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...]
Why Mindfulness in Sales Will Make You Happier and More Effective
When people think of "mindfulness" their minds are often filled with images of monks calmly meditating in a lotus position next to a flowing stream. They rarely connect mindfulness with salespeople prospecting on the phone or delivering a sales presentation. But I'm going to suggest that salespeople can get a lot out of mindfulness tools. It can help them improve both their personal satisfaction and professional success. It can help them focus. And yes, it can help them sell more. Let's look at why mindfulness can be a powerful path for salespeople and how they can start walking it. The Mindfulness Trend in Business Mindfulness … [Read more...]
When You Get There, There You Are
“I think I would really like his life.” That was a statement made by my wife last year while watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. It's one that I could echo. And it was an understandable sentiment. It seemed like a pretty good life. Travel around the world, go to interesting places, eat delicious food, spend time with fascinating people. Even his demeanor seemed well earned: grizzled and patient, with the self-awareness of someone who had a tough life and made it through. But as is often the case, we didn’t know the whole story. And one of the people who didn’t want his life... was Anthony himself. "Over … [Read more...]
The Drums Were Only Part of the Lesson
I tell people that I'm a self-taught drummer, but that's not quite true. When I was twelve I had about 3 "lessons" from my Uncle Tommy, who was a wicked good drummer. He was my mom's brother and like all of her siblings (9 of them), he had played in drum corps growing up. Even as an adult, he continued to play in marching bands and he was fast, precise, and tight. All great things for a drummer. He stood me and two of my cousins at a 2x4 balanced on kitchen chairs, and he taught us how to hold a stick, how to count time, and what a paradiddle is. We only met a few times before the busyness of life discontinued our lessons, but it must … [Read more...]
A Mathematical Argument for Mindfulness
Human beings are wired to notice novelty. It's a really helpful trait to develop - it helped our ancestors become aware of changes in their environment and the people around them. That's useful when you notice things that might indicate threats, like the quiet that meant a tiger was stalking us by the watering hole. Mindfulness or Novelty? These days, though, with few threats to our daily lives (beyond the existential), our devotion to novelty finds itself without something to attach to. So we constantly buy new clothes, go to new restaurants, and even look for new partners. It also pushes us to look for our happiness in the "next" big … [Read more...]
Mind the Mind
One of the Best Time Management Tools I’ve Found
I recently visited the Zen Garden at the Chicago Botanic Gardens, and found it a profoundly calming experience. Like many of us, I find myself bouncing around from activity to activity during the day. My mind is usually even more frantic as it works on what I need to do in the future and what I've done in the past. And, oh yeah, tries to pay attention to what I'm doing right now. For a few moments I was surrounded by the quiet in the Zen Garden. I could almost feel the cogs in my mind slowing down. My breathing became deeper and more relaxed. I was peaceful and felt a sense of clarity that is often elusive. When You Are Busy... … [Read more...]