Mindfulness

My word of the season is mindfulness. What a wonderful word – to really be there wherever we are or whatever we are doing. I just read an article, in Mindful magazine, where the Police Service in Portland, Oregon are training some of their police officers in mindfulness techniques to deal with stress, be more focused on the job, and connect more meaningfully with the people they serve. What would that mean for each of us every day? What would happen if we gave 100% attention to the next employee who walks into our office, to our child when she gets home from school, to our spouse, partner or friend? Multitasking, so popular for the past few years is on the way out. Researchers report multitasking can result in up to a 40% drop in productivity. It has been proven we can only truly focus on one thing at a time.

Start to practice today. You do not have to sit like a yogi, cross legged on a mat to practice mindfulness. You can practice by going for a walk, enjoying the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, writing that report like it was the only thing in the world you had to do, listening to a colleague like it was the most important story in the world. What might be the impact on you, on them? Start by making a conscious effort to do this several times each day. What might help you do this?