Have you ever wondered why some days are better than others? How some days require little to no effort while other days are filled with challenges and obstacles? We may not be able to control what happens around us, but we can control who we are, how we are and what we say or do.
Let’s say you are a sailboat. You are free to go wherever and whenever you like. Then one day as your boat is close to shore, a storm rapidly approaches. There is no time to prepare and your only choice is to drop the anchor and pray for safety. The storm hits, the boat is rocked and minimal damage occurs. The storm passes, the sun shines and you are okay. Looking back, what do you think would have happened if you didn’t drop the anchor before the storm hit? Maybe there would have been more damage, or you could have been dragged out to sea. The point of the story is, in life, things happen around us and if we don’t anchor ourselves, we may lose control and hurt ourselves or others.
As a coach, I have experienced working with people and difficult situations. I would like to share with you how we can stay grounded, resourceful and be at our best when things are not.
We need to do two things to be at our best: drop and connect. You may have heard the saying “get out of your head and into your heart”. When coaching executives, leaders and performers, we refer to this as finding your center- bringing your awareness from your head into your body’s center. This is a place within you where you have immediate access to your most valuable resources: awareness, adaptability, flexibility, openness, connectedness, creativity, kindness and other valuable resources. This may be new and that’s okay. Now that I am aware of it, I have access to my best self whenever I want; all I have to do is close my eyes and go there.
To have access to your best self, here are a few simple steps to help you get there…
1- Find a comfortable place to sit, feet on the ground hands in your lap.
2- Close your eyes and bring your awareness to the center of your body, the stomach area.
3- Let go of all thoughts and breathe into this area, slowly in and slowly out, allowing all thoughts to disappear like someone turned on a fan, and blowing them away
4- Picture your body and mind opening, like a convertible top on a car.
5- With your eyes closed and breathing into your center, notice the space around you and further way, as far as you can imagine: in front, behind, above and below, and all around you.
6- Notice how life is not about you, it includes you. Notice how you are a part of it.
7- Keep your eyes closed, continue breathing slowly in and out of your center. Do this for a few minutes or as long as you’d like.
This simple process, as simple as it may seem, is the quickest and most effective way for us to be grounded and at our best. It just takes practice.
The current environment is surrounding us with change. With so much going on, we are challenged to be at our best. This is the time to be aware of what is required of us, adaptable to news ways of living, flexible with working arrangements, open to others’ points of view, connected with each other while keeping a distance, creative with new ways of living, and kind to one another.
This is the perfect opportunity to employ the above process so we can get out of heads and into our hearts. These times call for it.
If you have questions about the process message me and expect a reply.