Each interaction has the ability to influence others on a physical as well as energetic level. If you’re unsure about what this means, think of a time when someone’s words didn’t match their actions or you could sense that they weren’t being sincere. Maybe they were even flat out lying—maybe even doing it well—and you got this nagging feeling that they were being dishonest. This is how we communicate on at least two different levels each time we interact, and of course, it isn’t black and white; everyone’s energy and personality exists on a spectrum, so there is no way to categorize human beings in such simplistic black and white terms. However, we all have a balance of energies which we can maintain through mindfulness habits, and the better you become at mastering your own energy, the less trouble you will have when interacting with those you lead. Let’s take a look at some of the levels of communication and how they might be affecting your efficacy as a mindful leader.
Now, if you’ve ever spoken or interacted with someone who has a tendency to drain others by playing mind games, using manipulation tactics, or habitually being dishonest or withholding information, then you will understand that too much time around someone like this will take its toll on your energy. This is equally true for those you lead, and as a mindful leader, it is up to you to realize if you’re sending out ripples of this type of energy yourself.
The first step is always awareness, so if you find that you’ve behaved in ways that aren’t true to who you really are, it could be time to change the habits you rely upon in your everyday life. Do you belittle those you lead (e.g.: “I can’t believe you screwed this up. You had one job!”)? Tell different people different stories about an event to inspire arguments or drama between coworkers? Do you ever lie to those you lead or withhold information that would make their work easier? Even if you have seemingly legitimate reasons, none of this type of behavior—no matter how well-intentioned— inspires any trust in leadership, so anything like this can create conflict in the workplace, even if no one is aware exactly how or where this energy is coming from. As a mindful leader, it is your job to lead by example and make absolutely certain that you have your own behaviors in check.
Keeping your intentions and actions in alignment with your words can work wonders in building trust and rapport with everyone you lead. No matter the environment, even if it isn’t a workplace environment, trust is of the utmost importance, and you cannot build trust and solidarity with fear. It must be built with a foundation of love and cooperation, a focus on the win-win for everyone if at all possible.
Psst… here’s a little secret: a win-win is always possible. However, it may not be easy to discern if you’re not in the right mindset or energy, as this alters your perception. We see what we seek, so if all you expect are problems, then all you will see are problems.
The fact is that all human beings pick up on the energies of others to a certain extent. This is due to the electromagnetic field emanating from the heart of every human being, which extends out anywhere from 4-10 feet or more. Some people have wider energy fields than others do. However, this electromagnetic field is now being studied in conjunction with neuroscience because the heart also has its own brain cells and brain-type functions, so the implications of this from a practical standpoint are phenomenal.*
This energy field can be influenced by things in the environment as well as by your own mood and ability to maintain your frequency during your everyday experiences, including those that are less than pleasant. It’s all about gaining so much clarity and balance within your own being that it radiates outward and assists in comforting others, while also not allowing outside energies to influence your balance excessively. This is a constant, continuous, flowing process, the exchange of energy and the key is to understand that each individual is responsible for maintaining one’s own energy, both to help oneself as well as to help others.
Knowing this, we can begin to understand just how important it is to maintain a balance and stability within your own being as naturally as possible. This is an emotional and mental process first, but your physical body also plays a role and should be kept somewhat healthy in order to stay in balance.
But we already know that part, so let’s talk about some of the realizations you may have on your way to understanding how you might be affecting the world around you as well as other people, and how that could ripple outward to affect numerous other people. This is especially true with the dawn of the internet, where we can share and exchange either positive or negative information along with its corresponding energy, either to help the collective or (even if inadvertently) perpetuate fear energy within the collective.
Three Revelations for Creating Positive Ripples
- What you focus on grows. If you’re constantly focused on a problem, you cannot create space within your life or experience for the solution to present itself. The problem must be “released,” so to speak, on an emotional level, so that a solution can come forth as the opposite side of that coin. This duality is a law of the physical world, so while both things exist within our reality and one cannot exist without the other, the energies that exist within you work slightly differently because fear and love cannot exist within the same being at the same time (this is what influences how you react to things). Problems and associated emotions come from a place of fear because they typically create a need to control your external world. Solutions, however, stem from a place of love and a calm knowing that everything will work out exactly as it is supposed to. This letting go makes room within your perception to allow solutions to present themselves at precisely the times when you are ready to receive them.
When you approach any kind of problem with this deep, inner confidence, you will inspire anyone and everyone you lead on some level. You will find it easier to be nonreactive and completely clear-headed and focused, without a hint of anxiety or jumping to extremes to control the situation externally. Not only will you be communicating peace through your words and behaviors, but you will also exude that energy from your heart center and anyone who is in your proximity will likely calm down as well. This ability to comfort and solve problems at the same time will serve you extremely well as a mindful leader.
- You don’t know how you might affect others if you don’t pay attention. Even if you do, you may still not know how you affect others energetically all the time. However, when someone picks up on frustration and gets frustrated in return, it tends to escalate a bit before one or both individuals carry the interaction around with them throughout their day, sometimes even longer. They then take this frustration home, and it may affect the way this individual treats their family, in turn affecting the way the family interacts. Depending on how practiced they are at being emotionally and energetically balanced, this could translate into children acting out at school, which then spreads the negative interactions into more families, more workplaces, and so on. A ripple of fear-based energy.
On the other hand, if someone picks up on love, sincerity, acceptance, gratitude, peace, and other positive and unconditional energies, they will likely have an incredible day, and if they choose to, can then carry that energy around with them all day.
The unfortunate aspect of this is that people are much more likely to wallow in the negative experience than they are to bask in the positive because we are programmed and conditioned to think that if we don’t give our focus to all the bad stuff then we don’t care about it happening, and therefore it won’t ever stop. This is a conditioned belief and a manipulation tactic, because the truth of it is that if we focus our attention on the negative, it will get worse and worse, while if we acknowledge what’s happening but send it love and let it go, we don’t obsess over whatever it is and can more easily focus on something that’s better for us. Then, before we know it, the issue has faded into the background of our lives and is no longer a big concern for us. This allows us to focus on the thing we can control: ourselves, our own energy, and our own behavior. It’s important to be selective about what you give your energy to so that you don’t give it more power.
- Everything you send out will eventually make its way back to you. From an energetic standpoint, you are always sending out signals about what you want to attract by the way you feel. These feelings are seemingly “simple” to explain, but really getting the balance right is a bit more complex than that when it comes to manifesting on purpose. However, for the purposes of this piece, it’s so much easier to make it a general rule to be kind, assertive but loving, have strong boundaries, and treat others the way you would want to be treated in every situation you encounter than it is to constantly worry whether you are, in fact, doing the right thing because you aren’t feeling sincere about yourself or confident in your decisions.
This general kindness creates a highly positive and supportive work environment, making everything else so much more easily manageable. The biggest problem with leadership is if you create an environment of conflict and competition, everyone will fend for themselves and people typically won’t be interested in collaboration or cooperation because of the competitive energetic undertones. This type of environment is a breeding ground for developing bad habits, treating others badly, and even manipulating, lying, or taking other damaging measures in order to advance. This vibe in an environment also causes people to suppress their empathy, sensitivity, and caring, which in turn has massive effects on them, their personal lives, and anyone they come into contact with. Some people may not be able to handle a stressful or energetically draining or toxic environment long-term.
A positive environment encourages collaboration, understanding, patience, and independent thought, and this positive environment can be established by focusing on a win-win attitude rather than a competitive one. As simple as this sounds, it takes practice in every moment, especially if you’ve never been really self-aware before. That’s okay; practice is the best way to get there for everyone, and you can begin from exactly where you are.
As a final thought, trying to pretend to have it all together is much more difficult and filled with resistance and effort (exhausting!) than practicing mindfulness in each moment and daily meditation. These simple but profound inner habits will get you to a point where you don’t just look like you have it all together; you become an embodiment of peace, wisdom, and guidance to be sought out rather than “advice” to be pushed away or rebelled against. It all begins with you, mindful leaders, and as always, it begins from within.
Thanks so much for being here and reading our articles! We hope you’ll join us again next week for a new article on the ripple effect. For now, keep practicing and allow yourself to take notice of any positive effects you may be having during this process to help you realize its impact. This will help you to maintain your emotional balance even in challenging situations.
For more information about the Mindfulness Movement or the International Mindfulness Federation, please visit:
http://executivecoachinguniversity.com/mindfulness-movement
*More information about the heart and its influence on communication: https://www.heartmath.org/articles-of-the-heart/science-of-the-heart/the-energetic-heart-is-unfolding/
