As we progress in this series, we are getting to the point of exploring applied mindfulness - how to deploy your clear and focused mind in the pursuit of the kind of life you want: the "what's in it for me?" perspective!

And, as we move into week five, you can quickly refresh yourself with what's led up to today's instalment, using the links below:

Our thoughts create our reality and, through our thoughts, our actions sustain our very personal version of reality. It's time to start thinking about recreating your reality - according to your own wishes.

Over the next few days, give yourself a little time out to let your mind daydream about what it would feel like, how it would be, if you were living the reality that you want.

It might help for you to look back over our recent Ezine Series - Goal Setting and Goal Getting.

A question that should be on the tip of your tongue as you go through your day - every day - not in an aggressive way, not in a way that impedes others, but in a way that focuses your mind on getting the best for you (and yours) out of life... perhaps I mean "what's in it for us?"

There has to be something in mindfulness for us - not just a "happy clappy" feeling. Otherwise, mindfulness can become a tool by which we endure, through calmness of mind, circumstances that we should not tolerate - after all human resilience is both a blessing and a curse in equal measure and has been responsible for more unneccesary suffering than need otherwise be the case. Mindfulness enables resilience - a mindful person can put up with all the crap that drives ordinarily mindless people to distraction. And, whilst there's no harm in that - there's so much crap thrown at us in life that anything that will enable us ride those waves is to be lauded - the true measure of the mindful person is what he or she does with mindfulness.

In other words, what kind of life can you create for yourself through mindfulness? Don't be surprised by this question: we all already create our lives. Look around you and you will see the product of mass mindlessness, look inward and you will recognize the personal price we pay for mindlessness: stress, worry, anxiety, frustration, fear, loathing, hatred... With mindfulness, all these things are off the menu! But you don't just want to avoid the torment that goes with mindlessness: add to your menu. Add things like, peace of mind, carefree living, business and career success, sporting success, perfect work/life balance... make up your own list. Indeed, one of the key things that mindfulness will do for you is enable you spot opportunities (that the walking wounded will never spot) that will take you to where you want to go in ways that you could never imagine.

The point is, we make up our lives as we make up our minds - it's in the nature of how our minds perceive and create reality. Make up your mind to be mindful enough to always be in a position to recognize "what's in it for me"... now.