Recharge yourself by being mindful
by Rob Wilkins
I am struck sometimes by the ability of individuals to trust process and intellect and not listen to that which they have always known to serve them best, their instinct. Instinct is not something that “occurs” but rather is something that, I would say, gifted individuals recognise and embrace.
It is the combination of intellect with instinct that creates that state of being mindful and alert to the possibilities of all situations.
Carl Rogers, the psychologist whose notoriety was derived by his now famous “Humanist” approach to psychology, once stated, ” I have learned that my total organismic sensing of a situation is more trustworthy than my intellect.”
Sense making is a term that is gaining amazing credence in Knowledge Management circles and my reflection of this is centered around this combination of intellect and instinct or “being mindful”.
My question is, “Is this a learned state or can it only be practiced by a gifted few?” (metaphorically speaking).
Jerry Braza PH.D, in his book “Moment by Moment” states “mindfulness is a natural state of living moment by moment”. The reason why this statement resonates so strongly with me is because of what I observe on a day-to-day basis as a Learning and Development Professional. I observe so many people caught up in the plans of the day, week, month or year and not giving their attention to the moment at hand.
Children provide a wonderful illustration of how the adult mind lets go of this natural skill of being mindful. I am reminded of a story of a family who are on their way to a party and come to a railway crossing that begins to indicate a train is coming. The father, who is driving and already anxious about arriving on time, thinks to himself “Great! Now we will definitely be late”. That is until his 4 year old daughter pipes up and says, “Daddy, Daddy, now we get to see the train go by! This is exciting!” The father appreciates the complete diversity of what his daughter is thinking and for a brief moment, appreciates being mindful and in the moment.
There is a lot to learn from mindfulness and what it means for recharging yourself and your day-to-day performance and I hope to talk about his in more detail in the future.
In the meantime, find yourself a railway crossing and enjoy the moment (metaphorically speaking of course).
Rob Wilkins is a Learning and Development professional with over 20 years experience in Corporate Learning and Development, Management and Executive Development, Learning Technologies and Organisational Performance Improvement. Currently completing his Masters in Knowledge Management and Business Information, Rob is considered a specialist in eLearning and Personal Learning Environments with a strong Knowledge Management influence guiding his research and professional development. Email: dawilkos@tpg.com.au : or more of his insights on a daily basis: Blog: http://roalp.blogspot.com