Shine Through!
Hi There,
I’ve been living the story of the Golden Buddha, and it’s been a profound experiment! Tara Brach, my chosen meditation guide, opened a retreat with the story of this Buddha, covered in plaster to hide its value from an invading army in Bangkok. Two centuries later, in 1955, an attempted move caused a crack in the plaster, revealing the shiny gold and the true value of what was thought to be a “cheap” sculpture. Tara invited the participants to consider what would shine through as we took time to look within via meditation during our weekend retreat.
I’ve continued doing just that for these last few weeks, intentionally creating Space in my days for reflection, contemplation and imagination. And you won’t be surprised to learn that this newly introduced habit has been quite the challenge to embed for this mere mortal, what with my full-plate career and a knack for cramming lots of extra tasks into my long workdays. However, if I continue to do what I’ve always done, my results will be what they’ve always been. That won’t get me to my goals. So, Space it is!
Here are three ways I’ve been able to make headway with this new quest for space to “breathe”:
-First thing in the morning between my pushups and my journaling, I do a two-minute breathing exercise. Then I let my eyes and brain wander for three minutes over my calendar, my notes from the day before, and my self-designed priorities for the day. Ideas about an approach, an introduction, a strategy, or an improvement have come each day, captured in my Clever Fox planner. A GREAT investment of 5 minutes!
-Next, I finish my day with Michael Roderick’s “GIFT”, setting myself up for success in 5 minutes!
-Thirdly, I create a 15-minute “buffer” at least 2 times per day after a block of phone calls. I get to clean up my notes, reflect on what I’ve learned, and jot down a summary/some next steps while all is fresh in my brain (This is important, as studies suggest that we forget 50% of new information within an hour of learning it. That goes up to an average of 70% within 24 hours.) Then, with 5 minutes before my next call, I grab some water, do a stretch, take a bio break and have my notes set up for the next “lap” of the day.
While the habit isn’t fully embedded yet, I’ve seen through the cracks to reveal enough gold at this point that I’m quite motivated to continue.
What gold will you discover when you “slow down to speed up”? For even more inspiration, read this month's DRIVEN article Be Intentional!
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
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