I just finished reading a book called "Mindfulness" by Ellen J. Langer. While it wasn't the best psychology book I've ever read, there were a couple of key takeaways I'd like to share. First, mindfulness is the exact opposite of mindlessness , and Langer seems to suggest that most of society suffers from the latter. When you're mindful, you don't take everything at face value. You don't merely assume, for example, that a toothbrush's only function is to clean and whiten your teeth, or that a person missing an arm must be lousy at sports. Langer stresses that in order to achieve full mindfulness, we have to throw our preconceived notions, biases, and stereotypes to the wind. Most of us do seem to go through life in a rote, mindless fashion. We seldom question our own beliefs and the reasons why things around us happen as they do. She points out that because we begin discriminating against the elderly at an early age -- perhaps as a byproduct of...

...those that we never make. Think about it. What can come back to haunt you any more than wondering what could have been? Here are a few of examples of things people may not do, but later regret: Not having kids Not wearing protection when having sex Never getting married Not pursuing a degree or finishing school Not aiming for a better job because they're too complacent where they are Not saving money Not being more on top of their health (e.g., not smoking, doing more exercise, etc.) What's the best way to avoid being in this situation? For starters, we should all guard against the impulse to trek through life in a mindless manner. It's when we do things mindlessly that we seem to get in the most trouble. For example, the question of whether or not to have kids is one of the most important ones we face in our lives. That's a decision that should not be taken lightly. Whether one decides not to have kids or have unprotected sex and worry about t...