The greatest asset you have is your mind and your mindset.
I'm going to let you pause on that for just a moment and decide what you think about it.
Maybe you think the greatest asset you have is your body - all buff and muscled up. Well, what happens when the body fails on you, gets sick or injured?
The late and great physicist Dr. Stephen Hawking went on to make some of the most significant contributions on the workings of the universe without having a healthy strong body to rely on - just his mind! (I'll let you look up his story because it's spectacular!)
Regardless of what happens around you and to you, you always have one thing that is within your control - your Mind and what you choose to think - your Mindset. Now, you might be sitting there, as you read these words, thinking "Well, you don't know my mind, it's crazy busy all the time and I can't seem to get it under control, most days".
Okay that might be so and very true for many of us and by "under control" I don't mean it's all zen-like, all the time. However, you have control over what you choose to think and put into your mind and you do have control over how busy it is whether you believe that in this moment or not. Also consider that it is not because you can't get it under control, it's simply because you are choosing not to. You are choosing not to train and condition the greatest asset you have been given - that's all. No judgement intended here, it's just the way it is. I've seen it now in countless individuals who thought they had the busiest mind on the planet and couldn't get it under control and through practice they have made significant improvements.
So if at this point we are in agreement that:
1) the mind is our greatest asset &
2) we can choose to train this asset
Well then it's a matter of choosing a proven and effective way to do so and this is where meditation & mindfulness come in and why I am so passionate about it. After 15 years of being a coach, what I have found to be true is that you can site all sorts of qualities that make for a great mind & mindset; qualities like:
- focus
- clarity
- perspective
- growth oriented
- emotional intelligence
- resilience
- self awareness
- self-esteem
The list goes on an on. I can open a book or blog on leadership and there are countless recommendations on the skills one needs to build. You can open a book on personal and spiritual growth and there are all sorts of recommendations. All good stuff to be sure and over the years I have read many.
But here's the thing and what I have discovered, over the years: You need a tangible way to build these life & leadership skills otherwise it's all just nice theory & that's where the science of the mind on meditation comes in!
There is a growing interest in meditation & mindfulness that goes beyond a nice way to manage some stress. The growing science shows that it is a tangible way to build and practice leadership and life skillsets that are more difficult to cultivate when the brain and mind are in busy mode. It is a tangible way to train the greatest asset you have - the Mind!
Why? Well, in a very small nutshell; when the brain is in busy mode the analytical mind tends to get in the way and there are all sorts of other brain centres like the amygdala and the DMN (Default Mode Network) that are all dialled up and also getting in the way.
And these times call for us to become more inspired and also more diligent at working on our mind and mindset as it gives us an inner edge that we are going to need more and more. Meditation helps us build this Inner Edge - not just talk about, but build it and strengthen it and this serves and supports us each and everyday and in every way. Whether we are going into a very important meeting or having a conversation with our spouse or partner - we need the Mind to give us that Inner Edge.
So you can sit there with the knowledge and insight that "Yes, it's true my mind is the greatest asset I have" or you can take this logical insight and do something about it. Get that sweet butt on a seat and build your own Inner Edge.
Be well my friends...thinking of you...
Angela
Mediation Coach