This week I held a keynote speech about mindfulness at a small local networking event. I really enjoyed preparing and giving the talk, but what I enjoyed most were the conversations after.
The talk had a small mindfulness exercise (1 min breathing & body scan), and much to my surprise, most attendants went along with it.
Sharing my journey and connecting with people after the talk was wonderful. I learned a lot about how others started their journey, how their practice looks like, and I got quite a few interesting book recommendations.
If you talk with people about mindfulness:
- they are either already practicing some form of it, in which case your conversation can be very rewardful, with each one of you learning a lot.
- they aren't practicing but are generally open to this topic, in which case you might inspire someone to try this out, or you'll at least have an interesting time answering questions and learning in the process.
- they aren't interested in this topic at all.
Everyone is in a different place on their mindfulness journey, and some will never start it. And all of this is ok.
Talk and listen like you practice: with open ears and a caring heart.
“Sharing will enrich everyone with more knowledge.” ― Ana Monnar
Reading Recommendations
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“Perhaps you’ll resist the urge to interrupt with a question and find that given some space, the other person volunteers the answer or moves into a new direction without you having to ask. […] Having shifted and re-collected yourself, you are better equipped to redirect your attention away from a stress response and your narrowing focus toward a more generous interpretation of what is happening.”
“One’s interest and passion are so important to career, choice of spouse, and overall sense of self and contentment… how is it supported? ... how does it go so awry? How can development proceed well and how can it become so derailed?”
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Weekly Mindfulness Practice
Try to find someone who also practices mindfulness and talk about your journey and experiences, why you started, etc….
End Note
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Have a great week
Simon
PS: What do you think about this? Please hit reply and let me know. I’m curious!
PPS: Over the next few weeks, I'll share a few of the topics of my talk in-depth. If you're a new subscriber and listened to the talk mentioned above, welcome 🤗, and sorry if some of the next newsletters sound familiar!