How To Live A Mindful & Minimalist Life (Live Recording)

Reclaim control of your own choices about where you spend your precious time and energy. Stop letting other people or circumstances choose for you. Learn how to get clear and start achieving better results in less time while dialing down your stress and overcoming that overwhelmed feeling.

Transcript

Good morning everybody!

Welcome to another live session with me.

My name is Emilio Jose Garcia and my mission in life is to make intentional living simple,

Fun,

And available to every person on the planet.

That's why I love doing these live sessions.

I call this a Your Thriving Lifestyle,

This show,

These live sessions because I really really want to help you create your thriving lifestyle,

Whatever that means to you.

Okay,

Today's topic is how to live a mindful and minimalist life.

Okay,

So before we get started I would like to encourage you to allow yourself a few seconds of silence.

I invite you to place your hands one on top of your chest and the other one on top of your belly and just close your eyes if you can and take a couple of deep breaths and just notice how your hands move,

Notice the air going in and coming out with the exhale and just try to be present,

Okay?

Try to just be here.

Let's just do it together.

One more.

Thank you guys for doing this with me.

This is a nice exercise to ease into the session,

To transition mindfully.

So the structure of today's session is gonna be like this,

Okay?

So the first thing I'm gonna talk about,

What does being mindful mean,

How does that look like,

And then what does minimalism mean and how that applies into your life.

And then I'm going to talk about the different areas that you can explore how to use these techniques in,

Okay?

So I'm gonna be talking about time management,

Self-care,

Creating your peaceful and clutter-free home,

Taming the paper clutter,

And mastering your meal planning,

Your flow,

Okay?

So are you guys okay with that?

And then after that I will allow for questions and conversation and answer anything that you guys want to talk about.

Does that sound like a plan for you guys?

Just give me a thumbs up if that sounds good.

Just want to make sure that you guys like the yes,

Okay?

Okay,

Heads up also that I always forget to promote myself a little bit and this session is inspired by a workshop that I am starting on Thursday.

Yes,

This Thursday.

It's here on Inside Timer.

It's a five-day workshop so it happens over five Thursdays.

Every Thursday is two hours and we are diving into the five topics that I mentioned before.

So if you guys are interested in diving deeper into this with me and with only 25 other people,

That's the cap,

Only 25 spots available,

You have to sign up today before 5 p.

M.

,

Okay?

The doors will close at 5 p.

M.

Today.

So if you want to get in,

Make sure that you do it,

Okay?

So let's talk about being mindful and what does that mean?

So being mindful means these are a few definitions that I just found online,

Okay?

I just went to Google and then type what does mindfulness mean?

And this is one,

Conscious or aware of something.

So to be conscious or aware of something.

Another definition,

Focusing one's awareness onto the present moment.

So focusing our awareness into the present moment.

And then the one that I like the most,

The third one,

Is maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts,

Our feelings,

Our bodily sensations and surrounding environment through a gentle and nurturing lens.

That one is very beautiful and I like it because it includes everything.

It includes the thoughts,

The feelings,

The emotions,

The sensations,

The surroundings,

Everything is working together,

Okay?

And you are being mindful of all those things,

Okay?

So what are the qualities of being mindful?

Some of the qualities that when you look at yourself and how you act during the day,

How can you identify that you are being mindful?

What are some of the signs that you can look for,

Okay?

So one of them is having an intention.

So setting yourself an intention to cultivate being aware,

Okay?

And I know this sounds simple,

But I can tell you in my own personal experience,

The day goes by and if I'm not completely mindful all the time,

It's impossible for me to do that.

I have to remind myself,

Okay,

What am I doing now?

Why am I doing this?

How am I feeling?

Why am I tense on my neck right now?

Why did that comment that I heard from that person like upset me?

There is so much happening,

Right?

So you have to remind yourself to be aware,

To be.

.

.

So you need to be intentional about being aware and reminding yourself of that.

So if you notice yourself trying to be aware,

That's a great one,

Okay?

Think before you speak and being in the moment.

Thank you,

Beth.

Another beautiful example of a sign that you are being mindful.

Another one,

Observing the present moment,

Thoughts and feelings.

Just allowing whatever is happening inside of you to just be there without judging,

Without having to do anything.

Just observing like,

Wow,

I am really upset.

Wow,

I feel really tired.

Wow,

I am drained.

I need a nap.

Wow,

I'm so excited.

Just be gentle with yourself and allow space and time for you to experience whatever you are experiencing,

Okay?

Separating the self from those feelings.

Lisa,

Beautiful,

Yeah,

Separating yourself from those feelings.

That's a good one because instead of you reacting right away,

Being mindful means watching what's coming,

Watching how you are feeling and then instead of just reacting to it,

Just allowing yourself a little bit of time to process.

Like,

Wow,

Like I really want to scream to this person now.

Wow,

I really want to punch the wall right now.

Wow,

I feel like I need you because of that thing that I did.

Whatever is coming up,

Just allow it to be for a little bit before you do something about it.

You don't have to react.

Great point.

Thank you for sharing that.

Okay?

Another quality is attitude that is non-judgmental and is curious and kind.

So whatever is happening,

You don't need to judge that feeling,

That emotion,

That action.

You can just watch it with curiosity and with kindness.

Saying,

Wow,

Emilio,

When your daughter this morning said,

I don't want to my puppy,

You were really feeling hurt.

But then you allow some time to reflect like,

Wow,

But she didn't mean to do that.

Maybe she was just tired.

So I don't need to react and get upset and show my upset to her.

I can just allow herself,

Allow my daughter the space that she needs.

And then what I do,

I just distract her.

I just show up with a globe with finger puppets that I have and I start talking,

Or I show up with a teddy bear through the door,

A distraction,

And then I change her state.

So I can do that sometimes because I don't react,

But sometimes I do react.

Okay?

So be mindful is allowing yourself a little bit of time to reflect and to don't react to things.

Okay?

Breathing deeply and mindfully throughout your day.

That's another quality of being mindful.

Okay?

If you allow yourself and remind yourself that breathing is very important,

Okay,

That breathing will allow you to just calm down.

When you breathe deeply,

A few things happen.

You are sending more oxygen into your brain.

Okay?

You are signaling your brain that you are safe,

That everything is okay.

You don't need to run away.

You don't need to fight.

You don't need to do anything.

You just slow down.

When you are breathing and you are focusing on the air going in and out,

That's a great way for you to come back to the present moment.

And then if you start noticing what's around you,

How you feel,

That's mindfulness.

That's a great way to be mindful and to come back to the present moment.

Okay?

So yeah,

That's Negrito.

My cat is meowing in the background.

He loves being present too.

Okay.

So anything else,

Guys,

That you notice that you are being mindful,

Any signs?

So Francisco says,

I have noticed that being mindful awakens intuition.

Absolutely.

Francisco,

When you are being mindful,

Basically you are in the present moment.

When you are in the present moment,

You are allowing yourself to really see,

Notice things.

And if you are with that curiosity and open mind without making judgments,

That intuition is you connecting with yourself and just knowing what you are supposed to do,

Knowing what the next step is.

It just flows through you because you are more connected with yourself.

And this happens to me a lot,

Guys,

When I'm practicing self-care and I am doing something that I love,

Playing squash,

I'm both carving a game,

I am playing my guitar,

I go for a walk,

I go snowboarding.

When I do something fun,

I'm juggling my balls,

I go to watch an inspiring movie to the cinemas,

I get so creative.

When I go to yoga,

Hot yoga,

I can tell you sometimes I want to bring a notebook because ideas start flowing through me,

Things I could do,

Ideas,

And they are really good ones.

So yes,

Intuition,

Awakening,

Creativity,

All those things are going to like get higher and happen more easily when you are mindfully aware and mindfully in the present moment.

Okay.

So.

Yeah,

So what are some of the benefits of being mindful?

Okay.

Yeah,

Be mindful.

You can learn how to regulate your emotions.

You can decrease stress.

You can decrease anxiety.

You can decrease depression.

You can pretty much improve any mental health issue that you are being challenged by.

And then you learn to connect with yourself and with what you need in the present moment.

Okay.

And this goes into self-care.

Because self-care is nothing else than taking care of yourself.

And the way that you can take care of yourself is by being aware of what you need.

And the way for you to be aware of what you need is by mindfully be present and mindfully watch and observe what's going on with your body,

With your emotions,

With your environment,

With your social relationships,

With everything around you.

Okay.

That's the way for you to understand,

Wow,

I'm being triggered here.

Wow.

I would like to change that.

I would like to eat better.

I manage my time very poorly.

What can I do to improve that?

But from a lens of nonjudgmental,

Being gentle with yourself and then being patient and always,

Yes,

I think forgiving yourself for not being able to do it now and moving into what can I do next to make this better.

That's the philosophy of like gentle and nonjudgmental attitude.

Okay.

So that was all about mindfulness.

Okay.

Drinking water.

Yeah,

Absolutely.

Drinking water is so important.

Thank you for reminding me of that one.

There are many,

Many,

Many more that we can talk about.

I just made a list of the ones that came out for me.

But guys,

Anything that makes you feel well,

Anything that it's important to you anything that will help you be,

Become more aware,

More mindful,

By any means use it.

There are so many different strategies.

Okay.

So that was all about being mindful.

Okay.

What about minimalism?

Okay.

What about minimalism?

What is minimalism guys?

Would you like to share in the chat?

What does minimalism means?

Yes.

Just share some words before I give you a couple of definitions.

Amy says,

Studies show that mindfulness slows down time,

Literally.

Yeah.

So minimalism is less,

Less is more,

Non-attachment,

Simple,

Nothing more than what you need,

Intentional living,

Only have what you love,

Living simply,

Streamlining to what matters most,

Eliminating the non-essential,

Living a life that reflects your values,

Having what serves you,

Beautiful.

So you guys are very aware of what minimalism in.

Saving lots of money.

I like it.

What for?

And on uncluttered lifestyle,

Both physically and mentally amazing touching on the mental aspect,

Physical aspect,

Emotional aspect,

Very important,

Beautiful,

Simplifying your stuff.

Amazing.

Yeah.

So you guys got it.

That's beautiful.

That's beautiful definitions for minimalism.

I have a couple here that I'm happy to share.

One,

Removing anything that distracts you from living with intentionality and freedom.

Okay.

So removing anything that is distracting you from living with intentionality and freedom.

And this anything can mean anything.

It doesn't have to be physical,

Can be,

Uh,

Appointments,

Can be relationships,

Can be paper,

Can be emotions,

Can be,

Uh,

Mental clutter,

Can be so many different things.

Okay.

It's not only physical belongings,

Can be a lot of things.

Okay.

Another definition,

Remove what's not necessary,

But necessary in our lives so that we can focus on what's important for us.

Okay.

And that will mean something different for each of you.

And this is the beautiful thing about the philosophy of minimalism.

That minimalism,

It's going to mean something different for each of you,

Because if each of you are going to have different intentions,

Different goals,

Different things that are important,

And you get to define that,

You get to define what's important for you.

And then you get to be mindful and intentional about how you use your time,

Your space,

And your energy to make that a reality.

Okay.

So let's talk about being intentional because,

Uh,

This is all about intentional living.

Okay.

So how does mindfulness,

Minimalism,

And intentionality,

How do they merge together?

So being intentional means something that is done on purpose.

Okay.

Something that is being deliberate.

So you are being deliberate about something.

So it's not something that just happens and you just react to it.

It's something that you create,

Something that you put your intention towards.

It's something that you have chosen.

Okay.

And then how can you know what to choose?

How can you know,

How can you have the clarity and the confidence to say,

To state,

This is what I want by being mindful.

Okay.

By being mindful,

By being present because the only thing that exists is the present moment.

Do you guys agree with that?

The past is past.

The future didn't happen yet.

The only thing that exists and the only time where you can do something about anything is the present moment.

Okay.

Your present is going to dictate,

Is going to change how your future is going to look like.

Your present is not going to change the past,

But your present choices on how you want to feel,

What you want to focus on,

It is going to have an impact on how the past affects you.

Because it's not that we are stuck in the past.

We are stuck into the emotions,

The beliefs,

The story that we tell ourselves about what happened in the past.

Okay.

So the present moment is the only thing that is real.

It's the only thing where you can take action.

Okay.

That's why being intentional goes hand in hand with being mindful because you are being intentional in the present moment.

And the only way for you to connect with the present moment is to be mindful.

And how can you be mindful?

You can use many,

Many different self-care techniques.

You can do the practice that we just did.

Very simple.

Just putting your hands like chest and belly,

And then just breathing in and out a few times.

You can just sit in silence and be with yourself for a little bit.

You can do an activity that takes you to that state.

For some people it's reading,

Boot carving,

Listening to music,

Meditation,

Walking in nature,

Exercising,

Painting,

Whatever that is for you.

It doesn't matter.

There are many,

Many different ways to connect with the present moment.

Okay.

So then,

Now that we have an understanding of all these things and we are reminding ourselves of,

Okay,

I want to be a minimalist.

I need to understand what's important for me.

The way to understand how,

What's important for me and be confident and clear.

I need to be mindful.

I need to be in the present moment.

Okay.

And then once I am in the present moment,

I have to be intentional about setting an intention of what am I doing with my time now?

What action am I taking and why?

And then just reflecting about what you really want.

Okay.

And then that takes me to then,

How do you apply all those things into your day to day life?

And that's,

That's what I dive deeper into in the workshop,

Because this is something that requires time,

Right?

And every topic can be like,

I can spend a whole day or more with every specific topic,

But basically these are the five areas that I find that are very common for all of them.

Okay.

So time management.

Who here doesn't agree that time management is probably one of the most important things,

Because if you don't manage your time properly,

You will not find time for self-care.

You won't find time to do the important things and you will be in a state of chaos all the time.

So time management is very,

Very important to become efficient at managing your time,

Because that's the most precious resource that we all have.

It doesn't come back.

We cannot get more of it.

And we only have 24 hours a day.

So how we use that is very,

Very important.

After that is self-care.

So time management and self-care entry points are different for each individual.

Okay.

So you can entry,

You can get started by physical decluttering.

You can get started by time management.

You can get started by self-care.

You can get started by meal planning.

It doesn't really matter the entry point,

As long as it feels good to you.

So the order here is going to change for each of you,

But time management is a big one.

Self-care is a big one because if you don't feel well mentally and emotionally and physically,

You won't have energy to do anything.

It's going to be very difficult for you to be intentional because you are not feeling well.

So you have to make sure that you are feeling well,

That you are in the right mental and emotional state,

That you have physical energy,

And then you are good at time management so that you open up time to do things.

And then you can look at,

Okay,

Creating a sacred and clutter-free home because our home is shelter and shelter is a basic human need.

So we all need that need to be fulfilled somehow,

And we need to feel well in our home.

Okay.

So the home is,

Is a huge goal for many of you guys.

I know that many of you are decluttering.

Many of you are trying to like,

Let go of things so that you can create a home that where you feel well.

So that's a whole session.

Okay.

Then I talk about tame,

Tame your paper clutter.

We all have to deal with paper.

Like it or not,

Paper is a reality for all of us.

We all have to do our taxes.

We all have bills to pay,

Paper to manage.

Paper comes into our lives and we have to do something with it.

And many people are stuck and it's very easy to let it accumulate.

And then it becomes this monster,

This monster that every time it's bigger and bigger and you just don't want to do anything with it because it's scary.

Okay.

And then the last one that I have here is meal planning.

We are what we eat and our physical body relies on what we eat.

Okay.

So these are just some five different areas that I will cover in the workshop.

And now I am happy to open up the space for you guys for questions.

I also have,

So I have two upcoming workshops.

The one that starts on Thursday that is covering these five topics.

And if you are only interested in decluttering your home,

If that's the only interest that you have right now,

I have a workshop starting next week on Tuesday,

And it's all about creating your peaceful and clutter free home.

It's a two day workshop.

Okay.

And it's only for 10 people,

Just 10 people,

Because it's going to be very hands on.

And I'm going to be guiding you guys.

You're going to have space and time to share your challenges,

Share your questions.

Show me what you are going to declutter that week,

Because you will have a full week to declutter whatever you decide to declutter.

And then we will have a follow up called the following week.

Okay.

So the five topics of the first workshop,

Amy,

Are time management,

Self-care,

And mindfulness practices,

And then creating your peaceful and clutter free home.

Tame your paper clutter.

And the fifth day will be about meal planning.

Okay.

And the second workshop that is starting next week,

That's going to be only about decluttering your home,

One area of your home,

And you will have a full week.

Okay.

Again,

For the workshop that starts on Thursday this week,

You have to sign up today before 5pm.

If not,

Those will be closed.

Okay.

So I am going to open up space now for questions,

Guys.

So let's see what I have.

Yes.

The paper monster does get scary.

Absolutely.

Emilio,

How do you,

How do we find balance between rigidity and flow with time management?

Yeah.

So that's a,

That's a very interesting dance.

So how do you find the balance between being rigid and being flexible when it comes to time management?

Okay.

And this is something that we all are going to face.

You are going to set your intention.

You are going to create your ideal week.

You're going to create the schedule that you want to have,

And then something is going to get on the way.

So when that happens,

You have to be mindful.

Okay.

Beautifully said,

You have to be mindful in the present moment.

And you have to assess every situation from that place of being mindful.

When something comes up,

Then you have to question it.

So the first thing that I will suggest is don't say yes or no right away.

Just unless it's an emergency,

Unless your house is on fire.

If someone had an accident and needs you,

Like if it's a real,

Real emergency,

Drop everything and go,

Okay?

Don't let your schedule get on the way.

You can always come back to your schedule once things are managed,

But you need to know what a real emergency is.

Okay.

If you don't think it's a real emergency,

Then allow yourself a little bit of time to think about question,

Like,

Is this really important?

Do I really have to do this?

Can I say no to this?

Can I delegate this to someone else?

If I have to do it,

How can I do it more efficiently?

So you start questioning,

And this is from that mindfulness state of being present,

You look at the options that are available to you.

And then you will be intentional about the option that feels good to you.

And you will know which one feels good to you because you are being mindful.

You are being present and you are noticing how you feel.

You are noticing your emotions.

You are noticing everything that's going on.

When that happens,

You will make a more confident decision.

Okay?

And then you will reflect about what you did.

And then this is an ongoing process with time management.

You are going to decide something and you're going to do it and you're going to reflect about it.

And you're going to decide for the next time.

I'm not doing that again.

If I have to do that again,

I will do it this way.

I will try to do it this way and see what happens.

Or that's not my cup of tea,

I don't want to do that activity anymore.

Or if I go with that person next time,

I'm going to create a healthy boundary and I don't want to talk about this specific topic that drains me.

Or again,

Every situation is going to be unique.

So you are going to be intentional.

You're going to decide and you're going to move forward with intention,

With curiosity,

And always testing a new approach and seeing how it goes.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

It doesn't have to work.

Maybe you fail.

It is not failing.

Eliminate failing from your vocabulary.

You are not failing.

You are testing a different approach that may work or may not work,

That you may enjoy or you may not enjoy.

Okay?

That's how you can be rigid and flexible.

You can be flexible to drop everything and run if you think it's necessary.

Or you can be rigid to say,

I'm sorry,

I have a doctor's appointment at five and I'm not missing that.

It's the same as saying,

I'm sorry,

I have an appointment at 5 p.

M.

And I cannot miss it.

And that appointment can be going to play squash,

Can be having a bath,

Can be whatever you want it to be.

It doesn't have to be work.

Okay?

So what else,

Guys?

Even my freezer is empty except for ice and frozen berries and small things like butter and.

.

.

Okay,

So amazing anon,

Celebrating your empty fridge and freezer.

Paper cuts into our lives.

Brilliant.

Thanks,

Emilio.

Yeah,

Tada.

Paper is something that,

Especially when you are facing doing taxes and you are forced to find papers,

It becomes a huge,

Stressful time for many people.

That's when we do a lot of paper sessions,

People trying to get ready for taxes,

Being overwhelmed and sometimes honestly paying a lot of money for an accountant to put all their papers in order somehow.

They pay hundreds of dollars for someone to go through boxes of receipts that are not organized.

And then it's like a physical mess,

It's an emotional mess,

It's a mental mess,

And it's a financial mess.

Okay?

The paper and getting ready for taxes.

And that happens every year.

For some people,

Every year it happens.

So I invite you to be mindful,

To be intentional and to invest time once to create a system and then you can do taxes easily every year after that.

And then you are saving time,

You're saving stress,

You are saving physical costs.

You're saving a lot by investing once in creating a system.

So Amy says,

Emilio,

When you create a weekly calendar for yourself,

How much time do you leave completely unscheduled?

I know it's different for each of us,

But just an example.

Yeah.

So I am happy to share.

So my,

My latest ideal week that I created,

This was created on like a few weeks ago.

Okay.

So it looks like this.

So I have,

This is my intention.

Okay.

So all the orange squares that you see are Eva.

So that that's my daughter.

Okay.

So I take off my daughter on these lots.

So I drop her to school on Monday,

Tuesday,

Some Fridays.

And then I have her in the evenings on Wednesday,

Fridays.

And then I have her like during the weekend,

Half Saturday and half Sunday.

And then Tuesdays and Thursdays are my online days.

Those are the days that I set the intention that that's going to be my two main online days.

What does online means?

Online means I do these live sessions and these podcast episodes.

Okay.

I do workshops,

Any workshops that I deliver,

I always put them on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

And I do calls,

One-on-one calls with people on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Okay.

That's my intention.

Wednesdays is when I do work one-on-one with people,

With my wife,

We go to people's homes and we work with them,

Helping them declutter and organize their physical homes.

Okay.

That normally happens on Wednesdays.

And guys,

That's our intention as a business.

We only offer Wednesdays.

That's it.

We don't work any other day with people one-on-one because we have a week that we want to follow.

Of course,

Sometimes there is an emergency and there is a one-off that someone really needs us on Tuesday,

Then we will make an exception maybe.

But our intention is to use Wednesdays for that.

Okay.

And then Amy,

Your question,

How much time do I live on schedule?

All the white stuff that you see here,

It's on schedule time.

So Mondays and Fridays for me are flexible days.

Weekends,

I try not to work or do anything world-related unless I feel like it.

So Saturdays is family activities.

We go visit someone,

We do family bike rides,

Or we do go skating,

Or we do stay home and watch movies.

Okay.

But then Mondays and Fridays,

For example,

Those are days that I have flexibility in what I do.

I can do work.

I can go and see friends.

I can volunteer.

I can do whatever I want.

Okay.

I don't have a specific time at a specific day.

So that's how my calendar looks like.

It's going to be different for each of you.

Okay.

It's going to be different for each of you.

And this is the secret.

You have to be mindful.

You have to be present and you have to every present moment,

Reflect about what's going on.

How am I feeling?

Do I like this?

Do I like,

In my case,

I try different things.

We try to do a couple of times at 6 AM in the morning.

It didn't work.

We didn't like it.

We tried to do a couple of times,

My wife and I at 9 PM on Thursdays,

We didn't like it.

So we changed it.

We tried to work with clients three times a week.

It was way too much.

We didn't like it.

So we changed it.

So we were constantly failing.

According to some people,

It's like,

Wow,

Guys,

You are changing this all the time.

But it's like,

No,

We are tweaking all the time until we find something that works for us.

Okay.

So it doesn't come in one go.

You have to repeat the process a few times until you find something that works for you.

Okay.

So Seth says,

I,

I assume mindfulness becomes stronger and quicker the more you practice.

I work retail and it seems to go out the window.

Yeah,

Seth,

Absolutely.

The more you practice,

The easier it will become for you.

In your case,

If you find yourself being all over the place and retail takes a lot of your time and a lot of your energy,

Aim to do very little doses of self-care throughout the day.

So maybe you go to the washroom for 15 seconds and then you do some breathing.

You look at the mirror,

You say some affirmations,

You listen to a song,

Do something that uplifts you.

Maybe you go out for a walk around the block,

There's you three minutes,

And then that energizes you.

So try to integrate somehow self-care into your busyness,

Like the busy of life,

The busy of the day.

Sometimes you always can find 15 seconds here,

30 seconds there.

And sometimes that's what you need to get started.

Okay.

You get started and then you start feeling,

Wow,

I really enjoy those 15 seconds in the bathroom,

Or I really enjoy that walk around the block,

Or I really enjoy whatever you are doing.

Start testing things until something clicks for you and then do more of that.

The more you do it,

The more,

The easier it's going to be for you.

Okay.

And then this is going to become intentional guys.

Right now you are in a situation maybe of chaos,

But you are going to start questioning everything in every area of your life.

And you're going to start being more intentional.

You're going to understand what your needs are more often,

More,

More clarity,

More confidence.

And then you're going to start being more present.

So you're going to be doing better work.

You're going to be a nicer person for people.

And then you're going to start setting healthy boundaries.

I only work this much.

I only do this.

No,

Thank you.

I don't want to do that.

You're going to start becoming very good at saying no to things with a loving tone,

With being loving,

Being supportive.

No,

Thank you.

That's not for me.

Um,

So that's how it works.

And many people transition from,

This is one example about work.

I just went to BC to Vancouver to visit a few friends with my wife.

So one of our friends works in the TV industry.

She does the management of,

Of,

Um,

Like,

Uh,

Shows,

TV shows,

And she's always on her phone.

So busy.

And she was talking about a coworker.

She works in the same industry,

Same craziness.

And then she says,

I don't know how she does it,

But she only works three times a week.

And she told her boss,

This is the days I work.

And then after that,

I'm not available.

I'm not on my phone.

Take it or leave it.

But because she's so good at her work and she's so nice and she's so personable,

The boss say,

Whatever you give me,

I will take it.

So she,

There she is,

This person in the middle of this crazy industry that is always crazy.

She created her own rules and she does what she wants.

And she sets the intention and that's it.

And then she works those three days and then she goes home and she doesn't do anything else.

And that was her own choice.

So that's just one example.

Okay.

Yeah.

So failure is a part of the process.

Absolutely guys,

You are not failing.

You are just testing and some things are going to work and some of the things are not going to work and you are going to learn from them.

Okay.

So what other questions do you guys have?

Thank you for being transparent.

When I was self-employed,

I had so much guilt,

Living free time for myself.

I am better at that now.

My body is tough.

Love teachers to be that way.

Yeah.

Amy,

I still,

I still feel weird sometimes when I'm not working during the week.

It feels weird,

Especially when everybody else around me is working and they are in a different reality.

Some people are like me,

Some people are not,

But I still feel that feeling of like,

Wow.

And especially I see my,

My parents and the people who are used to the old model,

They don't quite understand what I do.

Honestly,

Some people don't really understand what I do.

They don't really get it.

It's like,

What do you do?

I never see you working and you're always having fun.

So how do you get paid?

I don't understand.

So there are many new realities that are appearing,

Especially with the internet,

With COVID,

People doing what they love and getting paid for it.

It's a very different model.

So yeah,

I still have the mentality of like,

I should be working Monday to Friday,

40 hours a week.

And sometimes I feel guilty and I feel that thing coming up,

But I try to say,

No,

Emilio,

You are doing what you are doing.

You are providing,

You are taking care of everything that you want to,

And you deserve to have breaks and you deserve because when I have breaks,

That's when I am the most creative.

And the reason why I can do these sessions every week and come up with different topics and having to say something about it and be able to read books about it is because I am inspired.

And the way for me to feel inspired and creative is by me being mindful,

Being present and allowing myself to do what I love doing.

So it's a cycle.

If I stop doing that,

Then I will start feeling it because I do feel it like,

Oh,

I'm stagnant.

I don't have as much energy and I'm procrastinating more.

And yeah,

I get into that mood and then I don't like it.

So it's like a cycle that needs to keep rolling.

Okay.

So Tara says,

You are an inspiration.

I always feel lazy if I am not working,

Then I get burnt out and miserable.

I love the possibilities in this new way of living.

Yeah.

Tara,

The same way,

And this is for people who are self-employed or for people who always can do more because you always can do more,

Right?

It's very important to create that ideal week,

That week where you are setting very clear and defined blocks of time for specific things.

And sometimes you need to get out of your house,

You need to get out of the office and you need to go somewhere like to the gym,

To whatever,

To do that activity because you need to remove yourself physically from that environment until you start creating the habit.

That's normal.

So that's why I go to the gym to play squash.

I go to the gym to do yoga.

I try to get out of the house to see friends.

Sometimes when I feel like I'm not centered,

I go to the library,

I go to a coffee place,

And then I feel I'm in a different environment.

So I feel more,

Okay,

Now I can do the work I wanted to,

But before I couldn't.

It's just like destruction.

So maybe the energy of the space is just not the right one for me.

So it's a process.

You are going to feel guilty and then you are going to be aware of it.

You're going to be mindful.

Oh,

Wow.

I'm feeling guilty.

That's good.

Okay.

That's fine.

I'm feeling guilty because I'm not working.

Okay.

So what can I do?

Okay.

So I'm going to create a limit of how much time I spend by myself doing nothing.

And then once that's done,

Then I will go back to work.

So create something that feels good to you and then try to pursue it.

So what else do you guys have for me?

I admire those who are able to transition.

Switching gears to a life that allows time to recover has made me feel guilty.

Yeah.

Tonya and that's just be gentle with yourself.

This is a process.

Okay.

As I was saying,

It's not going to happen like that.

It's going to be a process.

You're going to be mindful.

You're going to be present and then you are going to notice how you feel.

And then you are going to drop the ball.

Few hours are going to go by,

Few days,

Few weeks,

Few months,

Sometimes.

And you realize,

Wow,

I haven't been present in forever.

Okay.

Instead of just blaming yourself,

Feeling guilty.

Okay.

What can I do now in the present moment to make sure that I am more intentional,

To make sure that I am more present,

To make sure that I am applying minimalism into my life and then keep flexing that muscle.

The more you flex that muscle,

The easier it's going to become.

Okay.

So Amy says,

I appreciate you prioritizing creativity.

I produced a theater company for 20 years and waited tables at the same time.

It was at least 80 hour work week.

That's amazing.

That's a lot of work.

When I committed to only make my living off my art,

The open time was so anxiety provoking.

Yeah.

And this is again,

Guys,

Because you are transitioning,

Right?

And you are trying to create a new reality,

But your old reality,

Your real reality right now is what it is.

So for you to be able to change,

It takes you to be present.

Okay.

You have to be present and intentional to be able to change what you are doing,

To be able to change how you feel.

This is like how many of you remember when they were learning how to drive,

Especially if you were learning how to drive stick,

Like with the gears.

Okay.

I remember myself sitting in that car and having to think about,

There is a clutch,

There is a brake,

There is the accelerator,

There are the mirrors.

And then I have to switch gears.

And then I have to look at the traffic and then I have to look at the traffic lights.

It was overwhelming,

Right?

It needed a lot of intentional and presence.

You needed a lot of presence to be able to learn.

Okay.

You are present and present and present.

And after driving a few times,

You notice that it's becoming more,

Less present and more automatic.

And now I sit in my car and I can drive and I'm not,

I'm not even thinking about it,

But remember the transition.

Okay.

So you were learning how to drive.

You had to be a hundred percent fully present.

And then the more you did it,

The less presence you needed until it became a habit that your body knew.

Your nervous systems knew your brain knew what to do,

When to do it.

And you didn't have to think anymore.

It was in the background.

And then you can have a conversation.

You can listen to music.

You can do whatever you want to do on top of driving.

So this is the same idea.

When you are trying to change your reality,

You need a lot of intention and a lot of presence.

Okay.

The more you practice that presence,

The more you practice the new reality,

The more you remind yourself,

The more of a habit is going to become.

The more momentum is going to gain.

And hopefully it will get to the point when that new reality that you are working towards creating is going to start erasing the old one.

With all the emotions,

All the feelings and everything that was associated with it.

All the dynamics,

All the expectations from people,

Everything is going to start dissipating because you are focusing on the new one with presence and with intention.

Okay.

So I hope that that helps you understand that this is a process.

Please be gentle with yourself.

Anytime you feel yourself that you drop the ball,

Just go back to it.

Focus on thinking about,

Okay,

What can I do now to make sure that I am on track again,

Rather than,

Oh,

I suck.

I failed.

Try to don't focus on that because that's past.

You already dropped the ball.

Just reflect about why did I drop the ball?

Okay.

What can I do next time to avoid that from happening again?

What can I try with no expectations?

What can I test next time to try and undo this better,

To try and keep my mindfulness?

Okay.

So that's what,

What I think it's,

It's necessary.

And always be gentle,

Be patient and keep trying,

Keep trying,

Be consistent and just know that this is a process.

Okay.

This is a process and you have to be okay with that.

This is a process.

Okay.

So guys,

Time to time is up.

What's coming up for you before we go?

Is there anything else I can support you with?

Um,

A reminder before we leave that data,

I have two upcoming workshops coming up.

Okay.

One starts on Thursday and the deadline to sign up is today at 5 PM.

And the other one is starting next week.

So make sure that you take my profile.

And if you are listening to the recording,

I will put a link below.

Okay.

So take care of yourself.

Like you will take care of a loved one.

Absolutely.

Angie,

Beautifully said,

Take care of yourself.

Like you would take care of a loved one.

Because majority of the times we are going,

We are always more mean with ourselves than when we are with other people.

Okay.

Um,

Yeah.

Thank you for the encouragement.

You are welcome.

Uh,

Thank you very much,

Emilia.

Thank you,

Elena.

Guys,

Thank you so much for your presence today.

Thank you so much for your energy.

As always,

I love being here.

I hope you guys got value from this session.

And I hope that you,

You guys start practicing more mindfulness.

Okay.

Um,

I had a question under the name Catherine earlier.

So Catherine,

Do you mind repeating that question?

And that will be the last one.

Um,

I guess I missed it.

Sorry.

The chat just goes by really fast.

So would you consider a topic for a live session?

How to spend time with yourself for retired people?

Those of us on disability or anyone struggling with free time?

Yeah,

I can,

I can think about it.

Uh,

Amy,

Would you mind bringing that to the circle so that I can,

Uh,

Write it down on my notes when I look there?

Okay,

Guys,

Uh,

Let's transition out of the session again.

Let's just do the same practice.

Very simple.

Something that you guys can do anytime,

Anywhere you are.

Okay.

Uh,

So Catherine says too much papers everywhere.

I am organized with Bill taxes.

Yeah.

So Catherine,

If you want to dive deeper into the paper,

Uh,

I do have some recordings on paper that you can access and the workshop that is upcoming.

Uh,

There is one full session,

Two full hours of just paper,

And I will help you through anything that you need there.

Okay.

So you have those two options.

Okay,

Guys,

Let's put one hand on top of your chest and the other one on top of your belly,

And then allow yourself a few seconds of silence.

Close your eyes and just breathe in and out deeply.

Allow yourself to make a noise if you need to,

And just notice how your hands move and notice how the air is going in and out.

Okay.

Let's do it together.

One more.

More.

Thank you so much,

Guys.

Uh,

Have a wonderful rest of your day,

And I hope to see some of you inside the workshop or in the next live session.

Okay.

Adios.