If we lose our ability to think logically, we become slaves to our monkey mind.
The results are in. Far from being hippy rhetoric, mindfulness and meditation can rewire how the brain responds to stress and develop our emotional intelligence. It also improves working memory, the ability to maintain attention on multiple stimuli and increase executive function. Recent research also suggests that it is good for our immune system and improves our sleep. It’s the ultimate brain hack.
If you’re not quite convinced, emotionally engaged employees are highly productive and tend to stay at their workplaces. More than 1000 employees at Google have been through Inside Yourself Training. They have Neural Self-Hacking classes, mindful lunches and labyrinths for walking meditation. This was an initiative established by Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh in 2011.
While this may all seem like another Silicon Valley inspired trend, buddhists have been teaching us for centuries that we are all connected. Rather than being another marketing campaign for Facebook, you could consider it open source mindfulness.
The whole point of mindfulness is conscious observation of your environment. When you are in this heightened state of awareness, you are in the present. This might be something you need to consider before your next board meeting.
We can be under the illusion that we can control things and people around us. Our desired goal of stability is an illusion.
If people do their own thing in a rebellious way, it will result in chaos. If everyone is working together, fully engaged in the present, it culminates in a coordinated success.
When you are present, it is easier to pay attention, be more creative and take advantage of opportunities as they arise. If you are internally obsessing over something that was said to you last week, you are not able to be resourceful in the moment.
Stress is not a function of events. It’s the way you choose to experience them and your resulting judgement. Mindfulness helps you to realise that there are no positive or negative outcomes. When you are emotionally removed from an issue, you gain the benefit of perspective.
In a complex and uncertain economic climate, it makes sense to navigate the chaos using mindfulness. Hardening your resolve in the face of perceived adversity closes your mind to other opportunities.
If everyone could read your mind, would you take more responsibility for your thoughts? Life is just a string of moments and you can choose to be mindful or mindless. So make the moment matter.
If you would like to explore the concept of mindfulness, please contact us on +61 2 9661 5667 or info@leadershipnouveau.com.au