Monday, June 11, 2012

Taking a walk and a mindful meander

So there i sat listening to a voice recording.  It was a motivational speaker and the subject was about self-discipline.  A lot of valid comments and tips were coming out.  For example the most successful people are those who do the things others don't.  The voice went on to elaborate taking for example exercise.  People who have self discipline to exercise will have an instant benefit in many other areas.  Whilst those who don't have the discipline will reap the consequences over the long term.  He went on to discuss organising tasks.  How sometimes when stuck on a problem it is good to go and take a walk.  To let your thoughts dwell on the thing which is a problem or an issue, advocating after thirty minutes or so a solution may present itself.  At this point as I listened I started to feel the urge to go out for a walk.  I had missed doing any kind of exercise today and it seemed to me this was a reasonable time.  I listened a little more.  Fast decision making is poor decision making.  I'm watching the minutes tick by on the recording and feeling all the more guilty I should be out having a walk because I'd failed to keep up exercising today and just as importantly I had things to think about.  The voice recommended not to take ear phones, the walk had to be without any distractions, for it's purpose was to mull, to cogitate, to meander and play with those things creating a state of Monkey Mind.  I couldn't help myself any longer, even though it had been raining all day long and was fine raining now.  I got up, put my shoes and coat on then proceeded to walk.  The route I was going to take would take between thirty and forty minutes.  I needed it.  I had to think.

Of all things in the world the more and more I think about it, the more I realise. You have to be comfortable in your own skin, with who you are, but also it's not possible to change other people, but you can change  your own attitude towards them.  AS Mahatma Gandi said:

"We must become the change we want to see."

I'm still figuring out the chestnut of coping with a lot of work, prioritising it and more importantly spending the time to get it done.  Which is very difficult with the number of distractions I get.  It rained lightly while I walked.  OK so I got wet, but it's not the end of the world and it wasn't really to bad rain.  I did have a chance to think.  As there are too many things to think about it seemed my mind wondered selective to one thing after the other.  I probably only got to part decisions on two items.  Or maybe one and a half items.  I got back home feeling better for the walk.  Now I've even got a slightly tired feeling come over me as my eyes are getting heavy. 

Well if you have a good walk it helps clear the mind, like clearing out cobwebs, it then makes you fall asleep.  Now I imagine had I not gone for the walk I'd still be awake at two a.m. tomorrow morning.

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