Sometimes, the first impulse is erroneous. Ever sent a text, an email or made a phone call impulsively only to realize that you made a serious mistake? Mindfulness is not about inaction. But Mindfulness teaches you to slow down to make skillful responses. Consciously pausing before acting can make a tremendous difference in the results you reap. Just taking a few brief breaths may be enough. Where can you build in brief pauses throughout your day today?
Tag: #mindfulleadership
Releasing the Past
Regret can sideline forward progress. Replaying the what if’s, the woulda/coulda’s, and the if only’s is simply a waste of time and energy. Mindfulness calls you to forgive past unskillful, unproductive behavior. Being mindful means letting go of the past and making fresh, skillful choices in the present. Today is a new day, now is a new moment!
Mindfulness, Self-Awareness and Blind Spots
The Johari Window, conceptualized in 1955, is a uselful tool when one is working on growing in their self-awareness. This is a foundational element in peak performance. The key is to reduce blind spots about oneself. This requires reflection, contemplation, and often times, a good executive or life coach!
The Johari Window also helps us to have better relationships, the key in all functions of business, whether you are in sales, hospitality, or healthcare. Take a look at the sections. There are things known to both us and others. There are things that others don’t know about us. There are things about us that neither others nor we know about ourselves. But the one area of perhaps greatest concern is what others know about us, but we don’t know about ourselves! This area represents our blind spots. In Mindfulness, we teach beginner’s mind- being open and curious about ourselves and others. This flexibility in our perceptions allow positive growth and the reduction of suffering. Whether in personal relationships or organizational dynamics, Mindfulness can be an ally for greater peak performance and success, or what we like to call Mindful Performance. As executive coaches and life coaches, we have seen this simple tool help people tremendously in the personal growth and professional development.
How is your Default Mode Network?
Without focus, the mind slips into Default Mode Network (DMN). This is a wandering default state that the mind automatically reverts to, otherwise known as “monkey mind.” In meditation, the challenge is to move away from monkey mind to concentration and focus. This leads to a states of calm and clarity.
In a dramatic demonstration of how meditation affects the brain, researchers from the University of Oslo and the University of Sydney determined how the brain works during meditation. Notice the MRI image to left in DMN (wandering, unfocused mind) vs. the focused mind in meditation. The orange, yellow and green areas represent varying levels of brain activity and waves of intensity. The blue regions represent less activity and intensity (calm waves). Quite a demonstrative contrast! These images show how the meditative mind is calm and focused after just 10 minutes of meditation! Can you carve out just 10 minutes a day for more mindful performance at work and home?