The Merry-Go-Round of Life: Finding Mindfulness and Stepping Off the Chaos

Have you ever signed up for something with the best of intentions, only to find yourself stuck in the same old routine?  Maybe it's a mindfulness challenge, a new workout plan, or even just a promise to yourself to slow down. We've all been there.

I once led a seven-day mindfulness challenge, and it was a familiar story.  Out of 100 people who signed up, only a handful started, and none made it past day two. In the past, I might have taken this personally, but now I understand.  It's human nature to crave change, but it's also human nature to resist it.

We get caught on the merry-go-round of life, spinning so fast that we lose sight of what truly matters.  We know there's something more – joy, fulfilment, purpose – but the fear of the unknown keeps us clinging to the familiar chaos. We worry that if we step off, we might stumble and fall.

I've been there myself, spinning on that wheel of non-essential tasks, convinced I had no time for anything else. But life had other plans. It forced me to stop, to confront my reality. And yes, I fell hard.

But when I finally got back up, the world looked different. The merry-go-round was just one small part of the vast landscape of life. I saw other options, other rides to explore.

Some of us spin, others sink into depression. But the common thread is this: we get stuck in a pattern, set up by our beliefs. We believe a single snapshot of the world is the whole truth, and there's no place in it for us. But the real power lies in changing our internal landscape.  That's the only thing we can truly control.

What if, instead of mindlessly doing, we focused on simply being? What if we tuned into our senses and allowed a moment of silence, to just listen?

Every human being, from the youngest child to the wisest elder, seeks purpose.  Let's allow ourselves, and our children, the space to contribute meaningfully, to be innovators unburdened by false limitations.

Let's step off the merry-go-round together. Let's embrace mindfulness, discover our purpose, and create a life filled with joy and fulfilment.