Who are You Really Talking to All Day Long and Why? The Art of Mindfulness, Part I
This is Part I of a four Part blog. See my blog entry of 05/02/07 for Part II.
Who are you really talking to all day long and why? Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this question? Have you ever stopped long enough to listen in—to be mindful?
Have you slowed down enough to realize that almost always there is an internal dialogue or monologue going on within you? And if you have slowed down enough to listen to this dialogue, you have come to realize that you are in fact talking to someone, so to speak.
You are either talking to yourself or to someone else. And, if you are talking to yourself, you are either being self-critical or appreciating yourself. Actually most of our internal dialogue is about us. And unfortunately, most of it is negative.
Or, if you are not talking to yourself, you are having a “fantasy” dialogue with someone else, whether it is your partner, your child, your dog or cat, a character in a novel you are currently reading, your mother-in-law, a parent, a friend, an “enemy,” a commentator on TV, a political figure you agree or disagree with, your neighbor next door, an old friend, someone you want to meet, a celebrity, a TV character, etc. The list is rather endless and rather amusing when you look at it.
Or, if you are not having a dialogue with one of these or a million other characters, perhaps you are rehashing or reliving a past experience, be it a good one or a “bad” one. Or perhaps you are imagining a future dialogue or a meeting with someone or anticipating a situation that you know will be coming up.
Just take the time a couple of times during the day to slow down and take note of what you are thinking about. I do not mean when you are in the midst of accomplishing a task, but I suggest you do this when you are idle or alone. What you discover will amaze you. The amount of banal repetition will, as well.
This is Part I of a four Part blog. Part II will be posted on 05/02/07