What does success look like?

How do you know you are on the right track with mindfulness?

Is it something you feel?

Is it being able to do something in a certain way?

Is it being able to not do something which before you felt compelled to do?

If you have ever practiced mindfulness you may have come across the principle of non-striving which involves not trying to get anywhere else.

The idea behind this is that if you are trying to make something happen (or stop something happening) you end up preoccupied with that rather than engaging with what is actually happening. And it is this engagement, in the moment, that proves to be so helpful.

Getting the hang of non-striving can bring a good deal of relief and ease, as we learn to put down our constant battling with what we don’t want and striving to get what we do want.

Having said that it’s easy to think that the way forward is to apply this to everything so that you don’t try to cultivate anything in yourself or change anything in the world. As you hear this you might twig that this is a recipe for a lack of creative engagement with a world that needs you.

So this brings us back to the question of what does success look like with mindfulness?

Really this question rests upon another question.

What is the point of mindfulness?

This is a question for another time but for now, if you are practicing mindfulness, you might reflect “why?”

What does success look like for you?

(Top tip: Whilst it may involve things that happen in meditation, don’t forget to look at your life and your relationships).

If this theme interests you here is a meditation which explores the idea of success.