Melissa Steginus is a productivity and wellness specialist and author of the new book, Everyday Mindfulness: 108 Simple Practices to Empower Yourself and Transform Your Life.
Her motto is that “your time and energy are your most precious resources” and—through her books, courses, workshops, and coaching services—she helps people structure their work and lives to spend more of those resources on what matters. Melissa’s unique approach blends time, task, and energy management with self-care and mindfulness to serve her ultimate goal: to help others live more intentional, empowering, and fulfilling lives.
Everyday Mindfulness is a simple yet powerful tool for those interested in living with greater intention. The book is a collection of 108 simple mindfulness practices, with explanations of the purpose behind each practice, and over 300 reflection questions that encourage profound self-exploration and transformative action. It aims to make mindfulness simple and practical so you can live with greater clarity, intention, and purpose—whatever your schedule or spiritual beliefs.
Readers move through six areas of life—Physical, Emotional, Rational, Spiritual, Occupation, and Network—to cultivate and experience a holistic personal transformation:
Each of these six sections has 18 exercises to help you reclaim, redefine, and realize your untapped potential within that area of your life. According to Author, Melissa Steginus, “You already have the inner resources you need to empower yourself, cultivate fulfillment, and transform your life, but you have to do the work to recognize and tap into these resources and your potential. That’s what this book is all about.”
Published on October 25, 2020, the book’s simple design and refreshingly down-to-earth approach to mindfulness continues to spark international interest and yield praise from experts in fields related to personal development. Hal Elrod, bestselling author of The Miracle Morning and The Miracle Equation, has formally endorsed the book, calling it “a must-have tool for anyone seeking a rich and fulfilled life." Highlighting the book’s practical application, Elrod says, "Everyday Mindfulness bridges the gap between knowledge and action. This book will encourage you to be active and engaged in your life and will empower you to create the changes you want to see.”
For those interested in a sample, Melissa Steginus has offered excerpts from the book’s introduction and practices from each of its six sections related to journaling and writing.
A brief introduction: What it means to be mindful, p. 2
Mindfulness is about paying attention with intention. Powerful things happen when you take a moment to fully observe your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and surroundings. You begin to recognize what it means to be alive—to think, to feel, to exist in an infinite universe filled with infinite possibilities. When you give your full attention to the world around you and the one within you, you gain a deep appreciation for your existence, and you learn how to access the profound insights and wisdom you hold. You expand your consciousness, or rather, you tap into the full consciousness that already lies within you.
To be mindful is to embody this consciousness, to live your life in accordance with the realization that you’re alive. This process doesn’t have to be revolutionary. In fact, as you cultivate the simple yet profound practice of paying attention, most days might feel quite ordinary. This is because the transformative power of mindfulness lies in practice. You can use your daily tasks and routines to immerse yourself in the present moment and appreciate the wonder of your existence—if you pay attention.
Examples from each section of the book about writing and journaling
PHYSICAL — DAY 14: REFRESH YOURSELF
PURPOSE: When your phone or computer is on the fritz, what’s the first thing you do? Restart. When you feel frozen in the everyday roles and routines of life, take a moment to refresh. Unlike your computer, you don’t have to shut down entirely, but you might have to devote time, space, and energy back into yourself and what matters to you.
PRACTICE: Give yourself 15 minutes of attention when you need a quick refresher. Disconnect from daily distractions (I’m looking at you, email and social media). Go for a walk, listen to music, write in your journal, or sit quietly and focus on your breathing.
REFLECTION:
What pressures or distractions tend to drain your energy?
How do you know when you need to unplug?
What did you do today to refresh yourself?
EMOTIONAL — DAY 26: JOURNAL ABOUT YOUR DREAMS
PURPOSE: Reflecting on what you want is the first step toward making it happen. You can’t just dream of it and wait for the universe to toss it down from the sky. Remember the Law of Attraction from your happy memory reflection a few days ago? You attract what you give your attention to. By identifying and focusing on your dreams and desires, you will invest more time and energy into making them happen.
PRACTICE: When preparing to write about your dreams, think about your personal values (what’s truly important to you) and lifestyle ideals (what you really want out of your big, beautiful life). Then dive into the following questions to explore your big-picture desires and determine how you can move closer toward them.
REFLECTION:
Values: When you look back on your life, how will you measure its importance?
Ideals: If money were no object, what would your dream life look like? What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
What is one thing you can do today to move closer to your dream life, even if it seems far away or impossible to reach?
RATIONAL — DAY 41: WRITE YOUR PRIORITIES
PURPOSE: Pay attention to what you want, and you will invest more time and energy into it. As you know from the previous mention of the Law of Attraction, clearly identifying what you value and desire is essential to living your ideals. Writing down what matters to you is a great first step, as it gives you clarity, keeps you accountable, and allows you to reflect on your progress.
PRACTICE: Today is all about exploring what deeply matters to you. Dig into today’s questions to explore your personal priorities and plan how to pursue them. Resist the temptation to edit your thoughts and ideas as you answer each question. Simply write the first few things that come to mind and see where it takes you!
REFLECTION:
What is important to you?
What does a meaningful day look like to you?
How do you want to be as a person? Which attributes do you want to adopt or improve?
Review your answers. Why have you chosen these values and priorities?
SPIRITUAL — DAY 62: ASK YOURSELF QUESTIONS
PURPOSE: Inquiry fosters self-awareness, which allows you to identify and understand your values and purpose with greater clarity. Think of your relationship with yourself like you would any other friendship you have. What do you know about yourself? What do you keep hidden?
PRACTICE: Write down everything you know about yourself until you’ve filled the space on this (or a separate) page. Use the reflection questions or explore your own, and remember to encourage yourself with positive self-talk through this process!
REFLECTION:
What do you like to spend time doing?
When do you feel most yourself ?
What are your strengths?
What have you achieved or overcome?
What makes you uncomfortable, frustrated, and angry? What do you value?
What are your deepest dreams and desires?
Why are these things important to you?
What are some questions you still have for yourself?
OCCUPATION — DAY 75: WRITE YOUR GOALS
PURPOSE: When you identify specific goals for your work—whether around a client, project, or your job in general—you give yourself (and others) direction. You create a purposeful strategy, which guides you toward your target with clarity and focus. You set yourself up for success.
PRACTICE: First, focus on either one specific project or your work in general. With that area of focus in mind, list what you want to achieve in the short and long term. Next, referring to that list, choose the three most important goals. Make those goals specific, measurable, and attainable. Finally, organize those three goals in terms of timelines—one to achieve in the next month, one to achieve in six months, and one to achieve by one year from now. You can list those goals below.
Next month:
Six months:
One year:
REFLECTION:
What do your goals tell you about what you want from your occupation?
How can writing down your goals help you to create a purposeful strategy?
What will you do to make each goal a reality?
NETWORK — DAY 95: SEND A LETTER
PURPOSE: Taking time to express thoughts and feelings of gratitude in a handwritten letter benefits both the one writing the letter (that’s you!) and the person reading it. Not only will this exercise deepen your appreciation for the person you’re writing to, but it will also brighten their day to receive something in their mailbox that isn’t a bill or flyer. Hooray!
PRACTICE: Choose one person to write to: a parent, partner, friend, mentor, etc. In your handwritten letter, thank this person and let them know how much you value their presence in your life. And please remember to actually mail your letter!
REFLECTION:
Who did you write to?
What did you thank this person for?
How did this exercise make you feel about your relationship with this person?
Who else might you write to in the future?
To learn more about Everyday Mindfulness and access the free reflection workbooks that accompany the book, visit MelissaSteginus.com/mindful. And once there, be sure to sign up for Melissa’s intentional and very practical newsletter.