“Let go of your mind and then be mindful. Close your ears and listen!”– Jalaluddin Rumi
Getting dressed for a day trip to Nashville, yesterday morning, I sat on a rug in my bedroom, polishing my toenails.
Yes, I could have gone to the downstairs nail salon, but I’ve been painting my toenails on the floor of my bedroom since I was thirteen. And when I finish the last toe, I always feel that same sense of satisfaction I felt as a young teenager.
At first, I had considered the cute baby blue color I’d bought weeks ago. Indeed, it would have been the ideal color to match the light denim wash on my jeans, but something inside me yearned for the boldness of red.
“Oh, that scorpion energy!” I thought.
After finishing, I laughed at my baby toenail. All it needed was a white “s” and it would look like a Skittle.
I grabbed the desk fan, put it on the floor, and pointed my toes towards the cool air. Lying back on the rug in my rose pink robe my mom bought me for Christmas two years ago, I closed my eyes listening to Dead Prez’s “Intelligence is Sexy.”
Mindful Writing in a Stream of Consciousness
Without warning the beat fell to the background as I drifted away in thought. Little did I know that the muse was about to enter the room.
Something about the lyrics of the song had triggered a thought and I needed to get it down on paper. I hopped on my heels, towards my desk, cotton balls still lodged between my toes, and grabbed my trusty notebook.
For a half-hour, I was completely enthralled in a mindful writing session. I’ve been writing like this for a few weeks now.
Unlike writing in a stream of consciousness, I didn’t have a topic beforehand. The words simply flowed.
And in this writing session, “It’s all happening now,” were the first words that spilled from my pen.
A Mindful Epiphany
“It’s all happening now. And because it is all happening now, as we grow and evolve on our self-awareness journey, we discover there is an art to being and becoming — a delicate balance between resting in who we are and who we are continuously becoming.
On this journey, we can evolve toward the best version of ourselves, or we can devolve into bitterness, anger, regret, and strife.
Hopefully, we choose to follow the path of self-love and love for others as we unfold and enfold in creation. And that is the beneficence of being and becoming.
Being is about finding contentment in the present moment, and accepting ourselves as we are, flaws and all. Becoming, on the other hand, is a process of aligning our thoughts and actions with the highest and most loving version of ourselves.
But how can we become our best selves if we don’t know what that looks or feels like?
If we don’t have a vision of who we are and who we are becoming, then the starting point has to be self-love, gratitude, and prioritizing our well-being. This requires us to be present, tuned into our intuition, and available for our highest good.
Consciousness and Fulfillment
When we cultivate this type of awareness and consciousness, we will notice the moments when we feel most alive, hopeful, and authentic. As a result, we recognize the people, places, and activities that bring us joy and fulfillment.
And in time, we understand what we truly value in life. Thus, we become more aware of our heart’s desires as we make intentional choices that align with our best selves.
In the becoming process, we learn the skills to let go of limiting beliefs and negative self-talk (negative intrapersonal communication). We discover the power of surrounding ourselves with people who support and inspire us. And we have the wherewithal to return that support and inspiration.
Of course, this can be tough. We will experience moments when we slip back into old patterns of thinking and behaving.
Furthermore, we will experience times when we feel completely lost and uncertain about our path. But if we remain committed to the process of becoming our best selves, we will never lose who we are.
Mindful and Purposeful – Being and Becoming for Growth and Change
Being and becoming are two intertwined concepts that involve the way we navigate our soul trip and how we show up in the world.
Being is also about resting. When I say “resting,” I’m referring to “stillness,” mindfulness, and grace. Stillness is when we stop swimming against the current and allow, mindfulness is bringing our full awareness to the moment, and grace happens when we trust the goodness life offers us every day.
Being and becoming aren’t mutually exclusive. Both complement each other and work together to help us live fulfilling and purposeful lives.
When fully present and accepting of ourselves, we are more open to growth and change. That growth and change is the process of becoming.
It is important to note that the process of becoming is not a linear one. We will experience setbacks and challenges along the way, but that’s how growth works. If we aren’t challenged on our personal growth journey, we don’t grow. We don’t expand.
Again, being is finding contentment and acceptance in the present moment while releasing judgment and comparing ourselves to others.
When we are loving, patient, and accepting of who we are, we’re already becoming our best selves. By accepting ourselves and being present in the moment, we create space for growth and self-improvement to occur organically. Being allows us to make an authentic body-mind-spirit connection which is the most powerful catalyst for change.
Consequently, the art of being and becoming involves a delicate balance between contentment and growth. As such, we cultivate an awareness of our values and aspirations and make intentional choices that move us toward the life we want to live.
I closed my notebook. Sitting at my desk, I took a deep breath.
My toes were dry.
I knew I would need to refine and edit later.
I took a moment to stretch and gather my thoughts before I finished dressing.
Once dressed, I checked the time and was surprised to find that my writing session had not caused me to be late for my trip to Music City. I don’t like being the inconsiderate person who holds everyone up when we have plans.
Afterall, it was Roslyn’s birthday, and a few members of my old college crew were in town. How was the trip?
Let’s just say, we all caught up on the goings-on in each other’s lives and we laughed a lot.