Training the Mind. A practical approach to achieving happiness in life and at work

Training the Mind. A practical approach to achieving happiness in life and at work
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Scattered thoughts, anger, hatred, envy, are all feelings that drive individuals to severe emotional distress.

These negative emotions are for the most part generated by a confused mind and cognitive processes that are based on a wrong perception of the reality around us.

We all come to this life pure and with a hearth filled with love and joy. Then overtime, trapped in our daily life, we lose our natural empathy, changing the way we look at things.

The core values such as love and compassion are still there, but the ongoing exposure to a society that judges the success of the individual mainly based upon the ability of achieving financial goals, distances us from what is most important.

Before I move forward, I want to make clear that I'm not trying to offer a spiritual view of the topic. The reason I'm making a connection to these core values is because whatever we may believe, or whatever context in which we live or work, we are still human beings. No matter how successful we are, how much money we make, or the power we have: if we lose the connection with who we really are and with reality, we can get in big trouble. It is just a matter of time.

In several articles I focused on what I believe to be the biggest problems in today's society and business, which is the fact that we almost all act based upon an individualistic, self-centered approach, and that this generates a culture where people purely act based on an "I win - You lose" mentality, where bosses squeeze people lives to their limit, and employees are constantly competing with each other. The outcome of this behavior in a business ecosystem is an unbearable amount of stress that is the main cause of illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and burnout.

This from a business perspective translates into an organization that is left without energy, where people don't perform, fight, and eventually leave. Of course all this has an impact on the company bottom line as well. "Corporate health insurance premiums in the United States shot up by 11.2% in 2004--quadruple the rate of inflation--according to survey figures from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Today, the American Institute of Stress reports, roughly 60% of doctor visits stem from stress-related complaints and illnesses: In total, American businesses lose $300 billion annually to lowered productivity, absenteeism, health-care, and related costs stemming from stress"https://hbr.org/2005/11/are-you-working-too-hard.

In my article "Building a Sustainable World Ecosystem", I tried to answer the following questions: "How can we create true awareness and mindfulness about this and what is the solution to it?"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/federico-foli/building-a-sustainable-wo_b_9195048.html.

The overall idea behind the article was that the answer to a more sustainable and a balanced business ecosystem, comes from our ability to give up an individualistic approach and make efforts to achieve the results through a healthy cooperation with all the people who are part of the same environment. So, cooperation is the organizing principle of a sustainable ecological, political, economical, cultural ecosystem.

The methodology that I proposed was an integration of the sacred and the secular. A combination of Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism , ecology and mindfulness. The first explains that we are all part of the same ecosystem (the abandonment of the concept of self). The second clarifies the meaning and foundation of sustainability. Mindfulness is the daily process to achieving all three.

Where do we go from here? What is the foundation of the change we need to undertake to reconnect with our human core values, that allows us to go back to a mindful, stable and happier life?

From my Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism practice, for me the answer has to be found in what we call Training the Mind. This is a key part of the practice that requires a lot of dedication and studies. This practice refers to the Eight Verses of Training the Mind by Geshe Lang-ri Tang pa.

I never enter into the religious or technical aspects of it when I bring it into my interactions with other people in business, because what I personally developed is mainly a practical way of being, based on the core concepts and steps of the practice, adapted to the needs of a secular environment.

What I invite people to do is to wake up early in the morning, or find a quiet place during or late in the day, follow a few simple steps and contemplate on the meaning of each of these steps.

Once we become familiar with the process and the meaning of its key concepts, the next step is to start to apply it during our daily activities. Whenever for instance we are part of a business discussion and we perceive a lot of tension and / or when we are put in a difficult position by a peer or a manager above us.

Let's go through the steps:

Always act and think caring about the welfare of all sentient beings. Think and pray for the happiness and wellbeing of all. Your family members, your colleagues, the people reporting to you, your clients. I personally extend it also to Mother Nature, the planet, plants and animals.

Act and think with humility. Whenever you interact with others think of yourself as the lowest among them. No matter how knowledgeable you are, listen first. Always think as if you can learn at any time from anyone, no matter their social and business status and their level of education.

In every moment be mindful and recognize when negative emotions arise. Have the courage to face them and make the efforts to avoid overreacting.

Develop care for other less fortunate people as if you have found a precious treasure.

When treated badly by other people, make the effort to consider the situations as a learning opportunity. Allow these people to become your spiritual guide, helping you to grow and become a more compassionate person.

Help everybody and share in others' suffering, understanding all phenomena as illusion, and releasing yourself from attachment.

Sticking to this practice, processing and absorbing the key concepts of it, makes you feel more at ease with the environment around you. You will start to slowly understand that we are all part of the same ecosystem, that is not me against you, and that no matter the situation, there is nothing to be taken personally.

This practice teaches us to be more compassionate with the people around us, allowing us to see that we are all the same, and that whenever other individuals act aggressively against us they do it because of their own suffering. We should be grateful for their behavior because they help us understand the real issue behind it, and that engaging on negative actions brings in only more suffering.

This exercise is a beautiful opportunity to transform our mind in a positive way, develop acceptance, and become more compassionate. With practice and patience we can help create a positive change for us and the people around us.

One thing that I do and that I recommend is to explain it, and engage in a different way, based on the type of person or audience you have in front of you.

This is for me the ultimate meaning of happiness. Live in harmony and be content with what we have no matter where we are and what the problem we are facing, in every moment of our life.

Federico Foli©

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