Self-awareness and mindfulness are essential skills for effective leadership. They help you to understand yourself, your emotions, your strengths, and your weaknesses. They also help you to be more present, focused, and empathetic with others. But how do you practice them daily? Here are some tips to help you develop these habits and improve your leadership performance.
One way to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to start your day with intention. This means setting a clear and positive goal for yourself, such as what you want to achieve, how you want to feel, or how you want to contribute. By doing this, you can align your actions with your values and purpose, and avoid distractions and negativity. You can also use this time to reflect on your gratitude, your achievements, and your challenges, and to plan your priorities and actions for the day.
Leadership Strategist | Empowering Leaders to Lead With Clarity, Efficiency, and Impact
Starting your day with intention can be as simple asking yourself these 3 questions at the start of the day: - Who do I want to be today? - What do I want to accomplish today? - How am I going to accomplish that? Then go ahead and make it happen! Keep it simple ??
2 mindfulness practices which work well and can be easily integrated into our daily routines 1. Taking out time early in the morning to practise mindfulness by sitting in a quiet place and focusing in either your breath or doing a scan of your body for 15 mins Research has shown this practice, if done for 3 months can effect positive and significant changes in our brain 2. Throughout the day, seeking opportunities to practise mindfulness such as when eating, taking a walk, taking a bath These 2 practices seem simple, but in practice are powerful
Another way to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to pause and breathe. This means taking a few moments throughout the day to check in with yourself, your emotions, your thoughts, and your body. By doing this, you can become more aware of your internal state, and how it affects your behavior and decisions. You can also use this time to calm yourself, to release stress and tension, and to regulate your emotions. You can pause and breathe anytime, anywhere, by simply focusing on your breath and noticing how it feels.
Meditating to start your day or completing short medications throughout your day to provide breathing breaks are helpful tools to accomplish this.
Adding 10-15 minutes of guided meditation into the work day has many benefits, including: - Pausing and regaining perspective - Relaxing tension - Lowering intense emotions - Becoming more centered - Returning to work with renewed energy
Meditation and breathing exercises allow you to stay present and calm throughout your day. Try these practices: - First schedule 2-3x throughout the day for breath work - Box breathing - inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, pause breath for 4, then repeat - Relaxed Breathing - inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8 - Alternate Nose Breathing
A third way to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to ask for feedback. This means seeking constructive and honest input from others, such as your colleagues, your boss, your clients, or your mentors. By doing this, you can gain valuable insights into your strengths and weaknesses, your impact and influence, and your areas for improvement. You can also use this time to appreciate and acknowledge others, to learn from their perspectives and experiences, and to build trust and rapport .
Specific questions you can ask are: ?"Think about a time I was truly thriving and use 3 words to describe me then" ?"Think about a time I was truly struggling and use 3 words to describe me then" Collect those responses and reflect on how you felt at that exact moment. Are their descriptions accurate? Did you outwardly handle your emotions as intended? Would you respond the same way now?
A fourth way to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to monitor your actions and reactions. This means observing and evaluating how you behave and respond in different situations, such as how you communicate, how you collaborate, how you solve problems, or how you handle conflicts. By doing this, you can identify your patterns and habits, your triggers and biases, and your opportunities and risks. You can also use this time to adjust and adapt your actions and reactions, to align them with your goals and values, and to optimize your outcomes and results.
I've seen great improvements in taking moments to take a step back and breathe...Close my eyes, take a few deep breaths, and bring my attention to the present moment. Appreciating accomplishments, be them little consistent wins, steps towards goals, and milestones. Share gratitude, compliment and offer words of encouragement to others on their work or accomplishments. Practicing active listening...Genuinely listening to others, deepens understanding of others' perspectives and emotions. Digital Detox.... Disconnect from emails, social media, and notifications. This allows me to fully immerse myself in the present moment, personally interact with others and best of all share a smile with someone. You never know who you're inspiring.
One way to monitor reactions is by setting aside time for daily reflections through journaling. Journaling helps you review your day, identify alignments with your goals and values, and gain clarity on your triggers and patterns.
A fifth way to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to end your day with reflection. This means reviewing and analyzing your performance, your achievements, your challenges, and your learnings. By doing this, you can recognize and celebrate your progress and successes, as well as identify and address your gaps and mistakes. You can also use this time to express your gratitude, your appreciation, and your feedback, and to plan your next steps and actions for the following day.
At the end of the day, ask yourself: - What went well today - What could have gone better - What did I learn today - What am I grateful for today
Spending 15 minutes at the end of the day and reflecting upon the day’s events and key moments can be a transformative practice
The final tip to practice self-awareness and mindfulness daily is to practice regularly and consistently. This means making these habits a part of your daily routine, and committing to them with discipline and dedication. By doing this, you can reinforce and strengthen these skills, and make them more natural and effortless. You can also measure and track your progress and results, and celebrate your growth and development.
BEING 100% PRESENT! Nowadays we are always thinking about the future and doing our daily activities in "automatic mode". The first step of self-awareness, is being present at the moment, being completely involved in what you are doing. When you are working or when you are with your family and friends, just be there and close the other boxes of your mind. Furthermore, take care of yourself by doing exercises, meditation, yoga and control your use on social medias, don't let it control you! In every difficult situation, stop, breath and get aware of your feelings, your emotions... be gentle to yourself. You should be your best friend and remember: a glass of wine and a good friends' chat can be an amazing therapy!