Mindfulness grows as you practice in little bits each day. Just like a bodybuilder doesn’t become lean and muscular in one session, a mindful leader must continue to work on the seven practices we’re introducing in this series. This week, as you keep practicing your centering breath and beliefs work, we will add a new practice: intention.
Intention is becoming clear about what you plan to have happen. I like to think of it as where your head goals meet your heart of action. For example, I intend for this experience to be educational and fun—intention adds a feeling to your goal. We live in a feeling universe, but all too often our human experience does not embrace those feelings. Mindful leaders choosing to live mindful lives make time to set powerful intentions, feelings for the life they want to live. They do this one day, one experience at a time. It’s even more critical we do this as we face the business, often mindlessness of the holiday season.
Week 3 Mini-PracticeAs you look forward to the upcomming holiday season, pick one event and ask yourself, what is the intention for this? How do you want to show up energetically to that event? Office parties can be a good one to try? Maybe the holiday meal? What do you want to have happen or to feel as a result of the experience? What do you intend for this holiday season? The words above can help you get started.
The practice of setting intentions will help you align your needs with your feelings and to those of the universe around you. And you may be surprised how often you get what you intend.
AFFIRMATION: I intend to experience ease in all I do this holiday season. I release stress and receive mindfulness. Mindfulness matters,HD
Holly Duckworth, CAE, CMP, LSP, is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and coach for mindful leadership. I work with stressed-out leaders to create profits, peace, and presence.
She is the C-Suite Network Mindful Leadership Council Founder & Advisor, 2016 Smart Meetings Woman of the Year - Mindful Innovation and the author of Ctrl+Alt+Believe: Reboot Your Association For Success, Holly is a contributor to the New York Times, she is a regular columnist for MeetingsNet/IdeaExchange, and has a column on the future of business for Science of Mind magazine. www.hollyduckworth.com