Awareness

Happy Friday!

I welcome you to this edition of "Awareness" (#226).

Let me ask you a question: Do you know how many breaths you take in a day? Interestingly, breathing is something every living being does constantly from birth, yet rarely pays attention to. If you're unsure about the answer, don't worry — no need to reach for Google. The average person takes approximately 20,000, or more precisely, 21,600 breaths in a day, if they are in good health. The intriguing fact I want to highlight is this:?research?suggests that even just dedicating five minutes of your day to sit with your eyes closed, focusing solely on your breath, can substantially improve your overall health and happiness. In other words, meditation. Thus, bringing consciousness to this simple act that we do all the time, even for a brief moment, can have profound impacts.

Coincidentally, today I came across a?research-based article published on NPR, discussing the effects of prolonged screen time on parent-child relationships. It’s interesting to note that despite children’s assertions that their parents' behavior doesn't influence them, the data indicates otherwise. According to the lead author of the study, "Even if teens say they aren't influenced by their parents, the data shows that parents have a much larger influence than they might realize." What I found particularly compelling about this article was the recommendation for parents to openly communicate their own struggles with screen time, especially with their adolescent children, and come up with mitigation plans. Having a genuine dialogue to devise a feasible solution to limit screen time can significantly enhance the quality of family relationships. A simple act of everyone agreeing to ditch devices during dinner time, for example, can go longways in improving familial bonds.?

Drawing an analogy from these studies to our professional lives:

• We complete countless tasks every day almost automatically, much like breathing. Could consciously dedicating a few minutes before the start of each day to identify the most crucial tasks help improve our productivity and work efficiency?
• Many of us are overwhelmed with more emails than we can manage and a constant influx of calls and alerts, which disrupts our ability to concentrate and prioritize. Is it time for a candid discussion with your supervisor or stakeholders to find a solution that offers some uninterrupted time to focus?
• Most importantly, whether they admit or not, your teams are influenced by your behaviors and actions. To that end, one strategy I’ve found effective is to silence all distractions during my one-on-one meetings with my team members. This ensures uninterrupted, focused interaction.

I invite you all to share your strategies for bringing that awareness in your life?. And I encourage you to ask yourself, how can I enhance my leadership presence?

Let me leave you with this quote by the famous American Psychologist,?Abraham Maslow, “What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.”

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.

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