I am inspired to write about being mindful after reading an incredible book The Art of Power, by Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist Zen master, poet, scholar and peace activist. In his book, he mentions that according to Buddha, life is available only in the here and now, the present moment. According to Thich, there are Five Mindfulness Trainings. I want to focus on the awareness of suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others.

Being mindful of what we say, how we say things to others in our personal lives and within our business is critical to success and peace. Practicing mindfulness in this area can be challenging as it is easy to quickly say things ‘we don’t mean to say’ or things we haven’t really put much thought into.

  Think about how many times you have said something to your children, your spouse, your friend, your business partner that you truly didn’t want to say or desired to say it differently.  How did that resonate within your body? Your spirit? How do you think it affected that person’s self-worth and self-confidence?

What about listening? How have you been mindful this week to truly listen to your children, your spouse, business partner and to be 100% present, in the moment with them? The other person can certainly pick up when you aren’t with them, in the moment. Be sure to know they can feel when your presence isn’t with them. Think about the last time that has happened to you?

I am extremely sensitive to this principal, as it is a crucial part of being an effective coach. When I am working with a client, I NEED to be fully present, fully there for my clients. It wouldn’t be fair not to be.

Have you ever been to a networking event or even a party where you were talking with someone and they were ‘half’ listening to you as you were explaining who you were and what you did? Did they look around the room while you were speaking, maybe acting a little fidgety? I experienced this last weekend at the event I attended. It isn’t a comfortable feeling, that’s for sure!

How can we practice being more mindful? A first step is to simply start noticing the words you are actually saying to someone and to practice being fully present when someone is talking with you.

After practicing this for a week, notice how you feel afterwards. How have your relationships changed?

Give yourself and others the gift of mindfulness. It will open a whole new world for you. I can absolutely guarantee it.