Mindfulness at Work
When I worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, I had close to 200 clients in my case load. The demands were overwhelming. Each person had a history of injury, disability, and needs that were often heart wrenching. The stress for both my clients and me was over powering at times. I was constantly filled with gratitude that I had a longstanding mindfulness practice that helped me deal with these challenges. However, it’s a very limited view to see mindfulness training in a work situation as valuable only as a stress reduction or wellness program.
Mindfulness is the capacity to be aware of what’s happening in the present moment with a quality of attention that’s curious, and accepting. The point is to pay close attention, to see more clearly what’s happening in the moment.
How is this helpful? When your mind is going round and round in circles, then slowing down, taking a pause, and listening deeply, allows inner wisdom to emerge and many options to appear.
“When we succeed in keeping alive a connection to our deeper source of knowing, we begin to better tune into future possibilities.” Otto Scharmer
Mindfulness for Making a Difference
We live in a fast culture, at least in the United States. It feels to me as if we do most things fast – eating, emailing, working, errands, conversing – and we’re multitasking much of the time, all in the interest of getting more and more done. (I’ll bet if we could sleep faster we would.) Everyone I know seems to be always on the move except those few who are retired. I feel as if many of us are racing against time during our waking hours.
What are we trying to accomplish? Where are we racing off to? What are we wanting and needing? Is all of this fast doing giving us what we want and need?
These are my questions as my friend and the director of Creative Transitions, Jean Meier, and I prepared for one of our online events.
I’ve had the good fortune to study mindfulness and meditation with two top teachers, John Welwood, Ph.D., and Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. Welwood’s work on the healing power of unconditional presence has become embedded within my being and my life through many years of retreats with him. And from one retreat with Jon Kabat-Zinn and many readings of his books, I learned the value and power of slowing down and paying careful attention to whatever I am experiencing, in the present, even in the midst of my very busy mind and every day life.
The teachings of both Welwood and Kabat-Zinn focus on each of us listening to our inner selves in a deep way, and to extend that listening out to others with whom we interact. Even through years of mindfulness practice I still find deep listening, to myself and others, a challenge which lands me on my learning curve and creative edge.