Do you ever find yourself needing that break in the day? Or wanting to take that long weekend away and for a number of reasons don’t find a chance to do that. Here’s a 5 minute getaway that will give you the peace of mind of being on vacation – even if it’s just for five minutes.
The benefits of regular mediation are endless. It can come in these short burst, too. You don’t need to set aside 30-minutes everyday to practice – but, what if you could? Here are three other ways to get that relaxation and benefit from meditation in your day:
Close your eyes for 30 seconds. This allows you brain to release the stimulus overload we take in visually. Better yet, close your eyes and cup your hands over them. Then release after a short break.
Use a Mindfulness Bell. It can be a Tibetan Singing bowl, meditation chimes, or a website. The Washington Mindfulness Community has this page where you can activate a bell when you need the pull to presence.
Office Yoga. Get a brief stretch with these simple Yoga techniques you can do at your desk. Opening up your chest and shoulders at work will take away some of the stress you carry at work.
Do what you can to bring a little vacation to each day.
Today I was coaching a client and asked the question, “What’s the story you are telling yourself about that relationship?”
The Story. Yep, the story.
I’ve been to a number of different personal development sessions where this concept comes out – Landmark Education, Coaching Certification, and the book Language and the pursuit of happiness. This concept of story is something very powerful when you can just stand with it. Live with it. Own it. And then get to choose – how is it serving me?
Think about that relationship in your life where you might benefit from a deeper connection. Maybe it’s your brother, you boss or barista at your favorite coffee shop. What’s the story you have about that relationship?
Once you’ve become aware of the story that you have – get yourself clear about what it truly is. What if the story was written a different way? (your brain might shift to autopilot and convince yourself it’s can’t possibly be another way than it currently is today, or it’s not possible to change – because they aren’t going to change!) As a coach, I’m not really interesting in spending the time and energy around why it can’t change – I’m interested in “if you want the story to change, what can you do to rewrite it?” Here’s how:
Create the story you want to live in. What is the story that would make you jump for joy, throw your hands up, pee your pants because – holy crap, I never knew it could be that good. Describe that story. Write it down. What is the story you want to create?
If you got to live in that story – what would be different for you? What does this story sound like? look like? smell like? What does this story evoke in your heart, head and soul? (write down a few notes about this)
And if you had that, what would you have? It might be a fuller relationships, a sense of letting go, peace, harmony…what else might it be for you?
Move to action to live in this story. Identify 25 things YOU will do to show up in a way that lives this new story. (BTW this list is about you, not the other person)
Doing this simple exercise to repair, renew, revive a relationship in your life might have a profound impact. I don’t know if it ends happily ever after. I just know today might be uniquely different from days in the story of the past.
What’s it worth to you to see how you can rewrite the stories of your life - or better yet, what are you risking if you don’t?
It was in the elevator at work today that I heard a colleague say “Isn’t it a great day out today?” I’ve spent the last number of years in MN so I eagerly nodded and said, “Yes, it’s amazing what the bright sun and crisp glare of fresh snow can have on a day.” That, and we both loved that it was 35 degrees today. Yes, 35 degrees (F)!
Why is it, if you are reading this in sunny SoCal, you must think we have lost our minds.
Or, if this was June, and all things being the same: 35 degrees, sunny with fresh dusting of snow – I’d sound like a loon.
It’s all a matter of perspective – we simply got too comfortable in the deep freeze. And it wasn’t until we could thaw out that we could shift our perspective and see something from a different point of view.
Want to add some new ideas, new way of looking at things – shift your perspective.
Ask yourself these questions to glimpse into a new perspective:
What would someone from Minnesota say about that?
How might Olympic Gold Medalist Lindsey Vohn approach it? (also from MN)
What might the courageous you say to this?
How might (insert anyone other than yourself) do in this situation?
and let their perspective shape yours. Who’s perspective would you like to learn from?
Do you ever pay attention to how you are listening? More importantly, what are you listening for?
I typically start my workshops off with some sort of goal setting by the participants. I’ll ask individuals to set a goal they have for themselves as a result of attending the session. My intention is to have them answer the dreaded what’s in it for me question.
I have the participants write this down on a 3×5 card or a giant post-it. Something they can keep in front of them during our time together. After they have completed this, I then follow it up with these simple instructions:
“Now, listen for this as the content of the workshop starts to unfold.”
This simple instruction can create a filter, a perspective, a point of view in which to hear everything from. It’s the easiest – and quickest – way for me to get learning to stick for individuals and tie back into the goal they have created for themselves.
When we start to LISTEN FOR something, we start to make connections. We also start to be engaged as learners. As learners we start creating meaning for the content that is being shared. It’s when learners can create context and relationship where real change in performance can occur.
It was in the elevator at work today that I heard a colleague say “Isn’t it a great day out today?” I’ve spent the last number of years in MN so I eagerly nodded and said, “Yes, it’s amazing what the bright sun and crisp glare of fresh snow can have on a day.” That, and we both loved that it was 35 degrees today. Yes, 35 degrees (F)!
Do you ever pay attention to how you are listening? More importantly, what are you listening for?