I recently had the pleasure of hearing some of the top female businesswomen in Dallas speak about mindfulness in the workplace. They were each at different places in their career and life, but there was a common thread that wove through each of their stories. Mindfulness really starts from within and only then can it have the power to transform your surroundings.
Come on, get happy
Research shows that happy people are 12% more productive, which goes a long way considering we only have 24 hours in a day. But choosing to be happy each and every day is no small task. The world is full of negativity, and it’s so easy to get swept up in it. This is one of the reasons I had to stop watching the news every day. I had a morning routine that involved watching the national news while getting ready for work. But I found myself yelling at the tv all the time. It just wasn’t a positive way to start my day. This doesn’t mean I’m not staying aware. I just choose to limit my daily intake of news to a simple morning briefing that I can read on my phone during breakfast.
Being genuinely happy means making the decision to invest in yourself. Only you can choose to focus your energy on what is important and meaningful to you. And this space where energy meets meaning is where you can find your passion. You should have a passion for at least 80% of what your spending your time on. It could be a rewarding job, a hobby that you love or taking care of your family. You might find passion in something else that you can turn in to a side hustle. That’s how it happened for me. I like my job, but I also have a passion for supporting and developing others and a creative side to me that doesn’t always have an outlet. That’s what led me to start this blog where I’m able to share my passions with others.
Take a good, honest look and find out if you’re putting your energy into something you are passionate about. And if you aren’t, it may be time to start a new venture, learn something new or even phase something out. This life is too short to spend doing something that doesn’t feed your soul.
JOMO is the new FOMO
I’m so glad we’ve moved past the FOMO trend. Even though social media would still have me believe that I need to be eating here and traveling there or I’m not really living my best life. It’s too exhausting to be everything and do everything. And it makes it impossible to do any of it well. So I’m totally embracing JOMO. The joy of missing out naturally speaks to my introvert self, but it also helps to prioritize what’s most important. When you can list out the things you absolutely want to put time into, it’s easy to have a list of things that you can say no to. Because ladies, sometimes it’s OK to say no.
Once you have your list of priorities it’s all easy sailing from there, right? If only it were that easy. We are each a work in progress. What matters to you right now might not be what’s most important a year from now. So be adaptable to all the change going on and be open to taking a step back periodically. Reevaluate your purpose each year, and make sure you’re still where you want to be. And if not, figure out what will get you there.
The Power Hour
Once all the hard work of defining your purpose is done, it’s time the tackle it on the day-to-day level. It’s important to have big goals, but you can only begin to tackle them when you take it all one day at a time. Break it down into smaller chunks that are easily achievable. For me, I do this by trying to dedicate at least one hour every day to my side hustle – the Crown & Chaos blog. Sometimes it’s more like 20 minutes, but that’s OK too. Because balance is a moving target IRL. If there even is such a thing as balance.
Finally, I want to leave you with a checklist from a women-preneur that can help you find mindfulness on a daily level. She recommends ending each and every day by asking yourself these simple questions:
- Did I eat well?
- Did I drink well?
- Did I sleep well?
- Did I exercise well?
- Did I socialize well?
Being mindful of these questions and your answers can help reaffirm what you’re doing well And help identify where you need to put more focus. Mindfulness is not something that can happen overnight, but with a little dedication, silence and introspection, you will start to notice the impact over time.
Love,
Sara
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