Recently I was asked how I define Mindful. I had written a piece about it way back when and decided to revisit it...
Mindful….being present….living right now in this moment, not clouding it with what was or what might be. It’s being in tune with what’s happening and our place within that moment in time. It’s awareness at its best because it’s not clouded with judgment, expectations or assumptions. It just is. And because you’re totally present in that moment in time, you are free of the burdens of the past and the ‘what might be’ in the future. You can observe, accept, …..move on. And because you’re totally aware, leaving the emotional and intellectual baggage behind, you can be free to think of possibilities, have the mental space to create new ideas and grow within your life.
Being mindful, as a client described to me, was watching me be like a huge rock in the center of a fast moving river. The water is hitting it from all angles, but the rock remains calm, steadfast. Being mindful within a chaotic moment is a way for you to create mental space within which you can create, grow as an individual and be open to whatever it is that comes your way.
It gives you a balance between what is happening and what you’re doing within that event. There is no good, no bad, just the truth of the moment. It transcends you.
You are mindful when you no longer identify with emotion or feeling. You are no longer afraid, confident or outlandish. You are a person who is experiencing those feelings right then. You are not at one with them. You are more than each emotion. Mindfulness is a part of life, work, personal, all parts of your life. When you are open to all that is around you, you grow in leaps and bounds and learn without filters. And in experiencing each moment in time, you free yourself up to invent your future, one day at a time.
The first step is in eliminating the ‘whens’. I will be happy when….. I will be content when…… I will no longer be afraid when….. When emotions are conditional upon what might happen one day, you will not be truly alive in the present. That day in the future begins right now.
Thursday, August 07, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Wisest Advice Shared and Three Cents of my Own
“The single raindrop never feels responsible for the flood.” If you’re taking part in something bigger than yourself that has detrimental impact, whether spreading gossip or not stopping others from spreading it, or, not “getting involved” when you see something happen that is terrible, you are responsible whether or not you like it.
“Remember, you’re just a walk on part in everyone else’s play.” You might believe you’re the most important person in the world, or you might think your opinions are the ones that should be heard and followed, but you aren’t the end all and be all in anyone else’s life other than your own.
“Stop looking around for the right person and try to BE the right person.” You get back what you “are”.
“Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere.” (No more needs to be said on this one.)
A reputation takes years to build and only seconds to destroy. Don’t ever, EVER let anyone in any way negatively impact your reputation. You are your word.
By living, there’s a risk of dying. If you don’t risk then you’re not living. It’s an existence.
“Call your mom.” Hey, as a mom I love this one!
You can judge the character of a person by how they treat people in the service industry.
Being old and being a grown-up are two different things.
Our lives are short but the things we can do within that time are infinite. The thing is, the more you put things off for “another time” or “later” the less you’ll do, the less you’ll be.
Everyone in this world, no matter where they come from and what they do, knows something about life and living that you don’t know. Find out what that is.
Always keep your promises. If you can’t make them happen, then don’t promise in the first place. Broken promises beget broken trust.
What do you want your legacy to be?
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Who Do You Need to Know That You Don't Know?
In all my work with clients, whether in turbulent situations, corporate settings or in the lecture hall, I ask the same reality check questions "Who do you need to know that you don't know?" and "What do you need to know that you don't know?" You know what you know. You know many people, but do you know what they know? How often do you sit around the table when a long time friend comes out with something and you turn, dumbfounded, because they shared something you didn't know of them?
Successful leaders don't know it all; they know who their go-to people are for what they do need to know. The more expansive your network is, the more thought partners you have access to. The world isn't slowing down any time soon and we can't be expected to keep up to its pace. It's even more critical that leaders align with people outside their immediate realm so they have access to a breadth and depth of knowledge and experience they need in order to lead.
But how can we grow the leaders of the future? In most cases, the traditional education model will not prepare them for thinking on their feet, nor for how fast the world is evolving through innovation and technology. Therefore some of the fundamentals have to change. Years ago, I was driving with my son and talking about just that. What he said to me stays with me for this day which was, "The traditional education system is failing not because of bad teachers, bad kids or low standards but because the content is not interesting and the environment isn't stimulating, but the rest of the world is. The educational model as we know it has lost its relevance. People learn more in online communities. The physical environment is too structured and doesn't allow for individuality".
Well, that's being addressed, I'm happy to say. Enter TED-Ed, Lessons Worth Sharing. Users can take any educational video as well as a TED video and easily create a customized lesson with it. Now there are TED-ED clubs, school-based programs that supports students in discussing, pursuing and presenting their big ideas in the form of short TED-style talks. Many of my clients now invite their staff to share a favorite TED talk and then discuss why they shared it and what the learning was.
Today, I'm happy to say, I read a position paper from the British Columbia Ministry of Education on their Curriculum Transformation Plans where they state "The current curriculum has too many objectives to cover and with so many objectives it can in some ways restrict student learning. Moreover, its highly prescriptive nature puts it at odds with the vision of a more personalized learning experience. With the improved curriculum, students will have increased opportunities to gain the essential learning and life skills necessary to live and work successfully in a complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing world. Students will focus on acquiring skills to help them use knowledge critically and creatively, to solve problems ethically and collaboratively, and to make the decisions necessary to succeed in our increasingly globalized world."
This is exciting! It's time leaders enabled their people to learn, share, create strong thought partnerships and evolve all those around them. For parents and teachers, it's about helping the next wave of leaders-to-be learn, and integrate the learning every day and to use the outside world as the global classroom it can be. You want to have a sense of where your kids are heading in the future? Bring back those dinner table discussions around something that blew you away that day and ask them to share the same. Watch a TED talk with them and then discuss it. Invite them to embrace curiosity and inquiry. We will never know all we need to know which opens the door to global relationships, to percolate on and design what we need to build a strong future.
Successful leaders don't know it all; they know who their go-to people are for what they do need to know. The more expansive your network is, the more thought partners you have access to. The world isn't slowing down any time soon and we can't be expected to keep up to its pace. It's even more critical that leaders align with people outside their immediate realm so they have access to a breadth and depth of knowledge and experience they need in order to lead.
But how can we grow the leaders of the future? In most cases, the traditional education model will not prepare them for thinking on their feet, nor for how fast the world is evolving through innovation and technology. Therefore some of the fundamentals have to change. Years ago, I was driving with my son and talking about just that. What he said to me stays with me for this day which was, "The traditional education system is failing not because of bad teachers, bad kids or low standards but because the content is not interesting and the environment isn't stimulating, but the rest of the world is. The educational model as we know it has lost its relevance. People learn more in online communities. The physical environment is too structured and doesn't allow for individuality".
Well, that's being addressed, I'm happy to say. Enter TED-Ed, Lessons Worth Sharing. Users can take any educational video as well as a TED video and easily create a customized lesson with it. Now there are TED-ED clubs, school-based programs that supports students in discussing, pursuing and presenting their big ideas in the form of short TED-style talks. Many of my clients now invite their staff to share a favorite TED talk and then discuss why they shared it and what the learning was.
Today, I'm happy to say, I read a position paper from the British Columbia Ministry of Education on their Curriculum Transformation Plans where they state "The current curriculum has too many objectives to cover and with so many objectives it can in some ways restrict student learning. Moreover, its highly prescriptive nature puts it at odds with the vision of a more personalized learning experience. With the improved curriculum, students will have increased opportunities to gain the essential learning and life skills necessary to live and work successfully in a complex, interconnected, and rapidly changing world. Students will focus on acquiring skills to help them use knowledge critically and creatively, to solve problems ethically and collaboratively, and to make the decisions necessary to succeed in our increasingly globalized world."
This is exciting! It's time leaders enabled their people to learn, share, create strong thought partnerships and evolve all those around them. For parents and teachers, it's about helping the next wave of leaders-to-be learn, and integrate the learning every day and to use the outside world as the global classroom it can be. You want to have a sense of where your kids are heading in the future? Bring back those dinner table discussions around something that blew you away that day and ask them to share the same. Watch a TED talk with them and then discuss it. Invite them to embrace curiosity and inquiry. We will never know all we need to know which opens the door to global relationships, to percolate on and design what we need to build a strong future.
Tuesday, January 07, 2014
Disconnecting
This post brings a different slant to what I usually write. I'm all for connecting, networking, having global conversations and sharing my perspectives. I also usually write a new year's letter sharing all that happened in the past year with my intentions for the year to come. However this year I disconnected instead.
For a while I felt guilty about not writing my letter and then came to the conclusion that those people in my life, who are interested in my life, already know what I've been up to. So I disconnected. I didn't post on Facebook, barely looked at LinkedIn unless I got a direct email through there. I didn't respond to work emails and didn't do all the administrivia I usually do at the end of the year.
And you know what? The world was still there on January 2nd! What a concept!
This morning someone I greatly respect shared an article with me and I was mentally whooping and hollering "YES!" Someone else did that as well! It's an amazing post which I'll share with you called Logging Off by Kevin Conroy Smith. In my mind, he really does have 'A Better Perspective'. I am reminding myself why I used that phrase as my company identity. When I was naming my company and was going to call it "A New Perspective", a dear friend told me that sometimes the old ways are better. That conversation comes to mind more times than I can count.
Kevin's post brings it all full circle. In being so connected, we're disconnecting from life. So instead of posting everything I was doing, I just did it. Instead of sitting with my tablet or laptop, I shared life with my life partner. We puzzled, watched movies, went shopping, saw family and friends and cooked great meals. That is what connecting is all about.
Wishing you a year filled with connections, relationship, fulfillment and a better perspective on life.
For a while I felt guilty about not writing my letter and then came to the conclusion that those people in my life, who are interested in my life, already know what I've been up to. So I disconnected. I didn't post on Facebook, barely looked at LinkedIn unless I got a direct email through there. I didn't respond to work emails and didn't do all the administrivia I usually do at the end of the year.
And you know what? The world was still there on January 2nd! What a concept!
This morning someone I greatly respect shared an article with me and I was mentally whooping and hollering "YES!" Someone else did that as well! It's an amazing post which I'll share with you called Logging Off by Kevin Conroy Smith. In my mind, he really does have 'A Better Perspective'. I am reminding myself why I used that phrase as my company identity. When I was naming my company and was going to call it "A New Perspective", a dear friend told me that sometimes the old ways are better. That conversation comes to mind more times than I can count.
Kevin's post brings it all full circle. In being so connected, we're disconnecting from life. So instead of posting everything I was doing, I just did it. Instead of sitting with my tablet or laptop, I shared life with my life partner. We puzzled, watched movies, went shopping, saw family and friends and cooked great meals. That is what connecting is all about.
Wishing you a year filled with connections, relationship, fulfillment and a better perspective on life.
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