Because mindfulness is so popular at the moment, it is very easy to misconstrue what it really involves: “I get it! I will be more present and less judgmental. Good idea! Why didn’t I think of that myself? Clear sailing from here on. No problem! I’ll just be more mindful.”
But mindfulness is a way of being, one that requires consistent cultivation. It is a discipline all its own that naturally extends into all aspects of life as it is unfolding. It is certainly a good idea to be mindful, but mindfulness is not merely a good idea.
And while it is simple, it is not easy. It is not so easy to maintain mindfulness, even over very short periods of time. We saw earlier that in some ways, you could think of it as the hardest work in the world, and the most important.
So until and unless you implement it and sustain it through ongoing, regular practice, leavened with an appropriate attitude of gentleness and kindness toward yourself, mindfulness can easily remain simply one more thought to fill your head and make you feel inadequate … one more concept, one more slogan, one more chore, one more thing to schedule into your already too-busy day.