Mindfulness, as a practice, enhances Emotional Intelligence in such a way that inner peace, life balance, and the necessary level of self-awareness for Emotional Intelligence becomes a way of life.
Many religions have promoted mediation as either a daily practice or as a way of life for centuries and Mindfulness certainly follows that emphasis yet with relaxation and quiet as the focus versus a particular religious belief. Mindfulness as taught by Jon Kabat Zinn is “the practice of maintaining a non-judgmental state of heightened or complete awareness of one’s thoughts, emotions, or experiences on a moment-to-moment basis.”
Consequently, the main emphasis of Mindfulness is on being inwardly present and in the moment. In your thoughts, your feelings, your awareness of your environment within and around you whether at a team meeting, preparing a presentation, or while shifting gears to go home. With practice, and over time, you come to see that Mindfulness is not simply an activity to participate in, it is a state of being. It is a level of consciousness that you choose to live within. I find, for myself, that when I consciously choose to stop for a moment, and simply look within in silence, it can be a period in which I can feel giddy, at peace, in bliss, or simply relaxed, depending upon my expectation, willingness to let go, and desire.
Being that fully present also allows you to sense what can’t be seen, to hear what isn’t being said, and to experience the emotional dynamics in a room. It is amazingly enlightening on so many levels. A level of spiritual detachment, no emotional investment, in the things happening around you is what I find so freeing and so joyful. This level of presence allows you at any moment to acknowledge what needs to be dealt with, what needs to be released, and what loose ends need completion, as well as what you need to be filled within yourself.
In the silence it becomes clear that you are a multi-dimensional being often with conflicting pulls happening simultaneously, at least until you are ready to resolve them. Other pulls will appear later yet knowing how to release the stress of inner conflict takes any fear of unrest away. Mindfulness allows you to energetically experience shifts that are taking place within your body. They may be purely energetic or physical in terms of muscles releasing or stretching, your breath deepening, or beautifully feeling peace invading your body and causing a letting down of all the stress that you have been carrying.
Consequently, you can become far more aware of where you hold tightness. Is there pain anywhere? Sadness? Joy? Excitement? All of these can exist simultaneously in various parts of your body. This degree of self-awareness brings multi-level knowledge and wisdom to support your balance and your growth.
In what may seem to be irony, when you know how to easily achieve a state of Mindfulness, as the world around you gets more and more hectic, you get more and more at peace. The ability to detach from the drama, the story, calls you to go further within in order to see more clearly what is happening around you. That is why those who practice Mindfulness are so noticeable in crisis situations. They resonate strength, balance, and, a clear perspective. They, by choice, are not caught up in the emotional reactions that takes place in such situations. On a larger scale, a company practice of Mindfulness could be a major cultural change agent, calling all of employees to live a balanced, centered, and peace-filled life.
With the combination of Emotional Intelligence and Mindfulness calling you to be present to the reality of who you are, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and energetically, your connection to your soul’s desire, your inner longings, is only natural. With your defenses minimized, you have the ability to identify, and own, those dreams within you that may be calling you far from your everyday life into the next stage of your life or career.
In a state of Mindfulness, without fear and defense, you can simply delight in what is next in your growth. Even if you can’t solidly identify it, you can initially sense it. That knowing is the beginning stage of your preparation to move forward. For some of my clients they were being called on some level to look at changing directions, for another it was being called to agree to a position as President/CEO of a much larger, and merging company that now had many parts, far beyond what she thought she could do. With peace and balance, you simply know, trusting that your development will take place, as it always does. Usually far beyond what you imagined.
In summary, Mindfulness supports:
- Acceptance
- Delight
- Respect
- Trust
- Connection
- Intimacy with yourself and others
- Humor
- Play
- The ability to laugh at yourself, and finally,
- Following your purpose and your dreams
Self-Reflections on Mindfulness:
- Do you have a consistent meditation/reflection practice in place?
- Do you consider “surrender” a weakness or a strength?
- Do you know how to create an inner experience of total peace and joy at will?
I’d love to hear what you think and support you in mastering mindfulness and your success.
Contact me at Dorothy (at) askdrdorothy.com or call (860) 543-5629
To Your Success,
