"TURN OFF THE LIGHTS"

I'm guessing that many of you remember your parent saying this to you as a child. "Turn off the lights." My mother would say this to my brothers and me, usually adding something about the cost of electricity. Well nowadays it pays to be more aware of the costs of many of the things that we take for granted. Actually, in this case it does actually "pay." In recent years I've come to be a lot better about this. Though my wife occasionally has to remind me. She's clever (and funny, sometimes). She'll say, when the light's left on in a particular room: "Who's in the bathroom?" Leaving it up to me to figure out the unsaid second half of the statement (first noticing that no one is actually in there), "Then why is the light on?" I get it. It's just one of those mindless habits of mine that lingers, and now has become much more costly. The answer, of course, is to become more aware of what we do and don't do, and the consequences. Be more mindful.

Mindfulness has far reaching relevance, if we apply it to our daily living. We have a lot of non-thinking behaviors that impact our lives short term and long term. Even things we do, that we decided long ago are not useful for us that we continue to do. Habits are hard to break. So you don't have to decide to change things all at once. That's often just too difficult. Am I right smokers? So don't keep doing things unconsciously. For example, if smoking is your obstacle, allow yourself to be more aware of when and why you're having that particular cigarette. Even if it's "because I want to." Make a conscious decision each time you have one. Don't let it just be automatic. Being more mindful will have a direct effect on cutting down. We all know the consequences of this habit, so reducing your use simply by being more aware will improve your health. Being mindful of turning off a light when you leave a room (or unplugging electrical appliances that are not being used) will save you money on your electrical bill. By the way, FPL is making a rate hike (for us Floridians).

So let's expand this mindfulness idea, and apply it to other areas of our lives. Relationships: Being aware of things that loved ones do (cooking meals, kids helping out, a coworker or subordinate that does their job well without whining), that you may take for granted, may now require some acknowledgement. Health: You can you be more aware of drinking water, managing stress (including time to relax, play, etc.), breathing more completely, exercise, even awareness of the emotional eating that we do. Personal Growth: Have you gotten too used to the depression or anxiety you sometimes struggle with? Do you remember to appreciate the good things in your life? I think you get the point, but here it is again. MINDFULNESS is better than mindlessness.