Teach mindfulness with confidence and credibility Learn More →
    Integration
    Worksheets

    Effecting and Being Effected

    SF
    Sean FargoPublished January 10, 2015 · Updated October 22, 2026 · 1 min read

    Printable Worksheet

    Effecting Change

    PDF·162 KB

    A mindful companion to this worksheet

    Setting an intention, shaping a habit

    Much of life runs on autopilot, and most of that autopilot was set without our say. “Effecting Change” is a chance to notice the patterns you have inherited and to set a new intention with care.

    How mindfulness can help

    Mindfulness opens up the gap between a cue and a reaction, which is where a new pattern can be chosen. Bringing curious attention to a habit's full arc, the cue, the urge, the action, and the aftermath, gives us back some freedom where there was only repetition.

    Gentle steps to try

    1. Set a clear intention. Name what you would like to grow or let go of in plain words. Write it down and read it each morning.
    2. Watch the cue. When the urge shows up, pause and notice what just happened in your body, your surroundings, or your mood.
    3. Insert one small choice. Replace the old action with one breath, one stretch, one glass of water. Small replacements loosen the pattern.
    4. Count the noticing. Even when the old habit wins, noticing it is real progress. Awareness is where every change starts.

    Change rarely comes in one dramatic decision. It is the quiet adding-up of intentions remembered, again and again, with patience.

    A note from Sean

    We are co-creating our experience. Experience is not just happening to us, and we are not the sole creators of it either.

    Try this today. Think of one exchange from today. Take three breaths, then ask the worksheet’s second question: What way of reacting used me? Find it in the body first, such as a clenched jaw, a held breath, or a quick reply. Then write one sentence on what you showed on the outside and one on what you kept inside.

    Keep going: Mindfulness and Connection: How to Build Stronger Relationships Through Presence and “Simply Stopping” Guided Meditation Script.

    This suits a short review at the end of the day, once or twice a week. If the exchange you pick is painful, go gently and choose a smaller one. Stop when you need to.

    Download PDF

    For teachers, therapists & coaches

    Need a worksheet for a specific client?

    Describe your client and what you're working on together, and MindfulPro writes a client worksheet or handout for them.

    Write a worksheet for my client →

    14-day free trial, then $39/mo.

    Share

    Continue reading

    • How Meditation Can Lead to a Vegan Diet

      Russell Simmons: How Meditation Can Lead to a Vegan Diet

      Read
    • Mindful Daydreaming Enhances Creativity

      Mindful Daydreaming Enhances Creativity

      Read