What would it be like to feel at your best at work? To feel focused and grounded, to communicate with clarity and calm, to feel connected to each other, have a sense of purpose, and be aligned in what you say and do. Imagine.
In a recent talk at a company, staff agreed that work pressure made them feel scattered, frustrated, tired, and less effective than they could be. They recognized the importance of slowing down and resting the fast-thinking brain so they could give their best at work.
We practiced some mindfulness exercises to shift the mind in low gear. Counting life’s positive things on each of your fingers helps to tap into a lighter way of being. Focused breathing is calming and grounding. Mindful eating opens up the senses to the rich textures and flavors of food. Coloring and doodling are channels to self-expression and creative thinking. Body awareness and movement help the heart, mind and body to get unstuck. Changing a daily routine brings a new perspective.
A mindfulness culture can help shift an organization from automatic pilot to business unusual. A culture that balances doing with being, that stimulates deadlines and blue-sky thinking, and that embraces business meetings and meditation.
Call me a dreamer. I know it exists. I see it in my mind’s eye, an office where the meeting rules say: “be here, aware of the present moment, pay attention, wake up from automatic pilot, you are perfect as you are”.