buddha brain: take in the good

WEEK 1 Recap:

During week one of my "Buddha Brain" challenge, I tried to "be for myself" but it didn't always work out.  There were many instances where I did what I wanted to do, and said no when I didn't want to do something.  However, it's difficult sometimes to get out of certain situations.  

For instance, on Saturday night, (after working a busy night) I met up with some friends.  I was exhausted and just not in the mood to deal with the madness that was downtown Denver.  However, I had said I would go.  I wanted to leave before the bars closed because I knew things would get crazy (and boy did they) but I didn't feel comfortable walking 8 blocks to my car on Halloween weekend so I ended up staying out much longer than I would have liked.  In retrospect, I should have called a cab to take me to my car, but hindsight is 20/20.  And since I didn't get out of the city early enough, I witnessed a very disturbing incident that left me very upset.  

Long story short, a fight broke out near LoDo's downtown.  I saw it going on, so I ran down the street to get out of the way.  Unfortunately, I didn't go far enough and ended up getting pushed by one of the guys.  He then proceeded to sucker-punch an innocent guy who was just sitting in his car with the window down.  He knocked him square in the face and I definitely heard bones cracking, before getting the heck out of there.  Needless to say, I should have "been for myself" and then I could have avoided the situation, but you live and learn, which leads me to week 2.

WEEK 2 Challenge: Take in the Good.

Essentially this just means rather than reflect and dwell on every negative event like we so often do, be mindful of the good ones.  Our brains react more to a negative stimulus that an equally intense positive one so we much change the way our brain reacts to positive stimuli.  By taking in the good, and visualizing it sinking into you you can change the makeup of your brain and how you react to positive experiences. Like Rick Hanson writes, " It's like sitting down to a meal- don't just look at it, taste it.

Also, be aware of any reluctance you have to a positive event such as thinking you don't deserve it, or feeling guilty for feeling happiness.  Let yourself experience positive events and feel good about them.

Over the weekend I was so concerned about being out too late, and how crazy downtown was that I didn't take time to enjoy the good parts like all the great costumes and being with friends.  

buddha brain: be for yourself

So it's week one of my 52-week mission to developing a "buddha brain" using the book "Just One Thing" by Rick Hanson.  There are 52 simple practices, so each week I hope to focus on one and recap it before starting the next practice.  It's broken down into 5 parts and the first part is "Be Good to Yourself" and the first practice is BE FOR YOURSELF.

The basic premise of this is to look out for yourself, and wish yourself well.  It can be very easy for us to put ourself and our happiness on the back burner in order to please those around us, but how can we help others if we can't first help ourselves?

The best way to "be for yourself" is to ask yourself, am I on my own side?  Am I looking out for my best interests?  A few months ago I wrote a post about not being able to say no.  By learning how to say no, I am looking out for my best interests.  Another way to be for yourself is knowing you should be doing something for your own benefit, but not doing it like finding a new job or kicking a bad relationship to the curb.

This week I am going to be aware of my happiness and my feelings, and do what I can to look out for myself.  I'm going to assert myself if need be, and say no if I don't feel like doing something.  This may sound selfish, but it's not.  Like I said, in order to help others, you have to be able to help yourself.