I love that mindfulness has become a bigger thing. I'm basing this on my very unscientific observation that when my mediation practice comes up in conversation, people don't look at me funny. When I suggest that my coaching clients should use mindfulness techniques to improve sales and business performance, they don't think it's an "out there" idea. And many people are excited to share their favorite meditation apps with you. I'm still not sure if it's totally mainstream. But the tools of mindfulness, things like meditation, journaling, or gratitude lists, are becoming much more common in conversation. This is important because … [Read more...]
How to Avoid Adding More Anxiety than Absolutely Necessary
Anxiety is a bitch. And it's amazing how much of it we create for, in, and by ourselves. I was thinking about this because as I'm about to become a new father I'm getting asked two questions a lot: Are you ready? Are you nervous? And the answer to both of those questions is "no". Stop Creating Stress Now, believe me, I'm trying like heck to get ready. I'm actually writing this in my home office/half-set-up-nursery. And yes, I definitely have moments where I dive down the rabbit-hole of what-ifs and hypotheticals. But I also hear from a lot of people that you can't really be ready for parenthood until you're thrust into … [Read more...]
I Meditate Because I Suck at It
Somewhere down the line I’ve developed the reputation among some people as that Zen guy. That's sometimes said while they extend their hands with their finger and thumb touching. They might even add an ohhmmm sound for effect. It’s seems to describe for people someone who meditates and tries to be, as the comedian Eddie Izzard would say, relaxed and groovy. And that's hilarious because my mind rarely feels very Zen-like. My Monkey Mind is Hyper-Active In Buddhist circles, they often talk about the monkey mind. It describes the fact that your mind jumps frenetically from topic to topic like a monkey in a tree. A lot of days, I … [Read more...]