
Gratitude and Grace
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:32
In my last blog post, I discussed how meditation impacts your brain, and ways long-term meditation can strengthen the brain against aging. Mental awareness impacts the brain and physical performance. The thoughts we tell ourselves can become reality, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Take for example, the L.A. Clippers. They have been plagued by what has been dubbed “bad luck.” According to Shaun Powell, the Clippers NBA team is often plagued by bad luck; however, some of the team’s woes have roots in poor management. The L.A. Clippers aren’t reaching their peak performance due to embracing a negative mindset. They’re prone to injuries, setbacks, and failure. When those occur, they blame the team’s bad luck history, a mindset that is self-fulfilling.
Professional athletes aren’t the only ones who suffer from the lack of mental discipline and blockages to success. Meditation and mindset are important to overcome these blocks to self-fulfillment and success. Self awareness will help you to understand how to work out environmental factors that might be impeding your performance. Investment in yoga and meditation can improve mental fortitude and focus.
Many CEOs and entrepreneurs also utilize meditation in their business practices as well as personal lives. According to Business Insider, Panda Express Founder, Andrew Cherng, said of meditation, “I want to fix my people from the inside.” He once stopped a business meeting to encourage an upset manager to meditate. Entrepreneur and Def Jam Founder, Russell Simmons, credits transcendental meditation with changing his life. He said, “It has changed my experiences in meditation and therefore my life.” Another example, Green Mountain Coffee Roaster founder, Robert Stiller, brought in meditation instructors for his employees. He said, “Meditation helps develop your abilities to focus better and to accomplish your tasks.” For these individuals, their success is connected to meditation and positive mindset.
With so many successful individuals using meditation to stay focused and move beyond unproductive situations, bad luck, and inherited mindsets, it seems a no-brainer to implement. The lyrics “if it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have no luck at all” have been sung by the likes of Ray Charles, BB King and on a regular clip from HeeHaw, a 1970s variety show. As in the case with the Clippers, some simply buy-in to the prevailing mindset of bad luck. It then becomes all too easy to validate. What you believe is what you look to validate.
If you’re in a career that requires you to be on top of your game, at all times and all places, meditation and mental conditioning is what puts you at a competitive advantage. Ask me about Peak Performance Mentoring that can catapult you to a place among the elites. Visit my contact page or email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you!
In 2012, the New York Giants’ future seemed destined to end without a post-season berth. They were 7-7 and drowning in penalties, sloppy play, and low morale. After a particularly awful game, the next night the players attended chapel. There high school teacher, Gian Paul Gonzalez, spoke to them about being all in. According to Gonzalez, when playing poker and you feel confident in your hand, you go all in. Being all in became their rallying cry to action, and a call for each member of the organization to re-evaluate their commitment to success. Gonzalez challenged them to be their best selves. The Giants’ team players successfully went on to win the Super Bowl. When you know you have a winning hand, you don’t hesitate to take the risk. That’s the feeling leaders should inspire in those around them and in themselves whether they can clearly see the winning hand or not.
Throughout the course of our lives, we lose focus. At those times, we don’t present our best. That loss comes for a variety of reasons. For example, during the last few weeks, many have been tested by the throes of Mother Nature. Hurricanes, wildfires, and earthquakes have left many in our communities feeling harried. In these challenging moments, we have two choices—to present our best or not.
When we shift our energies from a negative focus, we reconnect to our goals. We can do so via mediation, helping others, and utilizing the team around us. When we do, we find success. We are able to rediscover inspiration and reignited spark. We must avoid being swept away in the sea of emotion that forces us to lose sight of the shore. Having a solid team to hold you accountable can help us remain tethered to our being our best.
One of the other ways we can remain focused is to train our brain to be focused on a singular task. According to David Rock, co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute, we should train our brain like a muscle. The ideal of multitasking has trained our brain to be unfocused. To train our brains to focus, we should start by spending small chunks of time concentrating on completing a singular task. Practice daily. If your mind wanders, redirect it back to the task at hand. Increase the time as you would when implementing a new workout regimen.
Another way to remain focused, in addition to brain exercises and mediation, is to pay attention to where you do your best work. According to Rock, most people do their best thinking when not in an office. So, pay attention to the location in which you are most focused. These are your touchstones, your focal points. Revisit these areas when you feel unconnected and need to reconnect to your goals.
When you feel unfocused or drifting from your goals, be an advocate for yourself. Seek out your team to help you reconnect and recommit. Getting the help you need when you need it is part of the success. That success can in turn, lead you to being your best. And, keep in mind, your team is generally well defined when you consider work, but in personal matters, your team can be advocates from a wide range of family, friends and even acquaintances that share a mutual concern or interest. Remember to accept your advocates and support from those unlikely sources so you can maintain your Power of Yes.
Are you a leader who manages people? The answer can determine how effective you are as a leader. Employees aren’t robots. They’re people with feelings and emotions. Emotionally aware leaders balance the day-to-day work and their employees’ engagement. Their success is often a direct correlation with adaptable thinking. According to a report from the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, the benefits emotional leaders receive in the workplace are higher employee retention rates, greater commitment, and better results. In short, an emotional leader is a beacon of light to others they lead.
How can a leader not only navigate the landscape of multiple personalities and emotions, but put it to use? First, it requires decoding emotions and an understanding of visual cues. In addition, the leader will need to be able to communicate differently to individuals based on their personality styles.
Effective leaders incorporate emotion by using these four skill sets:
Leaders who are aware of their emotional state are able to control their egos. Participating in activities that assist in finding mental clarity such as meditation, hiking, reading, or exercising, leaders become more connected to themselves by disconnecting to the world around them. This allows them to look inward for perspective. Leaders who are self-aware also see clearly the strengths and weaknesses of themselves and those they lead. They can perceive emotions and address problems more thoroughly. This clarity helps master egos which is important to leading effectively.
Leaders who are aware of their emotions are better equipped to manage them. When leaders are in control of their emotions, they know how they react to others. They do not fly off the handle or make hasty decisions. Emotional leaders are aware of the impact of their own emotions on others and manage those emotions accordingly. Focusing and practicing being in the present can assist with self-management of emotions. Journaling and paying attention to one’s inner self talk is another helpful means of self-management of emotions.
Leaders who are self-aware and manage their emotions, also have the ability to pick up on others’ emotional cues. This skill is important for impactful leadership. When leaders are socially aware, they are more likely to understand the employees’ point of view and emotional response. They are also able to tailor their feedback based upon their awareness of the person’s emotional state. Leaders do this by watching, listening, and discovering others’ cues.
Leaders combine communication and team building to manage conflict and inspire employees. Clear communication is imperative, but so is understanding and empathy. Employing self-awareness, self-management, and social-awareness assists in achieving the balance within the leaders’ communication. Leaders who employ this style of communication will find it easier to cultivate relationships naturally thus reducing conflict within their team.
As already discussed, emotional leaders are present in the moment. They are connected to their feelings and have a clarity about their purpose. They keep their ego in check. With their connection to self, emotional leaders will be open to others’ emotional states. They can provide support to others whether they are doing well or struggling.
In contrast, when leaders avoid connecting to emotions, they may feel more in control, but it can have a negative impact on the organization. Control is ego driven and does not take people into consideration. As Richard Rose stated, “Ego is the single biggest obstruction to the achievement of anything.”
The Harvard Business Review, Manfred F.R. Kets de Vries talks about four toxic leadership styles. All four are deeply rooted in promoting the leader’s ego. These can be alleviated by being a leader that understands both verbal and non-verbal emotional cues.
Emotional leaders will need to be aware of their impact on others. Exercising your mind each day to not only remain keen and precise, but also adaptable, as rigid thinking limits your paths to success. Avoiding those four toxic leadership styles will also help strengthen you as a successful leader.
Reach out to me, AmyD the Peak Performance Expert and Trainer, if you want to learn how you can transition to an emotional leader! Email me today, [email protected].
Personal branding is a way of signaling to others what your unique identity, vision and values are. It’s an authentic revelation of all the things you have to offer the world.
What happens when those values or aspirations change? What happens, and how do we take the next step in our personal or professional growth? That’s where rebranding comes in.
To rebrand is to realign ourselves and our goals by harnessing new, revitalized energy. We grant ourselves new possibilities, new inspirations, and new joys. Simply put, to rebrand means to evolve.
Many people are afraid of change, even though it’s an instinctual, bioenergetic process that’s required for our spiritual growth. We are beings made of energy. We’re driven to evolve. Just like the energy that comprises us, we are constantly in motion. When we harness that powerful, catabolic potential we discover this exciting fact: that we are in an upward-trending spiral toward our highest calling.
Rebranding involves opening yourself up to new opportunities with optimism, and this mindset attracts the very best things in life. Whether it’s a new set of dedicated clients, a new service that’s in alignment with our deepest-held values, or a stronger, more supportive networking circle, we rebrand because we’re working toward something greater than we imagined before.
Energy is just like that. In an earlier blog post, I explain how altering your mindset can physically change your reality, even your biological makeup! This is exactly what rebranding does. An example of this is the branded color scheme. Branded colors are evocative of the emotional energy that’s authentic to your identity and your mission. When chosen wisely, these colors transform the attitudes of everyone who comes in contact with your brand and attracts likeminded, positive energy.
The power suit is another example of this phenomenon. A power suit is a tailored, signature work outfit meant to exude a strong sense of leadership. When you put on your power suit, you feel more confident and successful, which in turn transforms you into a person who is actually – not just potentially – confident and successful beyond their wildest dreams.
People will often rebrand themselves because their old ways of self-marketing aren’t working. Rebranding, however, is more than just a way of attracting better business. An authentic personal brand has the power to attract all the positive resources in the universe. When you change your energy, you change your material reality.
That is the purpose and magic behind rebranding. If you’re ready to embrace change, reach out to me, Amy D, Peak Performance Expert. We’ll begin that journey today!