Watch, read or listen and everywhere you hear of CEO’s and other senior leaders learning to meditate, become more “present” and “mindful”.
Cool, yet so not new.
Meditation, being “present” and “mindful” are as old as theology and philosophy.
For eons, they were the path to truly greater things. Happiness, success, inner peace.
Then cell phones, an accelerating world and relentless distraction arrived. Our relatively undisciplined minds did not know how to cope. People in huge percentages report being overwhelmed, unable to focus and relentlessly multitasking. In doing so, they have less of what they want, while spending more time trying to get it.
So, people looked for tried and proven techniques. Meditation, learning to be “present”, more “mindful” and aware of what is really going on in life.
In short, they are relearning how to be resilient.
At its core, to be resilient is to have mental strength & discipline. To be able to direct and control our minds, to force ourselves to stay “frosty” or at least not “lose it”.
Elite people have always had these traits. When performing at their very best the elite performers are 100% present, mindful of where they are, what they are doing and why. World caliber athletes, artists, competitors of all kinds.
They get there through a combination of specific attributes:
Clear goals they deeply want and will do what it takes to achieve
A solid work ethic, going the extra distance in time and effort
Relentless dedication to “start”, “get up”and “keep going”
Finally, they have an attribute we see in true masters. On the one hand they are amazing at their ability to pursue what they want. At the same time, they have a deeply held understanding of just how much potential they have yet to tap into and unleash.
Why are elite leaders learning ancient mind “management” skills? Because they and the world need these skills, now. People walking and driving obsessed with their phones. Employees unable to stay focused, even in short meetings. Relentless, excessive demands with no respite. Performance targets set and missed. Efforts to create a work culture people can connect to and no one seems to care.
Distraction, or more accurately stated, the inability of people to control their mind, is becoming as great a threat to the success of businesses as any other threat on the horizon.
Want to rise above the competition? Embrace resilience as the core of your business, not a program owned by the risk group. When you do it well, benefits costs, absenteeism, turnover and that feeling of being “overwhelmed” will decrease. Then, your team can better focus on growth, success and creating a workplace to be delighted to work with and for.
Stay healthy, get stronger, change your mind.
Best wishes,
Kirby