I Thinking Now?, I can recognize my thoughts and then choose different thoughts. I can express thanks, gratitude, look around and see all that is right and good, commune with God/Spirit, feel the sense of the wonderful team I get to work with at MAX, etc. And my attitude, demeanor, and spirit changes, too! Really mindfulness is simply paying attention to creating the thoughts and communion we most want to have in our lives – the one thing we can control in an uncontrollable world.

The easiest and the hardest thing to do!!

David Wine

MAX Mindfulness: Take a “Mind Break”

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Here’s an idea for this week. We all know how often and necessary it is to check our email regularly in today’s digital world. Each time you reach to click on your email think “mind break” first. Just take a moment before you read those emails (with all the accompanying work, emotions, fatigue that can happen while reading and responding to them). Take a moment to perhaps look out the window, focus on something on your desk, close your eyes if you prefer, and just take 2-3 deep breaths. Then when you have relaxed and let go for a bit you can read and respond.

I literally put a sticky note on my screen this morning reminding me to do that. I can’t help but see the reminder so I have no excuses if I refuse to take the time to re-center and refocus myself. Studies show our stress levels decline immensely with just a few additional breaths each day. So, go ahead and take a “mind break”!

David Wine

MAX Mindfulness: Find it in your Heart

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Did you know that your heart’s energy is at least 5,000 times stronger than your brain’s? Some studies show it may even be much stronger than that! We hear a lot about the power of our minds but our hearts are even stronger. It is no coincidence that we talk about the heart when it comes to love, the most powerful emotion we can have. And the opposite comment to indicate cruelty, “they are heartless”.

Why do I share this when I’m writing about mindfulness? Because we have to use our mind to focus and pay attention, but if we are not involving our heart in the process, it is not going to be that helpful for us. The goal of mindfulness is not just to watch our minds at work – it’s to help us get to a ‘better place’ through watching our minds and becoming more aware and seeking positive and peace-giving energy – that comes from the heart. For example, if I take a ‘time out’ and close my eyes and take a few deep breaths before I get in the car to drive, it can help me remember I am now driving and to pay attention. But if that same thought doesn’t touch the heart, I will likely get upset at the first driver that does something that is wrong like cutting me off in traffic, missing a turn signal, etc. Mindfulness really gets powerful when we can connect our brain’s energy (thoughts) to our heart’s energy (feelings). So if I can get in my car, direct my thoughts to “I’m driving now…” and also direct those thoughts to my heart, “I care about others and I want to drive with that care in my heart”, my ability to drive relaxed, safe, and at peace just went up several-fold.

So the greatest gift of mindfulness is when we allow our thoughts to slow down and intercept the energy of the heart. Because the heart is where our positive emotions and energy reside. It is no accident that the heart and Valentine’s Day love and appreciation are connected. This is really the secret of prayer, meditation and worship. When our thoughts focus and we allow the energy of our hearts to come into place, we become gifts to others and to our world. It is not just mindfulness – it is mindfulness to help us get in touch with our hearts – that positive, hopeful, loving part of our self, others, and life. And that is wholeness. And, of course, that is MAX!

David Wine