The quality I find most impressive about myself is my mindfulness. Mindfulness is awareness of one's senses, thoughts, and any other brain activity. Mindfulness can be improved through practices such as Yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation. These activities are all becoming more and more prevalent in America, and with research into brain activity growing every day some say we are starting to truly adopt the concept, but mindfulness is still not an ordinary attribute to find in a Westerner. Regardless, I find myself more mindful and mentally pliable than most everyone I know, which in turn gives me more control over my emotions, thoughts, and ultimately the world around me. I'm basically a Jedi.

My drive to control my mind began when my dad died plunging me into a deep depression and lethargy, which lasted several months. I decided to attend a Tai Chi class after reading an article claiming that cultivating 'Chi' could give a person more energy. Three weeks into the class, I first felt a tingling in my fingertips, and from then on out I was hooked on 'Chi'. I sought other similar classes and began a regular meditation practice that I continue to this day.

At first I thought the effects of my practices were strictly physical (more energy, more 'chi', greater flexibility), but soon I found myself growing calmer and able to handle greater stress with little trouble. I began reading more about the Eastern arts, and found that all these things are connected through mindfulness. I learned that all these practices I had found were all centered around the theme of paying attention to one's thoughts and actions. For example, when in yoga, one puts their whole focus into their body, in order to stretch or balance further. Similarly, when meditating one puts their focus on a thought in order to maintain it longer. Now, two years later, I am able to sit in silent meditation for an hour and not a single thought will arise If I deem it so.

When one practices mindfulness, they learn to focus their thoughts onto whatever they choose, whether it be silence, homework, a relationship, or creating solutions to complex problems. Regardless of what I put my mind to, I am able to focus with incredible potency, and I've only been practicing for two years. My next objective is choosing the correct things to focus on. If I can master that, I will become truly limitless- Jedi style.