The 3 M-Words I Try to Live by in My 30s

Mindful, Meaningful, Minimal

They say “You don’t get older, you get wiser”. This is that kind of story. All too often, when I was younger, I was going through the motions, you know what I mean? It might be a hindsight thing, but now I believe three aspects of life were missing from my otherwise wonderful teenage years and young adulthood. The 3 M-words I try to live by now: Mindful, meaningful, and minimal.

Mindful

The bestselling author and teacher of Buddhist meditation practices Sharon Salzberg once said:

“Mindfulness isn’t difficult, we just need to remember to do it.”

It hits the nail on the head. The first M-word I try to live by is “Mindfulness”. It’s a term that if it were edible, it would be a superfood. Highly praised but barely understood.

What is mindfulness? For me, it means being more aware: More aware of myself, more aware of my surroundings, and more aware of feelings toward the important people in my life.

It starts with the little things. Just consciously breathing, for example. You might laugh, but m…