Shea Matthew Fisher > Quotes

“The positive feedback loop between gratitude and mindfulness can be a powerful tool for appreciating the seemingly mundane and unimportant details of life. And after all, mindfulness is all about moving through the world with an awareness and appreciation of our lived experience.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Span behaviors are those done for a limited and defined period of time”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“This book is not anti-meditation. It just offers another set of ways into mindful awareness that may be more practical, useful, and reliable.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Reducing multitasking itself can do wonders for mindful awareness. The simple act of focusing on something can calm us down and increase our awareness of our own state.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“The clutter we live with is a distraction itself. This isn't to say that mindfulness is not attainable without our surroundings being clean; we have to learn to be mindful in the real, imperfect world.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Meditation is like the training or practice grounds. It isn't the goal in and of itself. Many people think that they must sit lotus style on a zafu (meditation cushion) in order to be mindful or develop a mindfulness habit. Not necessarily.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“In fact, being mindful during tasks that you usually may find boring or even unpleasant can transform those tasks into something more enjoyable. You must do some of these things anyway, so there's all the reason to use them for a greater good and practice mindfulness while engaging in them.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Indeed mindfulness and creativity can create a positive feedback loop with one another, where being more creative can help become more mindful, which in turn can lead to more creativity.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“In the end, we can do many helpful things by structuring our environment, but the world is imperfect and hence there will always be distractions. A true mindfulness habit includes the acceptance of these distractions, and the growing ability to either ignore the useless ones, or to remain mindful while engaging with the uncompromising demands.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“We have tendencies to exaggerate and overestimate what we can achieve in the short-term and to underestimate what we can achieve in the long-term.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“You'll find that the simple of awareness of the breath can begin settle the contents of the mind and calm the body. Chances are your breathing will begin to slow down naturally, too. But if it doesn't, don't force it. Again, just watch. Let go of the need to do anything.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“simply being outside more often and exposing yourself to the organic and flowing lines, the vibrant colors, and the fresh smells of nature can do wonders for the mind.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Upright posture has been physiologically proven to have stimulating effects, which can in turn lead to sharper focus and grater awareness. Simply sitting up straight and practicing proper posture (because it is a skill that requires practice if you're usually slouching) can lead to a more alert state of mind and body with which we can see things more mindfully.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Choose one behavior that you do on a daily basis and begin to take a moment to be mindful along with it.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Path behaviors, on the other hand, are those that will basically last forever.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Challenging ourselves to go a little past our comfort zones is always a part of growth. But burning out on any given activity, good or bad, can also be avoided by simply knowing when to take a break. Give yourself permission to put it down and return to it later with a fresh slate.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Set a goal to be mindful for a little bit for a short, limited period of time, like one week. Make it a span, not a path goal. It's more likely to last.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“The reason that animals grazing or birds chirping is so relaxing is because it signals to our subconscious brain systems that everything is safe. There are clearly no predators or threats around if all the creatures are hanging out.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“A true mindfulness habit includes the acceptance of these distractions, and the growing ability to either ignore the useless ones, or to remain mindful while engaging with the uncompromising demands.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Walking is not just a poor substitute for running or exercising hard. It is a beautiful form of activity on its own.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“A strategy that some people use to develop a mindfulness habit is by tying it to an already existing behavior that is done regularly. This would mean every time you do that thing, you take a moment to be mindful”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“hanging on intense self-criticisms, and being thoroughly identified with them, can certainly be detrimental to our well-being. Allowing ourselves to be imperfect, however, can be a huge boost to mindfulness.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Upright posture has been physiologically proven to have stimulating effects, which can in turn lead to sharper focus and grater awareness.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“mindfulness is a skill. It isn't something you can just start doing nonstop whenever you think your life needs to change. You have to work at it, because it's certainly not your normal state of consciousness.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Everyone has their own stuff. And it's imperative to recognize that it will bubble up more as mindfulness is developed. It's like a cleansing process. The less desirable elements need to be recognized and processed.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“The point here is to make your mindfulness habit tiny and do it consistently. It's better than starting with a bang and then fizzing out, which is most likely what has happened in past attempts. Keep it tiny.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“Meditation is Simply One Form of  Training, Not the Actual Match”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“research in positive psychology has been showing that gratitude makes people happier”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick

“gratitude puts us in a state of appreciation for the way things already exist. When we are grateful, we aren't grasping for future rewards, nor are we dwelling on past mistakes. This is directly in line with what mindfulness is about.”
― Shea Matthew Fisher, Mindfulness Without Meditation: Creating Mindful Habits That Actually Stick