Tag Archive for: think

Turn it Off!

โ€œ๐‹๐ž๐ญโ€™๐ฌ ๐ ๐ž๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ.โ€
In our leadership session on Saturday, that was one of many discussions we shared together.
Thinking about that comment this morning, I asked myself several times over, what does that actually mean for me?
On reflection, itโ€™s actually when your body is here, but your mind is elsewhere.
Do you know that feeling?
In my pre-mission coaching world language, itโ€™s about paying attention and being aware.
As a coach Iโ€™d refer to this as having presence or being present.
However, from time to time, people simply zone out.
Have you seen this?
You probably do it yourself from time to time!
There in body, but your mind is elsewhere.
Frequently we simply turn our thinking to automatic mode, and we donโ€™t pay attention, in other words we hit our autopilot.
For example, routinely, many of us drive in this mode โ€“ we get home and remember little or any part of the journey.
The key to change is every time you notice you are on autopilot, you turn your attention to what you are doing.

Here are some tipsโ€ฆ

– Getting a glass of water, pause and feel your feet, hear the noise of the water as it flows into your glass.
– Walking to your next appointment, stop thinking about your things to do and notice that you are walking. What do you see, hear, smell, and feel? Touch something along the way.
– In your next meeting, after 20 minutes ask yourself if you are bored. If you are, then make a decision to turn your attention back on. What do you hear and see now?
– Stop Multi-tasking! (Exclamation mark). When someone asks to speak to you, then stop what you are doing, put your mobile down, stop typing and listen.
– Go and learn mindfulness.
What can you do to get off autopilot and be more present?

Silence has power

The world is getting louder.
There is a lot of noise out there.
In fact, the world is now in continual commotion.
Have you ever cultivated silence for yourself?
Perhaps it is time for a quiet reflective moment, to find some time to think?
Why not ditch your phone and take a walk through nature?
Or better still limit input!
Take a fast from social media and the news for a full day, resting from unending social media feeds or current events.
๐’๐ข๐ฅ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐ก๐š๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ.
Silence is in fact golden!
Build some periods of silence into your day to refresh, replenish and renew โ€“ they are powerful times to reawaken.
Why not try it for a week and see the effects on your stress levels, creativity, and well-being.
Go on โ€“ give it a go!
#silence

Ask first!

Standing in the kitchen, Monic passed me the jar of beetroot.
Having tried to open it already, Monic didn’t have to say anything, the look in her eyes said it all… “can you open that please?”
Taking the jar from her hands, I gave it a go.
Holding the jar in my left hand, I tried to open the jar with my stronger right hand.
No joy.
Holding the jar in my right hand, I tried to open the jar with my left hand.
Reflecting now on that silly moment – as expected, no joy!
“Try holding it under hot water” Monic said.
Under it went. Several attempts later, and after straining my right wrist – still no joy.
“Try it with a cloth” Monic said.
With my right wrist strained, it was back to holding it with my right hand and then trying with my left hand.
No joy.
Monic took the jar back again.
“I remember my mum said if I pry a knife under the lid, it may let a little air in and that may help” – said Monic.
So, taking a knife she pried it under the lid. Hey presto “pop” went the lid, a little twist with her hand – job done!
Moral of the story….
Pause, reflect and ask the question first…
“Has your mum given you any tips as to how to open that jar?” ๐Ÿ˜…

Don’t just do something, sit there!

“Don’t just do something, sit there!”- is a phrase I have stumbled across several times recently.

It’s extremely difficult NOT to do something these days. In the frenetic pace of life, whether it is a work task, an urgent assignment, homework, something needs fixing, the school run – taking time to “sit there” and think, rarely (if ever) tops the list of things to do.

We think far too seldomly. Conversely, we tell ourselves not to think, by saying “don’t just sit there, do something!” In several coaching sessions and workshops recently, this theme has been a topic of some healthy conversation. Ultimately, our discussion peaks at the realisation that we need to think, before we act. The lesson is that we need to put the thinking in before the doing.

In my own life, there have been many times that I have felt a bit harried, time poor and harassed. Then, some years ago, I decided and chose to change. I realised that I needed to simply “sit there” for a while every day and declutter my noisy mind. As an early riser, the first hour of every day is my precious contemplation time. Those 60 minutes of thought and study are a daily gift to myself.

A little time set aside daily to think about what really matters makes all the difference.

When will you “sit there?”