How Mindfulness Removes Obstacles at Work
One of my colleagues recently shared an interesting article on the topic of mindfulness. It got me thinking about how important this practice can be for advisors — not only on an individual level (meditation is proven to relieve stress and anxiety), but also in the work we do with our teams.
The piece mentions two of my favorite mindset traditions:
1. Reframing
Rather than focusing on the things that didn’t go right, think about what went well and what you can learn from the disappointment. This has been a staple at Strategic Coach: the Positive Focus.
Start your team and client meetings with this practice and end your day with it, too. Start planning next week after writing down three good things about last week. You’ll often find an important strategic objective by forcing yourself to do this reflection, nevermind simply feeling better about yourself!
2. Thought Recognition
When we experience friction in a relationship, we often tell ourselves stories about the other person‘s intentions — what they’re thinking, and what they’re feeling — which may have little or nothing to do with reality. These stories create emotions that then drive our behavior.
This is a staple of VitalSmarts' Crucial Conversations: Master Your Stories. Think about your emotions. Are you making yourself the victim, or have you made the other person a villain? Consider alternative realities; get to the facts. Heck, go have a conversation and find out what the real story is! Here's my cheat sheet for the book, by the way.
We spend one-third of our lives at work. Taking the time to invest in our psychological well-being and personal relationships with our colleagues is essential to getting true fulfillment out of our jobs, and ensuring our clients see our very best selves. With the advent of apps like Headspace, and with more firms focusing on mental well-being as part of the total employee experience, there's never been a better time to give mindfulness a try.
Have you experimented with mindfulness at home or at your firm? Have you seen results? Let me know in the comments below!
