Mindfulness is anything but a new concept. According to Anne Loehr’s great article today in the Huffington Post “Six Easy Ways to Incorporate Mindfulness Into Your Workday, Start to Finish”, it’s an ancient mental methodology that teaches the applicant to become more deliberately present in the moment– and therefore with the task at hand.

More and more studies are proving just how beneficial the practice of “intentional thought” can be on an individual’s success rate. Whether you are seeking more success in your career or in your personal life, it might be time to dip your toe into this cool, refreshing approach to living.

Anne’s Huffington Post article shows several step by step ways that you can begin to integrate mindfulness into your work day. As a huge proponent of mindfulness and deliberate thought in my own life, I smiled as I read her article. I could imagine some readers wondering how on Earth taking a minute or two to focus on breathing could positively impact their results?

What about those who work in extremely high stakes, high velocity professions? What about those who might consider any form of meditation or mindful thought to be yet another frivolous fad? What about those who find themselves in a true life and death crisis? Who has time to stop and focus on breathing and deliberate thought then?

On February 19, 2016 my youngest daughter Schuyler Arakawa was struck by a boulder while traveling in Colombia, South America. Her injuries were so critical that she was given little chance of surviving, much less recovering. I can tell you as a parent that of all the negative emotions that came crashing down on me, perhaps the worst was the feeling of helplessness. What could I do to improve her odds of survival?

In those moments, I didn’t take time to worry that something might appear too “airy fairy” or unscientific. I needed to find someway to regain my own power so that I could influence Schuy’s. The answer came to me in a form of the mindfulness and of the deliberate positivity that I had practiced for years. I had seen it work in many aspects of my life. It didn’t make sense that it would apply in one area but hold no power in another.

Within days of the accident, I began applying mindfulness and deliberate focus. Numerous studies have implied that what you genuinely focus upon expands. That meant that I had to successfully pivot my thought from Schuy recovering from this accident (the focus being on her injuries) to Schuyler enjoying thriving health five years down the road (focus on health). As I began to achieve this, we all began to see what all around us were labeling as “miracles” or “impossibilities”. I’m not asking you to buy into these developments as miracles. I’m simply sharing the experiences that became our reality during this crisis. The doctors began seeing developments in my daughter’s case that defied their text book training. Irregardless of whether Schuy’s progress was miraculous, I can tell you that my mindful approach to this crisis gave me clarity, courage and an increased ability to truly be present for Schuy.

Bask in the Joy of Whatever is the Next “Normal”

Now, almost a year later, Schuy is alive and recovering. She continues to be in a wheel chair until she can once again learn how to stand and to walk. Our worlds are very different than they were a year ago, but thanks to both of our “mindfulness” our days are filled with laughter and achievement. Our minds don’t take us on the journey of “how much farther we still have to go”. Instead, we have learned to deliberately focus on the potential for joy in every moment.

Mindfulness may be getting more airplay these days, but Schuyler and I are living proof that it’s a mindset that is critical. Precisely during your most formidable challenges is the time when having learned to deliberately focus will serve you well!

If you would like to read the Huffington Post article about applying Mindfulness at Work, click here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/six-east-ways-to-incorporate-mindfulness-into-your_us_58a4914ae4b0e172783aa352 

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