By Jordan Fiorillo Scotti Ph.D.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are about to make more half-hearted, stale resolutions for 2023, I urge you to consider something different this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever has made its way onto your resolutions list\u2014be it the nearly universal goal to lose weight or something more original\u2014there is an underlying motivation that all our resolutions share: we want to feel differently than we do today. Often, we interpret this longing to feel different as a message that we need to have more, do more, look better, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year, what if the goal wasn\u2019t to change your life but to change how you feel about and engage with the life you’ve already created<\/em>? What if you could really notice and sink into moments of joy and peace rather than rushing ahead to your next task? What if you could slow down and respond intentionally rather than reactively to daily irritations? What if you could feel genuine appreciation for each day, each breath that you are given, even if nothing external changes? What would it be like to really come alive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We can begin to live more fully, meaningfully, joyfully, and intentionally right now. We don\u2019t have to wait until we lose weight, get a different job, find the right partner, etc. The Buddha has a path for this process of waking up: the Noble Eightfold Path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the seminal teachings of the Buddha. It\u2019s essentially the prescription for living \u201cthe middle way,\u201d which, according to the Buddha, is the path to enlightenment and freedom from suffering. The Eightfold Path is the solution to the challenges of life outlined in the Four Noble Truths and the formula for finding greater fulfillment in the life we have, whatever the circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Below are the eight components of the path, sketched out briefly. There is a lot of complexity to each teaching. You will notice that each step of the path begins with the word \u201cright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this case, \u201cright\u201d is a translation that is not intended to be the opposite of \u201cwrong\u201d or imply another morally bad way. Here, “right” simply means an intention to benefit yourself and others. Additionally, these are not given in a specific order or intended to be practiced in a linear or stepwise manner, as mastery of each complements the others. In their combined usage, the greatest impact can be achieved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first two elements of the path I will describe have to do with mindset. These are the \u201cwhy\u201d of the path, as well as the aspects of wisdom to the path. These are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following three elements of the path have to do with behavior. These are the \u201chow\u201d of the path, offering practical principles for ethical and wise conduct. They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The remaining three principles have to do with \u201cwhat\u201d we engage in our life: the quality of attention we bring and what we do. These are the aspects of mental discipline. These steps are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you feel intimidated by these principles’ breadth and implications, you’re not alone. These intentions and practices can take a lifetime (or many) to master. And, truthfully, the idea isn\u2019t for you to master them. You aren\u2019t a monk dedicating your life to making every waking moment align with these teachings. You are just a human being taking the time to think about how to live life more fully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adopting an intention to wake up to your life is not as straightforward as setting a few rules for yourself as new years resolutions. Yet, it is a far more forgiving process: all it requires is a commitment to a process of growth. It is a shift in mindset more than anything else. To fully absorb the meaning of the mindset, you will need to understand and apply all eight principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are eager to begin on the eightfold path right away, I recommend starting with “right mindfulness” or “right meditation.” A strategy for “right mindfulness” could be to do a simple body scan when you wake up and go to sleep and to find moments during the day when you can drop out of your thinking mind and notice what is happening within and around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A daily five to ten-minute breath meditation could get you started on the “right meditation” practice. Both mindfulness and meditation are like strength training for the mind, which support our capacity to understand and engage in the other steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you undertake this process, you will find that your attention will naturally move more into the present moment. Your capacity to see, appreciate, and make sense of your life will expand. Your confidence in your own behavior and your impact on the world will increase. You will enjoy greater relaxation and yet greater engagement with the easily overlooked miracles that happen every day right in front of your eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In short, you will wake up. In so doing, you can stop planning for a better future life in X, Y, and Z ways, and you can sink your teeth into the wondrous life you already have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I look forward to taking this journey with you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Originally published at Psychology Today<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Finding greater joy, peace, and wonder by turning inward instead of outward. By Jordan Fiorillo Scotti Ph.D. If you are about to make more half-hearted, stale resolutions for 2023, I urge you to consider something…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[88,909,388],"class_list":["post-7894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-health","tag-life","tag-mental-health"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n