content/posts/2016/2016-07-22-a-mindful-day-of-happiness/index.md
---
title: "A mindful day of happiness"
cover: "https://picsum.photos/1600/800/?image=646"
date: 2016-07-22 21:54:15 +0200
tags:
- Mindset
- Time Management
---
> Everything I did today was done with intent and slower than usual. I was
> mindful.
Today I had complete control of my day and my emotions because I was mindful.
I walked mindfully. I spoke mindfully. I thought mindfully. I listened mindfully.
I stood mindfully. I ate mindfully. This is something I have never done before.
> Mindfulness is always mindful of something. When you drink your tea mindfully,
> it’s called mindfulness of drinking. When you walk mindfully, it’s called
> mindfulness of walking. And when you breathe mindfully, that is mindfulness
> of breathing. ~ [Thich Nhat Hanh](http://www.mindful.org/author/thich-nhat-hanh/)
Yesterday, I was introduced to
**[five steps to minfulness](http://www.mindful.org/five-steps-to-mindfulness/)**,
a great post written by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh.
Did you know that you can create a feeling of happiness in your day regardless
of where you are, how you feel, what situation you are in or what time it is?
I was in desperate need of a technique to help me as most days I feel like I
am not in control of my days or emotions, so I decided to give these steps a try.
I actually felt present in my day. I saw, listened and experienced my day like
no other day before. I experienced a great day full of happy moments.
| What I achieved | Because of |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------ |
| I worked sustainably | I was focused |
| I was stimulated | I didn't multitask |
| I heard what people had to say | I actually listened |
| I felt productive | I was completing tasks |
| I had better posture | I was mindful of my body |
| I remembered more than usual | I was consciously doing |
| I smiled meaningfully | I was truly content |
Usually I'd be wrapped up in so many thoughts that I'd end up creating a clutter
around me. I'd forget where I put things down.
This clutter creates anxiety and I can rarely attend to it because I hardly
have enough time. When I do, I am too exhausted to care. This is physical
evidence of the clutter going on in my mind.
I struggle to finish tasks easily because _seemingly more important_ ones
creep up and I'd run around - mentally and physically - multitasking which
results in feeling scatterbrained.
As I was focused today, my mind was present. When I put something down, I put
it down neatly. I didn't forget where I put it because I put it down
consciously. Both was a consequence of doing things with intent.
When I got to work and sat at my table, in a few minutes my table was
effortlessly clean and I had attended to more than I have ever been able to do
in the past. **Everything I did was done with intent and slower than usual.**
- I learned that it takes time to make time. Rushing to get everything done only
creates a mental clutter in my mind that impedes clarity and insight.
- Doing things with intent in a focused manner naturally breaks me out of the
survival-mode I am so accustomed to and frees me from multitasking.
- If I can't get to everything in a day, then so be it. Practicing being mindful
has aided me in approaching my day in a more sustainable way while living in
the here and now.
- I felt like a got more out of my day (and time) because I was actually living
in the moment instead of in the past or future.
This practice is very rewarding, sustainable, keeps me calm and makes me happy.
> You are caught in the past or in the future. You are not there in the present
> moment, living your life deeply. That is forgetfulness. The opposite of
> forgetfulness is mindfulness. ~ [Thich Nhat Hanh](http://www.mindful.org/author/thich-nhat-hanh/)