One aspect of mindful success is your ability to be stubborn enough to persist in your pursuits but flexible enough to make adjustments along the way. There are many different paths to take, and the journey you wind up taking is unique and tailored specifically to you and your life. Every step along the way is meant to teach you something or further your progress in some way, even if it feels like you’re moving backwards initially. The key takeaway from these experiences? You are exactly where you need to be right now, and the only time you can take action is always right now.
The speed at which everything moves is constantly changing and getting faster with the development of new technologies and the improvement upon old technologies. With this kind of constant change happening in the business, technology, and online worlds, it’s unwise to plan too rigidly but it’s also unwise not to plan at all. How do you develop the kind of flexibility that’s best for the marketplace and the industry you’re working in while staying on course to your bigger goals?
Five Mindful Flexibility Hacks
1. Do what you can to avoid being stressed. This doesn’t mean you should avoid doing things that stress you out; rather, look at the stress you feel differently. Instead of worrying about the future or feeling bad about the past (which is essentially what stress is), focus on this present moment and what you can do right now to further your progress. If you’re exhausted, take a break and go back to it in 30 minutes or tomorrow, but stick with that decision no matter what.
2. Accept what is. Acceptance is a powerful tool for handling whatever life may throw at you. The faster you can get to a point of acceptance, the easier life becomes and the less stressed out you feel. Getting to this point is a little different for everyone, so take some time to tap into your feelings of acceptance and remember how you got there so that you can train yourself to get there faster.
3. Tap into and use all three characteristics of mindfulness: intention, attention, and attitude. Intend to be present, then focus your attention on what is going on right now. Take note of your thoughts, feelings, and what is happening or what you’re doing. Lastly, these steps will help you to have a mindful attitude consisting of patience, acceptance, nonjudgment, openness, and non-reaction.
4. Practice mindfulness while doing everyday things. For example, you can turn eating or drinking something into a mindfulness exercise by focusing on each aspect of what you’re consuming. Pay attention to the smell, sound, taste, texture, and how your body feels while you’re eating or drinking something you enjoy. You can also do this with chores that tend to be mindless such as dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming, or shampooing the carpets. Technically I suppose this could be considered a type of multitasking, but the key difference is that your mind is free to focus and/or fly as you’re getting these tasks done.
5. If you’re still having trouble, try a guided mindfulness meditation. There are a number of these types of meditations available on YouTube as well as on various mindfulness websites for free, so there’s no investment required from you. The only thing required of you is to be in the here and now and to breathe. Just be.
Mindfulness serves multiple purposes, one of them being that you will develop acceptance and flexibility almost automatically. The process of developing this attitude in and of itself will help you in many areas of your life, so why not start today? Everybody’s life should be easier, not more difficult. Life is meant to be enjoyed and lived, not dreaded and struggled through. With that in mind, why would anyone not want to start mindfulness exercises immediately?
For more information about mindfulness, the Mindfulness Movement, and the International Mindfulness Federation, check out our Mindfulness Resources page and enjoy the process of learning more about being mindful and how it can help you improve your life.
http://www.executivecoachinguniversity.com/mindfulness-movement
