Our brains are overflowing with information, well beyond capacity. Tidal waves of details hit us from every angle: instant access to everything; emails and social media updates that pour out every nanosecond; the pressure to be MORE, do MORE, juggle MORE; rushing, moving, reacting, it just never ends. We trick ourselves into believing that we haven’t lost touch but in truth, we have. We’ve allowed ourselves to become robots, moving from one “thing” to the next “thing”. And to cope with it all, any number of ways exist to tune out the endless noise.
When was the last time you spent an entire day alone, free from all distractions, for the sole purpose of re-anchoring your sense of self?
When was the last time you truly felt centered and grounded, totally free from the rat race?
Achieving and sustaining balance in life is not born of skills alone nor is it a goal or an accomplishment to be achieved. You cannot “create” balance in and of itself. Living in balance is a philosophy, a way of life, a discipline and practice that gets stronger the more you embrace its rituals and truths. Kinda deep. Kinda hard to understand. But nonetheless true. We achieve greater levels of balance over time. As we grow as human souls, as we learn to cherish more and more the “here and now”, the gifts of the moment, our sense of balance, deepens – grows – expands just a little more.
To be in harmony with life, with its many ups and downs, is to learn mindfulness. To be mindful is to be fully aware and present, no future, no past, just the moment regardless of what that might look like, free of judgement, detached but connected. Much easier said then done! Just this weekend someone really triggered me, ticking me off big time. It was such a minor thing, so minor that I didn’t see it coming. That’s usually what happens, I’m caught off guard and in that state, my shadow sides are more likely to appear. The result? I forgot everything I know to be true and just reacted, primal and base, I lashed out. And so here I am, teaching balance in the hope that I, along with you, will grow stronger in this area. Practice not perfection, my friend.
Growing Your Mindfulness Practice
• React less, effectively respond- more. Its a process and that’s ok.
• Detach from strong emotions in order to get some perspective. Reactions are fueled by strong emotions, wherein wisdom is born from a place of calm insight.
• Cherish being effective over being right- always.
• At any cost, schedule, protect and fully utilize at least three (15) minute mini-vacations per week, wherein you completely remove yourself from the rat race, doing mindfulness exercises to strengthen those skills. With time, you will learn to completely remove yourself from the chaos, existing in pure, fully present moments of clarity and calm. If you truly do this, within 30-45 days your productivity and your overall sense of wellbeing will soar.
• Learn to “let go” on a regular basis, even on the big stuff. The ability to “let go” is the ability to say, “I will no longer give this situation and/or person any power over me. I am calm and I am free.”
• Get in the habit of regularly scheduled “mulligans” or “do overs” for your life. Essentially, you take a few hours, sometimes a whole day, to regroup from a very calm, mindful place that is free from all distractions. This technique pays off HUGE!!! When the rat race is the most intense and your response is, “DO OVER!!”, claiming that time, your whole life will change.
Several blog posts that I have already written will greatly enhance these concepts. Please read the following articles to further strengthen you mindfulness skills:
http://rogue-sage.com/blog/mountain-top-time
http://rogue-sage.com/blog/leadership-bobisms-being-effective-vs-being-right
Perhaps your reaction to this post is that I’m pushing a specific spiritual tradition on you. Nothing could be further from the truth, these teachings apply to all people of all faiths. Perhaps you don’t see the business relevance, why in the hell should you care about being mindful, right? Mindful, wise leaders have changed the course of human history on more levels then I could ever document. To manage is common. To wisely lead is both noble and rare. Which do you want to be, common with a common career, or wise beyond your years, destined to leave a legacy? Life is choices.
Food For Thought-
Bob Olmstead
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