Personal and Leadership Development

No: 495 - October 10, 2016

And Now for Something Completely Different You can get worn out observing the inappropriate behaviour of people who are physically present but mentally buried up their ass… so something a little different today.

I spotted one of our neighbours taking a breather from digging his vegetable patch recently. He was simply staring upwards and, when I asked him how he was and what he was doing, he simply replied “I’m admiring the beauty. I’ve lived here all my life and it still takes my breath away!”

Any evening that we can, we sit in the garden and admire the ever-changing face of Mont Blanc – as the clouds move, as the sun sets, as it changes from white to yellow to pink to rose to darkness. It would take your breath away.

But so should your children – every time you see them, no matter how long you’ve known them. So should your partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, husband or wife – the first flush of excitement should never wear off. So should your own breath take your breath away, if that’s not a paradox… every moment is wonderful, every moment is real, every moment passes, enjoy this moment.

	A Quick Tip
	DO NOT LET TODAY PASS
	Intellectually, we all know that we are running out of time. But it appears that we have difficulty understanding the reality of our predicament, otherwise we would not waste so much time doing what we need not do and so little doing what is important and living our lives to the full. Do not let today pass without appreciating the wonder of being here, wherever here is now. Do not let today pass without doing something, wholeheartedly and to the full. Live this life of yours as if you mean it.

	DOING WHAT YOU'RE DOING
	We normally do things to achieve an outcome – I’m sure that, for every action you take, there is some ulterior motive even if it’s just killing the last half hour of the evening channel hopping on the TV! As part of your training in mindfulness, however, it is a good idea to do things simply to do them. This both clears the mind and enables us deliberately pay an unusual amount of attention to the present moment, non-judgementally… the definition of mindfulness, by the way! Here are a few suggestions. First of all – and this is actually very important – meditate simply to meditate. Seek nothing from the experience – just do it. It is only by just doing it that you achieve the kind of mental clarity that meditation brings – but trying to achieve it will stop you! Go for a stroll to go for a stroll – simply see, feel, hear, smell and taste where you are. Observe, judge nothing, just let each new piece of information, in each new moment, coming into each of your senses be sensed. Immerse yourself moment to moment. Sit and watch the world go by. Watch the waves or the clouds, the traffic or the passing pedestrians. Just be – the essence of presence. And, tonight, before you go to bed, put the dishes in the dish washer one at a time, feeling each one in your hand, placing them with care, performing each movement as if your life depended upon it… because it does.

	NO STRESS, ENHANCED FOCUS, BETTER DECISION-MAKING... EFFORTLESSLY
	The Psychology of Success will take place again in Dublin on November 9th. Describe by previous participants as "life changing" and "the most important learning of my living and working life" (you can read their testimonials here), this one day will enable you grab a hold of what's going on in your head. And, once, you've done that, all else changes. There are still a couple - just a couple - of places levft for this day. If you're interested in participating on Nov 9th, you can find all the details here...
	ARE YOU A COACH OR CONSULTANT? DO YOU LEAD A HR FUNCTION?
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