Mindfulness Matters. – Lisa Martin
Oh there’s so much talk about ‘being in the present moment’ and ‘mindfulness’, but really what does it actually mean? Why does it really matter to people who are travelling at warp speed, with huge aspirations and weighty responsibilities?
It matters. Trust me.
[Tweet “Mindfulness isn’t just a lot of new-agey banter. It is the very stuff of life.”]
You know those people who look back on their lives and ache with regret about the blurry memories of their kids’ childhoods? They can recall a sizable list of achievements, but not the emotional highs that were supposed to accompany each one. They lacked mindfulness.
Soaking in the success of your life is about noticing the subtle moments of astounding joy that happen all the time…if you allow them to. These moments need breathing room. They deserve airtime.
When I think of mindfulness, I like to recall my client Natalie who attended a mindfulness session with me a few years ago. She was a powerful, no frills kind-of-woman who previously believed mindfulness was a lot of hot air.
The weekend following my session she found herself on an autumn stroll with her two adult daughters. They walked absentmindedly, chatting up a storm. Then – entirely out of character – Natalie said, “Let’s stop. Look around…drink this in.”
And they stopped. And for a few moments they quietly absorbed the vibrant, multi-color spectacle that is fall in Ontario cottage country. The colors were deep and bold. The trees were enormous – awe-inspiring. All if it had been there all along of course, but none of them had noticed it until Natalie said, ‘stop’.
That moment became a shared memory for Natalie and her daughters, and they still reminisce about the magic of that day. For Natalie it was a turning point. She understood that there were moments like this in her life all the time. But she needed to allow herself to stop and experience them.
If your mind is always moving a million miles a minute, there’s very little space to notice and drink in the moments of satisfaction and happiness that a successful life brings.
When you’re busy pursuing big goals, it’s easy to say – ‘Yeah, joy can come later.
[Tweet “But I want you to ask yourself, how many times a week do you experience pure joy?”]
If you keep postponing it, you might just live your whole life rarely experiencing it.
Leadership Development: Don’t speed past your happiness. It’s not worth it. Starting today, pay attention to the present moment. Feel it. See it. Hear it.
If you liked this blog post, you’ll love my book Lead + Live Advanced: 6 Practices to Master the Art of Thriving.
Lisa Martin has made it her mission to help companies keep and cultivate leaders. She’s the creator of the Lead + Live Better leadership programs, author of five books, including the bestselling Briefcase Moms, and she is a seasoned speaker, facilitator and executive coach.