This is the last in a series of four mindfulness quickies for the super busy. I’ve tried to keep them simple and very quick. They shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes to do. They’re no substitute for a mindfulness practice, but they’re better than nothing.

This last quickie is a reflection exercise. It requires you to “hit the pause button” – that’s the key. Whatever you’re doing, you consciously choose to stop for a brief moment to reflect.

You can do this exercise almost anywhere and anytime. Just stop for a few seconds. Stop doing whatever you’re doing. The key is to remember to do it!

You might want to set an alarm on your phone to go off at a random time. Or you might do this one BETWEEN activities, like right after a meeting, or right before a workout.

Stop and ask yourself, “what am I up to right now?”

I like this question because it really gets at your motives. You could simply reflect on “what am I doing right now” but that won’t be as powerful as asking “what am I up to”.

Let’s say you’re having a conversation with your child. That’s what you’re DOING. But reflecting on what you’re up to may surface that you’re actually trying to change their behaviour. Or you’re avoiding bringing up a difficult topic. Or you’re trying to really connect with them because you’ve been absent a lot lately and you’re feeling guilty about it.

The question of what you’re up to will surface a lot more about your purpose, your wishes, and your fears in a given moment than simply examining what you’re doing.

And that’s today’s quickie. 2 simple steps: 1) hit the pause button; and 2) ask yourself, “what am I up to right now?”

If you try this one (or should I say, “WHEN you try this one), you’ll be amazed at what comes up. Because our actions almost always have some intentionality to them that we’re not fully aware of. We’re up to something, but we don’t really know what it is unless we stop and reflect. Even for a few seconds.

What we’re up to isn’t usually front of mind, but it isn’t down deep in the unconscious either. It’s usually pretty accessible. It just takes a moment of reflection. Try it and see for yourself.