After writing about mindfulness I’ve got the hint that mindlessness is important too. What?! Oh, mindlessness, true. And after spending some brain computing cycles on that, I can only agree. Mindlessness can be translated into cheerfulness, gladness, laxity or nonchalance, unconcern, lightheartedness and spontaneity. All things which will enrich your life too. Without all these life would be boring, a lot. It would be same all day, lethargy alarm. Who would want that?

If you look up mindlessness you’ll get different meanings. There you could read lacking intelligence or good sense, or the word foolish. Having no intelligent purpose, meaning, or direction or giving or showing little attention or care and heedless. Sounds a bit negative somehow. So mindlessness is a bad thing? Don’t think so, if practiced in a positive way, means without harming or hurting others, without putting yours or others health and well-being on risk.

To be honest we all behave foolish at times and nobody is able to show attention and care all the time. So all of us have a built-in mindlessness. So far so good, but what is with intentional mindlessness. Well, here I think a few people do it more and others less. The more you are integrated into your everyday life, the less mindlessness can be seen. Everything is structured and has it’s place and time. This might be desirable in certain aspects, but kills creativity and spontaneity over time. Nah, that’s not what we want. So we need to break out of this structure at times. Which is not easy for a structured guy like me, believe me since I have ordered my books by size. But I need this mindlessness and I want it. So at times I am jumping on my bicycle and go for a ride into the forest, without any purpose, meaning, direction or goal. I just wanna go and exhaust myself in nature and free my mind. And know what, these are the moments I feel more inner peace and happiness. And on top comes, these are the moments I am having the best ideas. So mindlessness can generate happiness and creativity. Wow, sounds like brain Viagra. And indeed, all the adrenaline and hormones produced during a mindless bike ride or fooling around with close ones or just running through the sun have this effect … and I am talking about the effect of creativity and spontaneity within your brain and not the effect you are currently thinking of 😉

So I have to add something to the mindfulness advice. Try to keep mindfulness and mindlessness in balance and use it when appropriate. And yes, I just told you to behave like a kid at times. It’s fun, believe me.