Don’t Try To Be Mindful: Daron Larson (Full Transcript)

Full text of mindfulness trainer Daron Larson’s talk: Don’t Try To Be Mindful at TEDxColumbus conference. In this talk, he explains that just as regular exercise can improve your physical well-being, that training your attention can transform the way you navigate the challenges of everyday life.

TRANSCRIPT:

Daron Larson – Mindful Awareness Trainer

So, mindfulness is a way to train your attention using your ordinary senses and perceptions. Maybe you’ve heard about it.

There’s this explosion of research that’s validating its many benefits: the way it helps people manage stress; reduce their anxiety; and even sleep better.

I was skeptical about these claims, because I have kind of a natural talent for stress.

One time, I was stressed out on vacation after a massage at a hot springs spa resort. And I kept thinking how I wanted to take a picture of this place, because it would help me relax when I got back to the job I was dreading returning to.

So, that gives you an idea of what I was up against, but I decided I’m going to give this mindfulness a try. So I’ve been practicing every day for 13 years.

And I noticed that it started to quietly transform the way I was living my life when I stopped trying to get the outcomes I was hoping for and instead put my attention on doing the exercises required to get there.

It reminded me what I already knew about physical fitness. If you take the stairs and you notice your heart starts to beat faster, maybe your legs start to burn, you don’t say to yourself, “Oh, I must be taking the stairs wrong.” Right?