This is Optimal Living Daily episode 1315, life as a conscious practice by Leo Babata of Zenhabits.net

and I'm just a mawg the guy who's been reading articles, book excerpts, even student essays to you every day including holidays for three and a half years.

Today's author Leo Babata of Zenhabits named a best blog by Time Magazine and Super Popular Among Personal Development and Minimalism Readers.

So now let's get right to it as we optimize your life.

Life as a conscious practice by Leo Babata of Zenhabits.net

When we learn martial arts, more ballet or gymnastics or soccer, we consciously practice movements in a deliberate way repeatedly.

By conscious repeated practice we become good at those movements.

Our entire lives are like this but we're often less conscious of the practice.

Each day we repeat movements, thought patterns, ways of interacting with others, and in this repeated practice we are becoming or have already become good at these things.

If you constantly check Facebook or Twitter, that is a practice.

You are forming that habit, though it's usually not with too much awareness.

When you smoke or eat junk food or speak rudely to others or put yourself down internally, this is something you are practicing to be good at.

You may already be good at these things.

What if instead we practiced consciously deliberately and became good at the things we really want to be good at?

What if you first, above all skills, learn to be more aware of what you are practicing?

What if constant conscious action is the skill you became good at?

If you could learn to take conscious action, you could learn to practice other things you want to be good at rather than the ones you don't.

What? Are you practicing?

Ask yourself these things throughout the day to practice conscious action.

Do I want to practice rushing through my morning or can I wake a little earlier and simplify my morning routine so that I practice a slow, enjoyable morning ritual?

Do I want to practice checking my inboxes when I first get to my computer or can I do something better?

Do I want to practice leaving dirty dishes out or can I practice washing my bowl when I'm done with it?

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