Mindset and Mindfulness

My mind is constantly wandering. Focused on the next thing, the things I should be doing, finding something new and bigger or more inventive that I'm simply not in the moment. It's not lack of focus, it's lack of thinking that the task at hand is enough or worrying about all the other things. It's my constant need to find the new, cool thing or to not miss out. 

Except .. I am missing out. Missing out big time!

When I set off on my adventure to Costa Rica, followed by a trip to Puerto Rico I knew that I needed to focus on the moment whenever I could and be consciously mindful to make the most of the days spent in these spectacular places. I thought back to my previous experience in Belize on an Earth Expedition and to the various trips I have taken. I constantly want to be going and to fit in all the things, making sure I don't miss out on any of my extensive lists of things to see or do.

A few years ago I found out about a set of personality types called Enneagrams (Baron & Wagele, 1994). Although like any generalized personality types, I don't fit snugly into a type, what I did discover is how to help adjust my more negative or distracting personality traits and switch them to being positive more often. I've explored the facets of myself that might be more likely to hold me back or hold me hostage. One major piece is being more mindful and realizing that completing projects over finding new and better will keep me more grounded and happier in the long run (Baron & Wagele, 1994).

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According to Mindful.org (2021), being mindful is "the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us."

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Sitting in the twilight in an
open-air hostel as bats flew
 back and forth all around us.

Leading me to exploring Costa Rica and Puerto Rica with a mindful mind-set. It was eye-opening and at times exhausting keeping myself focused. Although I did not stick to it all the time, I know I made a difference and I am continuing to do my best now that I am home and back to teaching. 

In Costa Rica, I spent time listening to the ocean without a book to read or other mind-occupying pursuits.

When I walked through the new places I did my best to soak it in at the time and took few photos. Normally, I take pictures upon pictures and don't tend to notice sounds, smells and way things feel.

On lengthy bus rides I would catch myself thinking I should be doing something else or keeping busy. When I did so, I would take a few breaths and look out the window or strike up a conversation with a classmate.

The day after our Costa Rican Earth Expedition was over I went on a bus tour of San Jose, Costa Rica with 3 classmates. While it might have been a better tour before spending time in the country, we did get a chance to explore an art museum and craft market. 

Pura Vida!

Star-filled sky over
Rincon, Puerto Rico.

On a particularly beautiful night in Puerto Rico, I went up to the roof-top deck and sat for an hour looking at the stars. My mind would wander from time-to-time, so I would remind myself that it was wonderful and amazing to enjoy the stars and do nothing else. I did sneak in a few photos, which truly do not match the breath-taking site, however, they do bring me back to the memory and remind me to be mindful at the same time.

Sunset paddle boarding and kayaking near 
Rincón, Puerto Rico.

While in Puerto Rico, my family and I took a sunset paddle board and kayak trip. We didn't plan much and went with the flow for our days and nights in Rincón. As a planner and a do-all-the-things traveler this was extraordinarily difficult! It honestly took a great deal of mind-set work to accomplish the lack of to-do's and I found myself getting frustrated often. I had to step back and take stock of why I was frustrated and make sure that I wasn't taking it out on anyone else. I did compromise with the group and planned out what we would do for dinner to help ease some of my frustration and give the trip some structure.

The view from one of the 8 suspension bridges
at Selvatura Park.

I realize that allowing myself to be in the moment and think about what I was doing and experiencing gave me the push to try an adventure I normally would have not even considered - the tree-top suspension bridges near Monteverde. I conquered my nerves, took a ton of deep breaths and kept walking. Thankfully I was not the only one in the group working through a fear of the trek, so I didn't feel alone or as if I would hold everyone back if I needed extra time. 

Nerve-wracking as it was I am incredibly happy to have walked over all those terrifying bridges and can look back at the photos and videos I took. I gained a different appreciation of the cloud forest during that time.

Mindfulness will be something that may never come naturally to me; I will need to remind myself to be in the moment often. I am working on being happy with what I have rather than focusing on what I don't have (Baron & Wagele, 1994). I talk to my students about being mindful and take the time to carefully decide whether the new, interesting idea I found will benefit myself, my class and/or my family rather than taking it on because it is new and exciting (Baron & Wagele, 1994). I'm a work in progress and working on mindfulness.

View of a full Rio Barú in Dominical, Costa Rica.

Here's to a continued journey into mindfulness and keeping a more open, less frantic mind-set.

~Jamie 

References:

Baron, R. & Wagele, E. (1994). The Enneagram Made Easy: Discover the 9 Types of People. Harper Collins; New York, New York, USA.

Mindful Staff. (2020, July 8). What is mindfulness? Mindful.org.