🐦‍🔥 How to Transform Your Life During Times of Great Uncertainty 🐦‍🔥

    

A mentor of mine has been following a disciplined mindfulness practice for more than 15 years. He says it has helped him stay calm, clear and focused on the present moment.

It shows. Although he has a mountain of responsibilities, I’ve rarely seen him looking stressed out or anxious.

I thought he was onto to something. So, I began a mindfulness practice myself. I've be doing mindfulness exercises for 10 years and found them to be beneficial on many levels.

 

Why is mindfulness practice so helpful?

Because the present moment is really all we have. There was never a time when your life wasn’t not now, nor will there ever be. Your life is and always be “this moment.”

The odd thing about this realization is that it is both bone-crushingly obvious and, at the same time, seldom acknowledged.

Each day we’re caught up in our own personal dramas. We struggle to meet the deadline, finish the project, make the appointment, pick up the kids, drop off the car, stop at the bank, visit the folks, plan the dinner…driving around, we are swept up in the recollections of the past or more likely, endless planning and worrying about the future.

By living in a state of distraction, we deny ourselves the only time we have to be fully present. Right now.

Trust me, you cannot savor your Asian chicken salad with the water chestnuts and sliced tangerines (Or a deep-fried pork sandwich and a side of curly fries) if you’re worrying about next week’s budget meeting. Nor can you enjoy your afternoon by the lake with your grandson if you’re talking on your device or fuming about something you saw on a news feed.

You can only appreciate the good things in your life when you’re fully present. Doing this allows you to minimize your negatives, too.

All of us face situations that are depressing, frustrating, or maddening. Yet, more often than not, our anxieties are the result of our own faulty thinking. It may be tough to admit, but it is our mindset—rather than the situation itself—that creates the negative emotions.

As Shakespeare wrote, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking make it so.” Truly, it is our thoughts that torment us, not our problems.

Some may disagree. After all if you have a child with a serious drug addiction or a parent that is dying of cancer, the problem isn’t in your mind. It’s real.

But there are only two kinds of bad situations in the world: those that can be solved and those that can’t. If you have a situation that can be solved, get busy fixing it. If you have one that can’t, get busy accepting it.

After all, your thoughts determine your happiness. The good news is that you can control them. That’s the power behind Reinhold Niebuhr’s well-known Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.

 

Click here to read a related post: The Serenity Prayer as a Pathway to Better Leadership  

Incidentally, while Niebuhr wrote this prayer roughly 85 years ago, there is an Irish rhyme dating back to 1695 that expresses a remarkably similar sentiment:

For every ailment under the sun,

There is a remedy, or there is none:

If there be one, try to find it;

If there be none, never mind it.

But when something truly sad or tragic happens, how do you keep from minding it? There is no easy answer to this one. Some wounds only time can heal. But returning to the present moment can help.

As Eckhart Tolle wrote in The Power of Now, “Narrow your life down to this moment. Your life situation may be full of problems—most life situations are—but find out if you have any problem at this moment. Not tomorrow or in ten minutes, but now. Do you have a problem now?”

Tolle says it’s impossible to feel troubled when your attention is full in the Now. You have situations that need to be dealt with or accepted—yes. But only worries about the future or regrets about the past can turn into personal quagmires.

Skeptics may argue that altering your thinking doesn’t change the problem, just your perception of it. But that’s the magic of it. Higher awareness is often that prelude to a solution.

Tolle says, “Accept—then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept is as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, no against it. Make it your friend and ally, not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.”

How do you get started? Ironically, by becoming conscious of your lack of consciousness—something the majority of us never do—you take the first step toward an elevated state of mind. Your ability to enjoy your life, and deal successfully with your problems, increases the moment you become fully present.

Beware though. I found that living in the present moment means abandoning your old ways of thinking. In the present moment there is no judging, cherishing your opinions, or nurturing discontent.

It means slowing down. Relaxing. Focusing on your breath. Listening to the breeze. Or just taking a good look around.

You have the opportunity to enhance your life simply by choosing where to direct your attention. Where should that be?

Right here. Right now.

“The past is history, the future’s a mystery, today’s a gift, that’s why it’s called the present.”

Check out these related posts: 

 

7 Way to Boost Your Focus in Culture of Distraction. (2 min read)

 

Build Resiliency Against Stress By Managing Your Inner Dialogue (5 min read)

 

To your greater success and equanimity.

Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com  or  Mobile: 323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, energy storage, facility services & maintenance, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services,  real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

⏰How to Use Timeblocking to Get Stuff Done Without Losing Your Mind ⏰

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s be honest: “just timeblock your work” sounds easy until your calendar looks like a game of Tetris and your to-do list starts multiplying like laundry. As a leader, you probably know that blocking time for specific tasks can help you focus. The tricky part is actually doing it in a way that doesn’t fall apart by 10:17 a.m. Here’s how to merge your calendar and your to-do list without turning your day into a productivity boot camp.

1.      Start with a quick self-planning meeting

Before the day runs away with your coffee mug, give yourself 5-15 minutes to plan. Treat it like a real meeting, even if the only attendee is you and your slightly suspicious-looking calendar. Look at what needs to happen today, what can wait, and what absolutely should not be shoved into “future me’s” problem pile.

• Pick your top three priorities for the day. If everything is important, congratulations, nothing is.
• Block time for work tasks, but also add breaks, exercise, reading, lunch, and personal time. Your brain is not a toaster; it needs more than being plugged in. Estimate realistically. If a task usually takes one hour, don’t give it 12 minutes and a motivational speech.
• Encourage your team to do the same so everyone knows when they are focused, available, or hiding from unnecessary meetings.

2.    Use the magic phrase: one thing at a time

Distractions are sneaky. One minute you’re writing a strategy memo, and the next minute you’re answering a message, checking a spreadsheet, and wondering why office chairs are so expensive. When that happens, come back to the basic rule of timeboxing: one thing at a time.

• Say it out loud to yourself or your team: “One thing at a time.” Yes, it may feel cheesy. Do it anyway.
• Turn off notifications during focus blocks, or at least silence the apps that behave like tiny panic buttons.
• Keep a “parking lot” note nearby. If a random idea pops up, write it down and return to the task instead of chasing it into the productivity wilderness. 
• Use a timer so the block feels real. A visible countdown can turn a vague task into a mini deadline.

3.    Build in buffers, because life loves plot twists

A perfect calendar is usually a fantasy creature, right next to inbox zero and meetings that end early. Tasks shift, people need answers, and sometimes your “quick call” grows legs and becomes a full-blown expedition. That’s why flexibility is part of the system, not a sign that you failed.

• Add 10- to 15-minute buffers between big tasks or meetings so you have time to reset.
• Group similar tasks together, like email, approvals, or quick admin work, so you aren’t switching gears every five minutes.
• If something urgent comes up, move a block instead of pretending you can magically do two things at once.
• At the end of the day, review what worked and what didn’t. Your calendar is not carved into stone tablets.

Make timeblocking easier for your team

If you lead a team, timblocking works best when it becomes a shared habit, not a secret solo productivity ritual. Set expectations about focus time, response times, and meeting boundaries. People should not need detective skills to figure out when someone is available.

• ·    Use calendar labels or clear titles like “Deep work,” “Email catch-up,” or “Team support time.”
• Protect focus blocks the same way you protect important meetings.
• Set team norms for urgent messages so “quick question” does not become the unofficial company ringtone.
• Celebrate progress, not just busyness. A packed calendar is not a personality trait.

Keep adjusting as you go

The point of timeblocking is not to create the world’s most beautiful calendar and then feel personally attacked when reality changes it. The point is to focus, make progress, and move forward with more intention. If a task becomes more important, shift your schedule. If a block was too short, adjust tomorrow. If you completely misjudge how long something takes, welcome to being human.

Timeblocking is less about controlling every minute and more about giving your attention a home. Start small, stay flexible, and keep coming back to one task at a time. You don’t need a perfect system to have a better day; you just need a plan that helps you begin, continue, and finish. And that’s a win worth putting on the calendar.

Now go forth, block that time, protect your focus, and give your calendar a fighting chance. You’ve got this!

 

Peter Mclees Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
 

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees or a SMART Development consultant please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, energy storage and facilities management, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.

 

 

💡Microsoft CEO Says What Separates Successful People From Others Comes Down to 2 Words 💡

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When Satya Nadella was appointed as Microsoft CEO in 2014, he wasn't one to boast about IQ points or intellectual achievements. He understood that being an effective leader wasn't just about knowing all the answers; it was about knowing yourself and building meaningful connections with others.

To be effective and separate oneself from the pack, Nadella pared it down to two words: 

Emotional intelligence.  (EQ)

So, what does it mean to have emotional intelligence? Much has been written about this idea. However, no one ever asked what it means to have emotional intelligence until 1995, when psychologist, Daniel Goleman, wrote his landmark book, Emotional Intelligence.

In this post, I won’t try to summarize or overly simplify all the EQ principles. Instead, I'll share five things that you can do today to become more emotionally intelligent and become happier and more successful in your interactions with others.

5 Components of Emotional Intelligence

When you Google the phrase or pick up the book, you can learn far more about these components. I include them here only as the reference point for the practical suggestions that follow. The five components of emotional intelligence as outlined by Goleman are:

•     Self-Awareness
•     Self-Regulation
•     Motivation
•     Empathy
•     Social Skills

An Observation

While each of these are important to the overall concept of emotional intelligence, if you ask most people to talk about what this idea means, they will most frequently talk about the last two components – the outward focusing components. While empathy and social skills are the outward manifestation of emotional intelligence, trying to focus solely on those two is like putting a Band-Aid on a broken arm – you haven’t treated the root cause of any problems that might exist.

Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence

Given that observation, perhaps not surprisingly, my five suggestions focus on the first three components.

1. Slow down. When interacting with others, slow down so that you can respond rather than react. Think of it as installing a tiny speed bump between your brain and your mouth; most of us could use one, especially before hitting “send.” 

 If you want to get better at anything, you must recognize where you are and then consciously work on changing your approach. This certainly applies to emotional intelligence. Recognizing the power of this approach then choosing to do it can immediately improve results.  If you have ever instantly reacted to someone’s comment or action, you know that doesn’t always go so well.

2. Self-reflect. If you want to get better at anything, being willing to learn from your past actions. This requires that we reflect. When we look back at what we did and how it went, we will learn something. When we recognize our role in those results, we may become more self-aware and better able to adjust our behavior in a similar situation the next time. The good news: reflection is free. The bad news: it occasionally tells the truth.

3. Question yourself. Effective reflection includes asking yourself (and then answering) questions like:

•     What worked?
•     What didn’t work?
•     What did I do to create the results?
•     What could I have done differently to create a better result?
•     What could I have done to be more interpersonally effective?

Notice that these reflective questions focus on us and our role in a situation. Until we are ready to take responsibility and understand our accountability for our results, we can’t become as emotionally intelligent as we might wish to be.

4. Manage your stress level. Few would argue that there is a level of stress above which their ability to effectively interact with others is diminished. That should be reason enough to monitor our stress level. Once we are aware enough to monitor it, we can then take steps to reduce it if necessary. At the very least, we can reduce our personal interaction until our stress level is reduced. What you say or do in a moment of high stress will be later regretted. 

At least recognize you could have done better. When you adjust your behavior because you are aware of your stress level, you will become more emotionally intelligent. If your stress level has its own zip code, it may be time to pause before continuing.

5. Change your focus. The most emotionally intelligent people are other focused. They have better social skills because they want others to be successful. For example, it is hard enough to be a good listener, but to do it when your focus is completely on yourself is nearly impossible. Interpersonal skills are nurtured by a focus on helping, understanding, and valuing others, and wanting the best for them. As you switch your focus to the needs of others, you begin your path towards greater emotional intelligence.

Although these five actions are simple to state and easy to understand, getting good at them is a lifelong practice. That practice will help you become a more emotionally intelligent person.

Turning Knowing Into Doing

Leaders who have been through the Leadership Academy already know about these actions. The key is to practice them. As Confucius is often paraphrased, knowing and not doing is not really knowing. Or, to put it less elegantly: reading about push-ups does not make your arms stronger.

Here is a simple practice routine you can try for the next two weeks:

1.      Each morning, choose one of the five actions to focus on for the day.
2. Before an important conversation, pause for ten seconds and ask, “What response would be most helpful right now?”
3. After the conversation, take two minutes to reflect on what worked, what did not, and what you would adjust next time.
4. At the end of the week, look for one pattern in your behavior and choose one small improvement for the following week.
5. Repeat the process until the actions become less like homework and more like leadership muscle memory.

Click here to read my post about self-awareness, the foundation of emotional intelligence: The Super-Skill of the 21st Century.

To leading with empathy, awareness, and meaningful connection,

 

Peter Mclees Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant

 

SMART DEVELOPMENT

Take the Next Step...
Interested in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability, culture, and employee engagement ? We begin with a collaborative discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To request an interview with Peter Mclees or a SMART Development consultant please 

contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile:323-854-1713

Smart Development has an exceptional track record helping service providers, ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, energy storage and facilities management, distribution centers, food production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services, nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork necessary for growth.

Having worked with several companies throughout their growth cycle, we have valuable insights and strategies that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company achieve sustained growth and prosperity.