Why leaders practice mindfulness
People take up mindfulness for different reasons. It seems to be a big media buzzword at the moment so it’s natural to ask, ‘What does it mean and why are so many people interested in mindfulness practice?’
Mindfulness works for people in different ways, so we all tend to feel the benefits in a unique way and personal way, and very significantly are able to address deep felt human needs as to:
improve our emotional stability;
manage our stress levels more effectively;
have better and healthier connections with others;
be fully present and focused in what we’re doing and be able to recall why we’re doing it in the first place.
We all have daily challenges and tough times, but we all have the natural human capability to manage them effectively, it’s part of our survival instincts. Mindfulness is a natural enabler of greater awareness in our daily choices, so we overcome our challenges in a more healthy and productive way.
Mindfulness, a personal journey
We asked our Clients and our Coaches to share more about why and how they practice Mindfulness and the changes it has bought to their lives. Here are two of them for you:
Our Client
By my 31st birthday, I became aware that how I was pursuing my goals put me in a constant state of anxiety, stress, and disappointment, I was in a constant state of “fight or flight”.
My doctor recommended mindfulness to assist me in changing, noting that it would take time and dedication. Initially, the practice of mindfulness was another task to complete, but I began to notice the effects of training by the third week. The thoughts and emotions that were in disarray, became organized and translatable. I was able objectively assess my thought patterns; which ultimately led to addressing the “cycle” of negative thought patterns.
I continue to improve my ability to organize and articulate my thoughts and feelings, allowing for the dispassionate assessment of my emotions and a paradigm shift in how I assess my goals and their attainment.
Mindfulness is not a quick fix, rather a tool I use to recognize how I can maximize the enjoyment of my life. While every day isn’t perfect, mindfulness has better prepared me to identify, confront, and resolve issues that used to consume me.
The most exciting lesson was understanding the mind is a powerful engine. It needs structure to exercise, learn and progress. With the right care, anything is possible.
– Nicole D’Angelo, Director, Hong Kong –
Our Executive Coach
Mindfulness has had a big impact for me in three main areas:
More effective emotional regulation supports me in choosing constructive attitudes. This has been critical for me to deal with the day to day challenges of building my own business.
As a coach, I can bring mindfulness to my clients with great positive impact for them too.
As a more mindful parent, I believe I have more effective ways of engaging with my children!
I have a bit of a monkey mind: my head is always full of thoughts bouncing in from all directions so I find sustained mindful practice hard. One way I get round this is to perform regular “one minute” mindfulness practices throughout my day.
– Jeremy Stunt – Executive Coach and Facilitator, UK
As you can see, Mindfulness is a very personal and powerful journey and also not a quick fix, but with patience, continual practice we can train our minds to be more present, more aware of how we live our lives, be able to choose our distractions carefully and most importantly live a happy and fulfilled life we all deserve.