Monthly Archives: November 2015

A Cyborg is Present

Learning to Switch Off or Unplug is hard. I’m not going to tell you that living your life starts off easy. Like all new things, it takes dedication and the development of life-long habits. I can tell you, however, that especially during this time of year one of the best things that can keep you on track for not living as a robot is to live for the moments. Living for the moment means that when you walk into a friend or family gathering you hug for a few more seconds, you take your coat off, kick your shoes to the corner and snuggle in. Make yourself at home wherever you go!

How do you live in the moment? It comes after Breaking your Programming. It means being prepared for Balance. It comes with being Mindful of the wonderful things that you have all around you. Don’t just start each day off thinking “What wonderful things will today bring?” think instead, “What wonderful things will this moment bring?”. Any day has the potential to be filled with insight, love, and comfort, and even the smallest things can show us this. A smile, a laugh, a hug can all bring tiny moments of understanding. Maybe we live for smiles, hugs, and laughter.

Sometimes families are stressful. Sometimes you’re the one stuck cooking dinner or cleaning up the dishes. Sometimes you’re the new one, or the old one and everyone around you is different. No matter what your situation is, there are special moments to be had. If you’re plugged-in to work, or your phone or thinking of being somewhere else, those special moments are likely to be missed. Pay attention to yourself and how you feel, and pay attention to the people around you. Let the joy of fellowship fill you up because humans are social creatures by nature and no matter what anxieties or fears or stressors you have, once you put yourself wholeheartedly into life, you’ll be surprised at how easy it becomes.

Juste Etre: Just Be suggests in “Just ‘Doing’ to Just ‘Being’” that we should look smaller. Pay attention to the little muscles in our bodies as we act or react. Focus. If living in the moment isn’t easy for you, let your focus take control. Focus on how the chair beneath you feels, or the smell of the house around you. In this, you’ll find that living in the moment can be a spectacular thing. Living for the Moment may make you happier because you can take delight in smaller things. It may make you more grateful because you can find joy in even the simplest of activities.

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Switching Off and Balance

Another Switch Off Sunday is upon us, where I urge you to disconnect from your robot life and let the world around you thrive. Today I want to talk to you about Balance. As mentioned briefly in The Beginning,Mindfulness and Balance are the keys to Switching Off. Mindfulness allows you to open your mind to becoming balanced, and allowing balance to rule your life. Balance has many facets, just like Mindfulness, however you must already have a firm grasp of yourself and your priorities to uncover areas that need to be adjusted.

What are your priorities? Is it getting your work done? Is it spending time with your family? Is it being present and focused? Perhaps you desire all three! No matter what your priorities are from day to day, a person must be content with themselves before successfully accomplishing those priorities. It should be your goal to balance your mind, body and spirit as well as balancing the various aspects of your life that cater to each of those needs. Maybe yoga may help you balance your chakras and that is how you find yourself. Maybe you need time for yourself for coloring, writing or reading. No matter what soothes you and helps you find your center, be sure to make it a goal. Goals will help you fulfill your priorities.

In balance for Switching Off one must be diligent. It may be easy to shut of the phone, the computer and your mind and just be, but it is important that we do so responsibly. Some of us will never be comfortable shutting off our robot lives because we feel that our work is never done. Do your best to complete your work before shutting off! Your work shouldn’t take over your life, neither should your tech. Put yourself in control, find your balance and you will become the beautiful cyborg I know you can be!

Here are some tips for finding a Mind-Body Balance on Chopra Centered Lifestyle.

Also you may look at other ways to balance your Mind, Body and Soul on Mind, Body Green.

When learning about Balance it is easy to take the step of learning about Inner Peace on Just Etre. Just Be!

Switching Off through Mindfulness

Mindfulness; we hear that word more and more as the powers of yoga and meditation rise in popularity, but do we know what it means in regards to living with tech? It means that mindfullness is one of the keys to unlocking your potential. Mindfulness will give you the tools you need to Shut Off and start living your life!

The hardest part for some Robots and Cyborgs is that the idea of being mindful is time-consuming. People assume that taking an extra second before their actions to be introspective will take away from their day or their lives in some way. I’m telling you that it is entirely untrue! The world is very fast paced, and many of us love to get caught up in it. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying our fast paced lifestyles, but if you’re looking to find inner peace and balance in your life, being more mindful is the first step.

Once you set yourself on the path to being more mindful, you’ll find that the time it takes to do so is not an inconvenience. In-fact, I would argue that the more mindful you are, the more time you’ll have for the important things in your life. You’ll spend less time regretting, you’ll spend less time worrying. Being mindful lets you live freely and safely in the moment! Switching Off through mindfulness will help you do so many things.

Humans are creatures of habit and Switching Off requires us to Break Our Programming in a more overt way than Unplugging. You must be mindful of your technology use (Check out 5 tips to Have mindful Connections in the Tech Age). Be mindful of how much time you use when doing an activity. Pay attention to yourself and your actions and then make the effort to stick to a routine that allows for the chaos of life to filter through (Read 13 Things Mindful People Do). Chaos is not a bad thing – in fact it is neither good nor bad. Mindful people will be prepared for whatever situation life brings before you, especially when you’ve taken the time to Shut Off your digital oriented mind (Learn How to Bring More Mindfulness Into Your Life).

Mindfully set your digital devices aside. Mindfully pay attention to the people around you. Mindfully observe the world and you’ll find that Shutting Off opens up so many possibilities. You’ll have more time to think and process the world. You’ll have the freedom to become the best version of you possible. Wouldn’t it be nice if you were always present? Wouldn’t your loved ones appreciate someone who was attentive, aware and able? I’m telling you that being Mindful about Shutting Off will be one of the greatest things to setting aside the Robot inside of you.