World Water Day and the launch of Mindful in May

If the United Nations gave you a chance to vote for your special “international-day-of [fill in the blank]” what cause or passion would you choose to bring to people’s attention?

Working out what we most value sometimes only happens when we lose it for a while or when we witness it through another persons suffering. It can be easy to take the precious elements of our lives for granted.  I mean, think about breath. It is THE most important thing we have and do. Breathe. Yet, how often do you stop to appreciate that? Today, it’s a about water, as fundamental to our survival as breath.

When you stop to think about it for a moment… [pause]… it really is quite incomprehensible that:

1 in 9 people on the planet are living their daily lives with the threat of illness from contaminated water 

AND THAT…

Nearly 3,000 children under five die every day, from diarrhoeal disease caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene

It’s easy to let these statistics pass you by and feel a little resigned to the seeming fact of global poverty. However, these days social media can connect us faster than ever before to a community of like minded people who, with a shared intention can have a huge impact in the world. Mindful in May is a good example of the impact a bunch of engaged, compassionate, mindful people can have when connected through similar purpose.

It’s exciting to be launching the Mindful in May (#mim14) website in time for World Water Day on March 22nd, bringing the benefits of meditation together with a tangible way to make a difference in the world.

The meditation challenge starts again on May the 1st, but its time to sign up and start spreading the word! For second timers, the program will be like an old familiar friend who has had a great new haircut, a sense of something a little bit new.

This year we are inviting you to sign up to be Mindful in May and ask your friends and family to get behind your mindful efforts by sponsoring your challenge. This will allow your mindful ripple to expand by:

a) spreading more awareness about the benefits of meditation and the global water cause

b) creating a stronger intention for your challenge through being held accountable by your sponsors

You might want to form a meditation group by creating your own team. Perhaps ask your colleagues at work if they want to join in and start your day with a mindful meeting, taking a few minutes in silence together. Maybe your team could even raise enough money between you to build an entire well ($5,000).

If you’ve never tried meditating and feel intimidated by a one month challenge, you can sign up and create your own more realistic intention and share it on your personal fundraising page.

Recent research has supported the fact that even ten minutes of mindfulness meditation, at least five times a week can have benefits on our attention.

There’s only one way to find out if meditation is for you, give it a go!

The good news is that if you sign up to Mindful in May, and discover meditation’s not your thing, you will have made a positive difference in the lives of thousands of others through the process. It’s a win, win situation. Clear mind for you, clean water for others

(image via pinterest)