Mindfulness without the Bells and Beads

Chapter 15Week 7: Who Watches (Out for) You?

I imagine you have a to-do list. If you do, and it's handy, take a quick look at it. Does it include any entries regarding self-care, taking a break, or exercising? Probably not. I realize we are in week 7 of this program, so you might have an entry for meditation in there now. However, I'd hazard a guess that even exercises from this book are probably not on your to-do list, but rather you have a vague idea that you want to do them and will, when you have time. Isn't it the case, that self-care, exercise, rest, and the like get short shrift in our lives? If self-care even makes it on our to-do list, it's often the lowest priority. It's time for us now to wade into empathy, compassion, and kindness, not just for others but also for ourselves as a type of self-care. The exercises and discussions on these topics aren't mindfulness as much as they are a call to turn toward and strengthen skills we rarely focus on due to the pernicious thought that if we slow down, rest, or lift our foot off the gas pedal for even a moment, we'll “fall behind” or be passed by.

It was Robert Kiyosaki, the famous financial guru, who popularized the phrase, “Pay yourself first” in his wildly successful book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.¹ The “pay yourself first” concept turns conventional wisdom on its head. Conventional wisdom says to pay your bills and some of the money that's left over, if any, can go into savings. The pay yourself first concept says the opposite; ...