Authenticity. Personal accountability. Honesty. Integrity. Openness. These are just some of the words that come to mind when we think of excellent and amazing leadership… and people. One of the most powerful ways of getting yourself and everyone on your team to a higher level of performance and productivity is by encouraging confidence, self-love, self-acceptance, reasonable risk-taking on projects, and non-judgment. Is there anything more liberating than being genuinely yourself and effortlessly succeeding? Of course not! Read on to learn ways to get there.
Being honest with yourself and teaching your team to do the same on an individual basis is a powerful tool for your company as well as for each of the individuals involved. You begin to take responsibility for your own behavior by taking notice of the little things like when you start getting irritated or annoyed. By taking notice when it first happens, allowing it to bubble up, and then letting it go, you can take responsibility for your emotions without letting them ruin your conversation… or your whole day, for that matter.
This takes practice! Don’t expect to be perfect at being mindful and don’t expect other people to fully understand what you’re going for right away, especially if they find themselves in a spirit of opposition or resistance. However, once you begin to improve your own behavior, the process takes on momentum and you get better and better at continuously improving. Those people who were full of resistance before will begin taking an interest and realizing exactly what you did if they begin the same practice.
Practical Mindfulness for Everyday Life
· Don’t lie to yourself. If you do, you may find it difficult to trust yourself in the future. This is not ideal because your instincts are a powerful tool that you should be using to your advantage.
· Let go of blaming others. You may find that it hurts quite a bit the first few times you admit to your own involvement in a scenario or circumstance that was traumatic or painful. However, once you let go of blame, the trauma holds less power.
· Pay attention. Pay attention to what others are doing, how they react, what you’re doing and saying, and how people seem to perceive you. To test any theories, you may ask a friend or three if they remember what their first impression of you was. No matter what, paying attention to what’s going on around you as well as within you will increase your awareness of everything.
· Meditate. This is a great way to begin practicing mindfulness subconsciously and creating a mindfulness habit.
· Take good care of yourself. It’s important to put good, healthy food into your body, get daily exercise, be in nature, and enjoy some sunshine. Strive to maintain a healthy mind, body, and soul.
Have you ever noticed that some people are vibrant, alive, open, and charismatic but with absolutely zero negative undertones? These are the types of people others tend to be fascinated by. They feel so alive, they thrive, they love what they do, they are easily excited and very enthusiastic….
How do they do it? By making a series of small decisions every single day that lead toward inner joy. That inner joy is then constantly, habitually replenished while also being constantly, habitually shared, a bright light of love shining brightly and touching everything around you. If it comes from within, nothing from outside can destroy it, either.
As always, continue leading mindfully, and I wish you joy, my friends!
For more information about the Mindfulness Movement and the International Mindfulness Federation, please visit:
http://www.mindfulnessfederation.org/
