Business Development Executives – Triggering the real YOU!
Part – IV
The Power of being in the NOW.
Welcome back to my world as we
journey on into the understanding of the Power of being in the NOW. But before
we do that, let’s just revisit the last bit of our previous journey on the
importance of the Power of Awareness…just to refresh our minds as we begin
chugging along once again:
“…The levels of your concentration
and awareness would have become far more superior and powerful within you as
compared to any others around you and this will, quite obviously, greatly
enhance your existence both personally and professionally. Your ability to
successfully think, analyze and visualize solutions to everyday challenges
would become just simple tasks to execute without becoming a victim to any
stressful moment whatsoever…which is one of the true hallmarks of Leadership!
However, you would still have to
discover the Power of being in the Now and the Path to discover and be
perpetually connected with your Inner Being to eventually reach an awesome
state of thinking from a higher level of consciousness.”
To understand the Power of being in
the Now, it is important for you to first master the Power of Awareness we
talked about previously. The simple example that I gave of transferring water
from one bucket to another without spilling a drop was an ideal one on how you
can practice, every moment, to remain in absolute awareness of what you are
continuously doing. It is only when this habit is inculcated within oneself
will one be able to, not only, understand the Power of being in the Now, but to
experience it as well. Because to live in the Now, you will have to learn to be
in complete control of your thoughts and the manner in which they could
influence your existence, if you became a slave to them. When your thoughts
flitter through your mind uncontrollably, your existence and emotional
equilibrium will reflect it almost immediately. But being constantly aware of
yourself and your thoughts will help you to be in absolute control of your
mental existence which will directly reflect on your personality as a human
being and professional.
First off all please accept one
important fact of your existence: YOU ARE NOT THE NATURE OF YOUR THOUGHTS! Someone
once said that it is because you exist, you think. I strongly differ with this.
I believe that it is because you think you exist and your existence is purely
based on your understanding of what goes on in your mind, albeit what the
nature of your thoughts may be. Once you have gained the mastery of the Power
of Awareness (Part III of my Blog series), it will effortlessly lead you to the
understanding of the Power of being in the Now.
Buddha once said, “Do not dwell in
the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present
moment.” No one could easily sum up the importance of being in the Now then Buddha
could. From childhood to adolescence to adulthood, we lived totally subjected to
our external environment. All negative experiences during this exposure created
what is commonly termed as our ‘fears of the unknown’. These
fears of the unknown have, most often then naught, obliterated our present
thinking and seriously affecting the future.
Most successful people neither
ponder on the past or think of the future. The former does not exist in the
present and the latter could well be a myth! What truly does exist is the
present and it is this moment that has to be dealt with; not the past or the
future. And dealt with how? Not with fears of the unknown obliterating the
present. Or doubts caused by past failures. Or with an awe and tension that
‘even this may not happen’ psychosis!
Here are a few tips for you to be
able to live in the ‘Now’:
1) Remove resistance.
Stop resisting what is. If you are
stuck in a traffic jam, you are stuck in a traffic jam. You can’t center
yourself in the now if you don’t accept it. Even if you are in a situation you
don’t like or intend to change, accept it as part of your current reality.
2) Find rose-smelling moments.
Give yourself a few moments to
smell the roses each day. Stopping your routine, even for only thirty seconds,
and grounding yourself in what is around you can have a calming effect.
Most people don’t do this unless
captured by something magnificent. But even simple parts of life deserve a
chance at reflection. Spend fifteen seconds to see how the light bounces off
the edge of a glass. Or look at the pattern of clouds in an overcast sky. Just
a small investment can make you feel more centered for the rest of your day.
3) Experience what you are doing.
Actually experience what you are
doing. How often do you eat a meal without really tasting the food? Listen to
music without noticing the notes? Talk to your friends without really
listening?
If you are going to do something,
engage with it. Try to isolate specific flavors in the food you are eating.
Notice the different instruments in a piece of music you’ve heard thousands of
time. Empathize with a friend who is talking to you.
Whether you choose to experience
something or not doesn’t matter for productivity. It takes the same amount of
time for me to really taste a bowl of soup than just slurping it down. But by
choosing to focus on your current task you can draw far more enjoyment and
peace from it.
4) Cut down multitasking.
Cut out the need to do several
things at once. Not only has this been shown to be ineffective from a
productivity standpoint, it also makes it more difficult to concentrate.
Concentration is key to the now habit. Without the ability to effectively use
your attention, you can’t hope to focus on the now.
5) Enjoy limitations.
The most important freedom is from
the internal conflicts of worries, negative thoughts and distractions. When
you’ve cultivated a high degree of internal freedom, external freedom matters
less.
Even if most of us have our basic
rights and necessities, there will always be limitations. Going to work,
chores, family responsibilities, etc are an almost inescapable reality. But you
can use those limitations to guide your thinking towards the now. Limits can be
the rules you have to abide by in the always interesting game of life.
6) Discipline your mind.
Where does this internal freedom
come from? Discipline. Disciplining your body, thinking and actions means
bringing the internal forces under control. This is a skill that takes time to
develop. But once done, you will experience awesomeness!
7) Follow a goal, but detach from
the result.
Goals are a difficult subject to
tackle when applying the now habit. How can you have a goal, which is based in
the future, and still focus on the now? The answer is that goals give an
overall direction to what you are doing today.
You can work hard by an inspiring
goal and not be consumed by it. Emphasize the actions you are doing right now
over the end result. Remember: as long as a goal serves to order your current
actions, then it can help you focus on the now.
8) Daily gratitude.
Spend a few moments to reflect on
what you are grateful for. Gratitude doesn’t mean, “Well it could be worse…”
Gratitude means being happy now instead of just happy later. It means being
thankful for the interesting challenges and opportunities life has given you.
9) Cut away distractions to a
meaningful life.
Simplify your life. Cutting back on
things that aren’t contributing to your growth helps you focus. When you are
constantly surrounded by noise of activities, media and people that aren’t
adding anything, it is harder to focus on what does.
10) Engage yourself.
I don’t believe inner peace has to
come from a monastic life in the wilderness. The happiest people I know are the
ones most engaged in life. I usually wake up knowing I have a day full of
exciting challenges and tasks. There are always moments for reflection, but by
engaging yourself more you do what the now habit is all about, living and
not just existing.
In the next journey that we
undertake next Monday, we will explore the Path to be perpetually connected
with our Inner Being to eventually reach an awesome state of thinking from a
higher level of consciousness. And then move on to the ‘Triggers’ that make
Business Development Gladiators indisputably successful!
Till then…have a wonderful week!!!
Anand K Nair
Leadership & Motivational Speaker. Mentor. Counselor.
Author. Educationist. Business Consultant.
Founder,
Anand Nair Leadership Foundation
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