The concept of mindfulness is gaining traction and recognition in the business world as a practice that can help reduce anxiety, organize thoughts, and manage stress. Can you imagine how this might help us get through our days during this pandemic? Can you imagine how remaining focused and present can help our relationships thrive, both at work and at home? Can you imagine embracing this moment of uncertainty, relaxing into it and accepting the moment as is, without judgment?
According to Jon Kabat-Zinn in his best-selling book “Full Catastrophe Living,” there are seven main attitudes that we should bring to our mindfulness practice. They should be cultivated consciously when we practice, as they will be the soil in which we effectively bring awareness to our moment to moment experience. When we can incorporate these attitudes into our daily routine, they will help our mindfulness practice grow and flourish.
One of the attitudes of mindfulness is patience. Patience is required daily in the workplace and these days, as many of us are working from home, patience is sometimes required moment by moment as we struggle to create boundaries between work and home.
When we practice the attitude of patience during these unprecedented times, we are reminded that life unfolds naturally and we are all in this together. We are also reminded that we each react differently to stress, we each have different tolerance levels and we each have a different point of view on life.
Patience is known as a form of wisdom, and as we continue to bring this attitude to our mindfulness practice and to our workplace (which can be the office or our home these days) we remember that just like a butterfly, things unfold in their own time.
What I’ve been practicing at work to help me remain patient is an exercise I learned from the book “Resurfacing: Techniques for Exploring Consciousness” by Harry Palmer that I included in my book “Hippiebanker.”
You can use this exercise for your coworker, client, boss, or even a family member. When you are in a situation when you are struggling to understand why a person is acting a certain way, say these steps to yourself discreetly and say the person’s name for each one:
Step 1: “Just like me, this person is seeking happiness in his/her life.”
Step 2: “Just like me, this person is trying to avoid suffering in his/her life.”
Step 3: “Just like me, this person has know sadness, loneliness and despair.”
Step 4: “Just like me, this person is seeking to fill his/her needs.”
Step 5: “Just like me, this person is learning about life.”
Afterwards, take a moment to tune in to your feelings. Is your heart opening up just a wee bit? Are you a little more tolerant of that person that you were so angry with? Can you possibly let that person off the hook?
Maybe…Possibly…Hopefully.
I hope this serves you.
Breathe into this moment
This moment is perfect as is