Welcome back to your Daily Mindfulness.

You know, some people misunderstand

mindfulness and they think it's about

zoning out or blissing out, or you

know, rising above normal daily life.

But it's actually the exact

opposite of those things.

It is rather an act to

full engagement in life.

Mindfulness involves deepening our ability

to be fully attentive to the present

moment and continually returning to the

present moment if we lose ourselves in our

wondering thoughts.

And this process of being more aware, more

awake, gradually untangles us from being

caught up in the thoughts that create our

anxieties, our worries, and our restless

nights.

It unwinds stress and suffering

and makes us less reactive.

It restores inner calm.

Importantly, it also gives us the mental

space to make wiser choices in life.

The ones that lead towards us living a

more healthy, happy, and meaningful life.

And perhaps most importantly, research

now compellingly points to the fact that

happiness is a skill.

You know Matt Killingsworth from Harvard

University did the largest study that's

ever been done on human happiness and

discovered that happiness isn't about

getting the big house, the big

achievement, the perfect partner.

He found that what actually makes people

happy is being present in the moment.

In fact, he found that the more present we

are in our lives, the happier we are and

conversely, the more our minds

wander, the more unhappy we are.

Taking all of that into account makes

mindfulness really the most intelligent

and effective way to cultivate happiness

from within and carry it with you wherever

you go.

It truly is so much

power in being present.

Whereas you may have noticed already,

although being present in the here and now

is a simple concept.

It's not always actually easy, which

is why regular practice is so important

because like anything worth having in

life, you have to invest the time before

you experience the full benefits

of what mindfulness has to offer.

And with time and practice you'll

gradually notice that that awareness that

you develop in meditation starts to take

up residence inside you like warm sunshine

and begins to flow into your whole life.