Mindfulness is fast becoming a buzzword. Long the bastion of the new agers, it is showing up in everything from the Wall Street Journal to the World Economic Forum. Mindfulness has been championed as a methodology for present moment awareness. Awareness that is neither judgmental nor critical… but simply aware. There is a growing body of evidence that mindfulness lowers stress, combats fatigue, helps address substance-abuse, eating problems, sleep problems, pain and weight problems as well. Bottom line is it can be an antidote either in part or in whole to a wide range of maladies. Mindfulness has an upside to it as well. Many of my most creative and innovative thoughts have come when I’ve rested in the silence of mindfulness. In a sense, the space between the thoughts.
Mindfulness can be practiced in many ways. One of the more traditional ones is meditation. So is yoga, walking, lying down, breathing and other activities. Mindfulness is less about what you are doing than it is who you are in that moment. Hospitals, corporations, wellness programs and coaches are all expanding the use of mindfulness as a valuable practice.
Much of mindfulness has to do with our intention in the moment. It’s very hard to be mindful when you’re running 75 MPH or trying to control a situation. In fact, they are opposites. Mindfulness is about “being” with the situation. If your intention into going into a meeting is to see how much money that prospect can make you then all they will be is a tool in your financial story. However, if your intention when going into a meeting is how can you be of service to another human being the outcomes can be profitable at a whole other level.
If you go to an executive meeting with the intent to see how see how much budget you can get for your team you’ll have a different outcome than if you go into the meeting with the intention to do what is in the best interest the company and its customers.
If I was in HR I would begin to familiarize myself with mindfulness practice, if you haven’t already. I encourage you to use it for yourself first so that you can fully understand its benefits. Then you can champion it to others with integrity. Here are number of resources where you can get additional information about mindfulness:
- The Institute of Noetic Sciences http://noetic.org/
- Mindfulness Magazine www.mindful.org
- Be Here Now by Ram Dass
- The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
- The Five Keys to Mindful Communication by Susan Gillis Chapman
- Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life by Thich Nhat Hanh
A final note: mindfulness is not about crystals and New Age foofooness. In fact, it’s been practiced for centuries worldwide. While it might not all have always been labeled as being “mindful” its benefits have been enjoyed by millions.
