A few words today encouraging you to be mindful, to be kind to yourself, to help yourself to remain centered, especially in the spinning vortex of ceaseless activity that will characterize the coming weeks of nonstop celebration.

#Mindfulness is my word of the decade. It’s the polar opposite of multi-tasking, which is not what it sounds like at all. To multi-task is not to get a whole bunch of different things done all at once, but rather to switch your attention incessantly from one focus to another, giving none your full consideration. To multi-task is to invest heavily in attention-switching at the expense of your focus and goals. It is a waste of your precious energy.

The treatment for multi-tasking, as well as the frazzled nerves and inability to focus in which multi-tasking results, is mindfulness. Mindfulness can take the form of meditation, yoga, stretching, walking, knitting, cooking, massage, playing piano, praying, petting the dog, or kicking a soccer ball with a child. Its essential character is applying oneself completely to the task at hand, and minimizing interference from random distracting thoughts. Mindfulness is self-care that connects you with your inner self. It refocuses your energy to help you understand what your body needs. It’s a key that connects you with yourself. The rest falls into place like a puzzle.

Mindfulness guides you to be comfortable in your own skin. It accepts you. It connects you. It likes you. Why else would you give yourself this kind of time, uninterrupted even by pet worries, concerns, and random thoughts?

A few weeks ago I saw a captivating videotape presentation. A man steps into a cab. Music is playing. Hard, loud, angry music. Every intersection, every movement of every individual on the street, is colored by the music. A random passerby’s raised arms look threatening. A policeman is shouting at someone, a child? Worried, distracted people are hurrying to their destinations. The images fade, and then the scene returns to the very beginning. The identical videotape plays once more, but this time with one significant difference. This time, when the man steps into the cab, the soundtrack plays gentle, melodic music. Now, the random passerby with raised arms seems to be conducting the music. The policeman is calling a greeting to a child. The pedestrians look focused, but no longer frightened.

The presenter’s point was this: “You see the world through how you feel.” Let’s take a moment to think about that. It is not frustrating experiences that make your world a more frustrating place. It is your response to those frustrating experiences. Frustration is a given; attitude is a choice.

Mindfulness is a deep form of respect, the place where “Expect respect” and “Be the change” intersect. When you give yourself time you are giving yourself a message: “I treat myself to the best of me. I am worthy.” And, indeed, you are.