Does your zipper require attention?

I recently had a very high-profile meeting with a media company CEO.

We were seated on the couch in her expansive NYC office. About 15 minutes into the meeting, I felt this weird starched material scratching my forearm.?

?

It was the washing instructions tag on my blouse.?

?

I realized my shirt, fresh from the dry-cleaner, was inside out.?

I was seams galore.?

?

You’ve probably been in the all-encompassing aftermath of an embarrassing moment.?

(And if you haven’t yet, I’ll wait).

?

?? The video won't load and you are responsible for the presentation (#beenthere).

?? You 'trip up' the stage to receive your award (#notyet).

?? You slip and slide across the marble floor lobby to greet clients (#facts).

?? Your husband walks behind you looking semi-nude while you are on a Zoom (#truth).

?

Embarrassing moments can be intense and require management.?

A light Google search will offer plenty of tips on navigating embarrassment.?

They will tell you to find grace and compassion for yourself, lean into humor, and that mistakes create vulnerability and humanize you.?

?These are all useful tips.?

In the coming days, you can process the gaff with your colleagues or maybe even your therapist.?

But what do you do in the immediate aftermath to get yourself refocused??

You’re still on stage, on the Zoom, or, in my recent case, on the couch.?

You’re still ‘performing’; the moment may have passed, but the task hasn’t.?

?

So what do you do??

?? Shift. An oh Sh*T! moment is a call for an oh, Shift Moment. Shift your focus from your mind to your body. Your brain is doing what it’s supposed to do: think. But right now, we need you out of cognitive contortions. Breathe. Feel your feet on the floor. Give yourself a beat.

?? Detachment. Detachment is a universal principle found in many cultures and belief systems. Detachment is present-moment thinking. We live in the here and now. It’s not detaching from the conversation or the interaction; it’s detaching from the agony—the embarrassment. When we stay in the problem (in this example, the embarrassment), we forfeit our power and ability to think and take the next action. You may have to talk to yourself and say, "Jill (insert your name) Focus.” Bring yourself back to the task and concentrate.

?? Concentrate. Friends, in order to do numbers 1 and 2 above you have to practice concentration. My husband goes batty when I can intentionally detach from my cell phone alarm. I hear it. It’s just not a priority to turn it off because I am focused.

How do you do this??

???Meditate. Meditation is a time-honored technique for awareness, compassion, and concentration. It encourages you to focus on what you are doing rather than what you think. Mindfulness helps us focus, develop precision, and concentrate.?

?? Train your brain.? Engage in brain training activities to boost your thinking skills. Learning a new language, solving crossword puzzles, and playing Wordle are ways to improve concentration, memory, processing, and problem-solving abilities.

Improving your concentration will help when you need to re-focus when “you’re up.” Professional athletes spend hours practicing and learning to improve their concentration, focus, and achieve excellence. Concentrating will improve your overall performance and help you carry on when your zipper needs attention :)

If you want to navigate the complexities of the professional landscape with clarity, confidence, and purpose, I can help. Schedule a free strategy session HERE? where we will dig into your goals and what’s possible.