Some people worship multi-tasking. They talk about multi-tasking as though they’re doing something noble and somehow being more productive. In reality, they’re living their life somewhere else than a state of mindfulness.
I think it’s sad when I see a young couple out on a date, eating at a restaurant, while one of the youngsters spends most of his/her time on a cell phone talking to someone else. And I think it’s disgusting to go into a men’s room and see men lined up at the urinals as they talk to clients on their cell phones.
All these people are missing out on one of the surest keys to a peaceful life, a productive career, and a positive relationship … and that is … MINDFULNESS … being totally present … wherever they are.
Author Dan Millman puts it so very well: “In every moment, the quality of your life is on the line. In each, you are either fully alive or relatively dead.”
So how can you master the art of mindfulness? I’ve found three things that work.
=> 1. Ruthlessly eliminate unnecessary hurry from your life.
Sometimes the best results come from a slower, more thoughtful approach.
For example, one wealthy businessman was horrified to see a fisherman lying lazily beside his boat, smoking a pipe.
“Why aren’t you out fishing?” asked the businessman.
“Because I caught enough fish for one day,” replied the fisherman.
“Why don’t you catch some more?”
“What would I do with them?”
“You could earn more money,” said the businessman. “Then with the extra money, you could buy a bigger boat, go into deeper waters, and catch more fish. Then you would make enough money to buy nylon nets. With the nets, you could catch even more fish and make more money. With that money you could own two boats, maybe three boats. Eventually you could have a whole fleet of boats and be rich like me.”
“Then what would I do?” asked the fisherman.
“Then,” said the business man, “you could really enjoy life.”
The fisherman looked at the businessman quizzically and asked, “What do you think I am doing now?”
You may need to eliminate some of the unnecessary hurry in your life. Instead of hurrying to work and arriving there a bit frazzled, get up ten minutes earlier, so you can allow a few minutes to read your morning devotions, take a walk around the block, and literally smell a rose along the way. BE MINDFUL.
And then…
=> 2. Learn to focus on one person at a time.
You can’t have a decent conversation with a colleague in your office if you’re glancing at your computer screen or mobile phone every few moments. Because even though your body is at the meeting, you’re not there. You are not MINDFUL.
Learn to focus on one person at a time. I saw a demonstration of how that could be done at a Delta Airlines counter when several flights had to be rescheduled. People were clustered all around, each with a burning question that couldn’t wait. As I waited for my turn, I became fascinated by the man behind the counter. There he was, pressured by all those people and yet perfectly calm and composed.
Finally when it became my turn, I said, “I’ve been admiring the way you handle the public.”
He raised his head and looked at me squarely and said, “I don’t deal with ‘the public,’ I deal with one person, and then another, and another and another. Now, what would you like to know?”
He knew how to live in the present by focusing on one person at a time. He didn’t allow himself to become tense or anxious because of pressure. He simply took one person at a time. He knew how to MINDFUL.
You’ll be a lot more calm, a lot more clear headed, and a great deal more pleasant … if you focus on one person … or one input … at a time … whenever possible.
The same is true when you focus on one goal at a time. Richard Esser, the Vice President of the Knouse Foods, learned that at my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program. He wrote, “Alan, I do have to thank you for your direction on goal setting and mindful affirmations. They work. One of my affirmations was ‘I look good at 193 lbs.’ and your process worked just like magic. I did it. Your Journey skills have made a big change for me.”
For more information on my next Journey program coming to Kansas City on April 19-20, 2018, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/journey
To register before January 31st and save $600 on your tuition, click here www.attendthejourney.com
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Finally,
=> 3. Practice detachment.
If you really struggle with living in the present, keeping your focus, and putting first things first, remove yourself from all the things that distract you. Detach … occasionally.
Toni Newman learned to do that … or should I say … was forced to learn that. On a recent vacation, she left the following message on her voice mail, “If you get this message, please be aware that I am being held hostage by two wonderful children under the age of six.. They have hidden my cell phone. They have locked me out of my office and away from my computer. Their demands are simple: two weeks of my undivided attention. If I obey, I will be allowed to return to my office on Monday, August 1st. I look forward to reconnecting with you then.”
Strangely enough, Toni actually left that message on her voice mail. And that takes guts. Most of us wouldn’t want our clients and coworkers to know that we are so detached from business that we couldn’t be reached. It might be interpreted as a career-limiting move.
But Toni did it. And the result? When she got back to work, her clients were so impressed with her candor … and her willingness to stick to her values … that her sales actually shot up.
Francee Lemchak from Hewlett Packard learned about the practice of detachment and mindfulness at my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program. She said, “From previous training, I knew that people can be saddled with a state of ‘learned helplessness’. And I knew that it can take years to turn it around. But at your Journey, you taught me how to turn it around almost instantly.”
“When I returned to my office following the Journey, Francee continued, “I faced several situations where I had hit dead ends in prior engagements. However, I had the skills this time to boost my confidence by repeating my mindful affirmations and realizing that my past failures were not going to influence my current success. And the outcome was that I was able to complete my tasks and had energy to spare. Your material really works!”
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For more information on my next Journey program coming to Kansas City on April 19-20, 2018, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/journey
To register before January 31st and save $600 on your tuition, click here www.attendthejourney.com
For a full life, for a great life, for a productive career, and for effective relationships, there is no substitute for mindfulness.
Dr. Zimmerman’s Tuesday Tip, Issue 918 – Mindfulness: 3 ways to BE THERE and GET MORE