Maria Gonzalez Blog
Mindful Leadership

Mindful Leadership in Action – Tip of the Week

Last week I talked about presence of mind and suggested a tip to enhance the ability to be present with others.

This week I would like to suggest being present with oneself.  This can often prove to be even tougher.  Have you ever noticed how we can make ourselves so busy that we lose touch with what we are experiencing?  In fact, very often, our reaction to not liking what we are experiencing or what we see in ourselves is to suppress, deny or distract. When we choose distraction we often choose busyness. This busyness can give us the illusion of accomplishing and it can give us, in some cases, a sense of self importance. Sometimes this is conscious and most often it is invisible to us – essentially an automatic response.

So you may wish to explore that.  A way to be more present with yourself is to stop and see what you are experiencing every time in the day when you feel rushed, pressed for time or out of control busy.  Just stop for a few seconds and notice.  What is going on?  There may be nothing going on, you may just have too much to do.  If that is the case take a moment to take a few deep breaths to connect you to yourself and then do what you need to do with a renewed sense of presence.

But there is another possibility. Look to see if you are feeling angry, sad, hurt, discouraged, anxious or fearful?  Once you discover what’s going on give it space.  Allow yourself to be with that experience, without judging it.  You will notice that by doing this you are allowing clarity to arise.  This will help you make better decisions rather acting upon what is being suppressed or denied.