Mindfulness has been a key component in Coach Mayo’s Win The Now philosophy for neary two decades. Before we get into the practice of Win The Now, we must first gain an understanding of what Mindfulness is.
The most famous definition of Mindfulness comes from Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn: “Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Dr. Kabat-Zinn explains the meaning of his definition: “Attention is the faculty that allows us to navigate our lives in one way or another and to actually know what is happening or to know that we don’t know what is happening and find ways to be in a wiser relationship to the things that are going on in our lives, rather than being at the mercy of our own reactions, emotions, crazy thoughts and fears.” The following is a commonly used outline via SmartRecovery that helps explain Mindfulness further:
“Mindfulness has also been described as; a state of being present in the here and now; being in the moment, being in your body; not being on ‘autopilot’…
Mindfulness means owning each moment; good, bad, or ugly. Being grounded is a basic step in the state of being mindful. Mindfulness contributes to a richer, fuller life because you are noticing all the things around you (e.g., not eating an entire meal without tasting it). Mindfulness can help us be calmer. To be mindful you have to put aside your worries about the future and regrets about the past (at least temporarily). This can be really liberating since much of what upsets us is in other time periods than the present.
Being mindful contributes to greater effectiveness in the here and now. If you get all of the worries and regrets out of your mind, it is easier to focus on the things you want to do in the present. What things are important in mindfulness?
- Observe with all senses
- Notice without getting caught up in the activity
- Participate fully without getting pulled back into worrying
- One-mindfully (do one thing at a time)
- Be non-reactive. Notice where your mind goes, then pull it back. Don’t be upset if your attempts at mindfulness are not perfect.
- Non-judging: Notice your experiences without judging them as positive or negative
- Describe: Put verbal labels on your experience.
- Not being blinded by emotion and also not being so rational that you ignore your true feelings.”
Mindfulness is a skill that takes time to develop. Like any skill, it requires a certain level of intentional effort, time, patience, and ongoing practice. Mindfulness can be taught in a number of ways. Win The Now applies the teachings and concepts of Mindfulness and applies them into the world of human performance.
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