Maria Gonzalez Blog
Mindful Leadership

A Calm Mind Brings Inner Peace

As the holidays quickly approach calmness and inner peace take on greater importance.  We sometimes mistakenly think that some people are calm naturally and others are not, as if the ability to be calm is something that you are either born with or not.  This could not be further from the truth.  Certainly some people may appear to have a greater predisposition toward calmness.  But calmness, or relaxation, is completely trainable and available to anyone who wishes to attain it. And a leader with the ability to be calm regardless of circumstances and who can create calm at will is invaluable.

The benefits of Mindfulness have been widely researched and we know of the physical and mental health benefits of a regular meditation practice. By meditating regularly, you alter yourself physiologically and rewire your brain toward greater calmness and greater happiness.  That is very exciting, and for those of us who like to have some measure of control, it can be very reassuring and empowering.

It is worth repeating that I define a leader to be ANYONE who is in a position to influence another person in any given moment.  It can be for a very short period or a long period of time, and the influence can be in a small way or a big way.  It may be that someone has a formal leadership role and by virtue of that position they are a leader.  But by this definition, every one of us has an opportunity to be a leader many times a day.  And it is especially worth considering this as the holidays approach and stress is heightened for many people.  We all have more power to make a positive difference in any situation than we know.