Thursday, April 06, 2006

The Seventh Step - Right Mindfulness

The other day when I was running, I was thinking to much about some challenges at work and missing the fact that it was a beautiful spring day, the sky was brilliant blue, there were trees and flowers blooming. I was already on my way home before I noticed what a great day it was.

Right mindfulness is talking about having a clear mind. It means noticing the fine details even while in the middle of diversity. It's noticing the flowers in spite of the problems at work. It means not doing things that serve the ego.

As a project manager, this ties into leadership. Anyone that has led people has probably faced performance issues with them occasionally. I know I have in my past, and it did occupy my mind to where I didn't appreciate the flowers. While these issues must be dealt with, we can't take them personally. We have to address the issue objectively, work through a solution, and then move on. So clear your mind and take a minute to smell the flowers.