POINTS TO PONDER: MINDFULNESS VS MINDLESSNESS

I first came across this term when I read the book, 'Mindfulness' by Dr J Ellen Langer of Harvard University during the early nineties. 

Her insightful ideas are still very relevant in today's fast-paced society.

In contrast to 'Mindfulness', mindlessness has been identified as a psychological block to personal change. When we act mindlessly, we behave like robots - we are in auto pilot mode - and personal change becomes difficult.

According to Dr Langer, mindlessness is rooted in mindsets - unquestioning attitudes formed when we first hear certain information.

"Don't pat the dog, he may bite," says Mother, or "Always finish what's in your plate." When we continue to accept such information at face value without thinking critically about it, we grow up afraid of dogs or overweight.

Dr Langer has argued that these inappropriate mindsets sit unobtrusively in our brains until a signal - perhaps a sight, smell or sound - calls them up again. This time the dog may be friendly or the banana split unwanted, yet often we don't reconsider the mindless attitude we accepted earlier.

Because they lock us into one interpretation of a bit of information, mindsets prevent the exercise of choice.

Without choice, change becomes difficult. As a resuit, we can't make the sensible, desirable change in our behaviour - pat the dog and/or reject the ice cream.

Before we can make important changes in our lives, we need to re-examine our old mindsets. That's hard, because in the entrenched routines of daily life, we rarely question what we do, or why, unless it's causing an emergency.

But if we learn to spot mindsets and test them, we gain insight into & control over our behaviours.

Suddenly, change becomes within our reach.

Dr Langer has stressed that changing - or even feeling empowered to stay the same - requires two things:

- learning to think about old situations in new ways;

- opening up and enlarging our frame of reference;

The fresh approach to life that this new style of thinking creates is what she called the mindful attitude or mindfulness.

Here are some of her expert tips:

1) seek out novelty i.e new ways of doing things;

2) be playful, as play is always mindful;

3) take some risks;

4) generate alternatives for as many outcomes as you can;

5) Intentionally ask yourself how the situation could look different from a different perspective;

6) most importantly, notice the power of uncertainty and respect it;

Dr Langer has concluded that, once we overcome the roadblock to mindfulness, our options open up.

We may even question the change we thought we wanted to make and with a new, open attitude, come to enjoy that old relationship, job or our plump selves. Or we may find another path, say turning into a happy walker than a frustrated jogger.

On the other hand, if we still want to make a basic change, it will be easier after we've liberated ourselves, one by one, from our tyrannical mindsets.

By recasting and refiguring our behaviour & others - by becoming mindful - we learn to step back, recategorise & review our assumptions.

Because we're now seeing from many perspectives, we find ourselves more in control of our lives & have more choices - the prerequisites for change.

[What Dr Ellen Langer calls 'mindfulness', Joel Arthur Barker calls it 'paradigm pliancy'. Interestingly, Michael Michalko calls for 'productive thinking', as opposed to 'reproductive thinking'. Recommeded readings, in addition to Dr Langer's book: 'Future Edge' & 'Thinkertoys'.]