happiness – Mindfulness Coach

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This is the 4th track on The Mindful Way CD. It is about happiness and other sound reasons to develop a mindful practice or a good reminder to keep it going! Feedback welcome. Enjoy!
The most obvious benefit of developing a mindful practice is a huge increase in happiness. Happiness becomes a bi-product of mindfulness and almost an automatic choice. Happiness isn’t a destination, an award, a goal or something you chase after, it’s the main reason why we are here – to be happy! So wake up every day with a determination to be mindful and happy, no matter what comes your way.

There are many other benefits of developing a mindful practice. I have taken note of the benefits that I have experienced since I embarked on the mindful way. These benefits have also been confirmed with feedback, from both my coaching clients and from my book Mindful Actions. My favourite feedback is hearing from people coming off meds. Mindfulness is now a proven alternative to medication. It is true that meds can help when people’s lives are out of control but honestly, most of the benefit goes to pharmaceutical companies.

Is your mindful practice fully developed? A sure sign is a deep desire to help others. If this sounds like you, I invite you to have a look at my Keys to Mindfulness Mentoring certificate course. It involves three one-on-one sessions with me personally, either live or via video link. The sessions are at least one month apart, go at your own pace. I have made this course as affordable as possible, only AU$250 (Approx EUR160 or US$180)

Mindfully Yours with Love, Joy & Peace Always! – John Shearer

“Can you say ‘Thank You?’”

One of the first things we teach our kids as soon as they learn to speak is to say, “Thank you.” Think of the countless times you have said, “what do you say?…” to prompt your child to utter these words. But do our kids really have any idea what it means to be thankful?

Practicing gratitude has benefits that go beyond having a polite kid. Studies show that people who practice gratitude feel 25% happier, are more likely to be kind and helpful to others, are more enthusiastic, interested and determined, and even sleep better.

And grateful children and teens tend to thrive. Kids who practice gratitude get higher grades, are more satisfied with their lives, are more integrated socially and show fewer signs of depression.

So how can families practice gratitude in meaningful ways so that our kids learn what it means to be thankful? Here are a few ideas:

Express your appreciation for each other.
In my house we started this as a birthday tradition. When it is someone’s birthday we go around the table and express what we all appreciate about that person. The first time we did this it was uncomfortable for me, it felt ‘cheesy’ for lack of a better term. But when I heard the amazing things my kids had to say it quickly became my favorite family ritual, and we remind each other of what has been said often.
Acknowledge the small stuff.
When we practice mindfulness it helps us to be present in our relationships and pay attention to our environment. Often it is easy to go through the day distracted, out of sync with our environment and the people around us. When you are with your kids, be intentional about noticing the beautiful flowers, bright blue sky, the helpful person at the coffee counter, and the nice man who held the door for you. Your appreciation for the the little things around you will rub off on your kids.
Make a gratitude jar.
This can be a fun project for kids. Find a container and let the kids decorate it. Cut out some pieces of scratch paper and put them in a convenient place so that family members can write down things they feel grateful for and place the paper in the jar. If kids can’t yet write then having them draw a picture of something works great also! Then, open the jar once a week or once a month and read what everyone has written.
Make it part of your bedtime routine.
Take a few minutes at the end of each day to show appreciation for the little things in your life for which you are thankful. It is important for parents to model gratitude for meaningful things like relationships, kindness, and the natural beauty in your environment (rather than your 60 inch plasma TV or your new ipad). This is a wonderful way to end each day!

A huge Thank You to Kristen Pace from Mindful Life for this blog. Mindfully Yours with Love & Gratitude Always! ~ John