Mindfulness & Marketing (3/31/2023)
The best things in life come from unique blends.
That's the magic of Mindfulness & Marketing.
This week, I discovered some fascinating perspectives that aligned with things I've been contemplating myself.
Here you go...
1) On Feeling Safe
This post (see below) from Simon Sinek is deeper and more profound than it appears on the surface.
It reads:
"We will only have work-life balance when we feel safe at home and safe at work."
Let's hone in on the "safety" part, because that's where it gets interesting.
This isn't about safe spaces, political correctness or anything like that.
Feeling safe starts in your body. That's the foundation.
Most people do not feel safe in their body most of the time.
It's subtle too, not necessarily an acute fear of immediate danger.
Here's a good barometer. If you can't instantly drop into a deep, peaceful meditation — even with your eyes open — you don't feel safe to some degree. Now don't be hard on yourself. This is most people (myself included).
Not feeling safe is a combination of so many things: trauma, stress, anxiety, health, societal conditioning, over-thinking, hyper-stimulation, etc. Stuff we all have.
You only realize how wound-up you are in those moments where you relax fully (like at the end of a massage), and you think, "Wow, I thought I was calm before, but I'm realizing I'm stressed out 24/7."
Feeling safe is a nervous system phenomenon. You can practice being mindful of your mental/emotional state and coach your body (nervous system) into feeling safe.
If you want to learn more about this, I write about nervous system awareness here: The Golden Key
So how does this all connect?
When you feel safe, you become resilient to stress. This allows your body, your thoughts and emotions to naturally find balance.
With this inner harmony, you create a foundation for external harmony. You're able to rest at home, and be productive at work without adding unnecessary stresses, fears and complications.
Think about a calm flow state compared to a manic scrambling. That's the difference feeling safe makes.
2) On Things Not Going "Your Way"
This one is from Marie Forleo .
She touches on so many important concepts in the video clip linked below.
领英推荐
Marie's words remind me of something I wrote a few days ago:
If things were always “perfect,” there would be no growth (or uniqueness). If things always went “your way,” your ego would be so big, and so entrenched, that you couldn’t see outside of it. Embrace the imperfections and challenges of life. There’s magic in it.
We all go through challenges. Messages like this are great reminders, so we don't get lost in self-doubt, frustration and disappointment.
Be yourself.
Express your unique brilliance as authentically as you can.
Have faith that things will unfold for your highest good.
And move forward with patience.
3) On Creativity & Meetings
I love this post from The Marketing Millennials .
Does that happen to you too?
I know I get my best ideas...
This is especially true for introverts and creative people. The pressure to come up with brilliant ideas in conversation, with lots of people around, isn't the most conducive space for creativity.
If it was, Einstein would've had meetings all day instead of daydreaming and sailing on Lake Como.
This also leads me to a critique about "work culture."
Why do so many companies still think "time spent trying to be busy" equates to productivity. It doesn't, unless you're a factory worker.
In fact, mindless busy work (for the sake of being busy) just creates more problems long-term and stresses everyone out.
There's a world of difference between being busy and being effective.
Long-term productivity looks like taking a walk in the park and coming up with creative ideas, then implementing them in a calm flow state (which brings us back to feeling safe).
See? Everything comes full circle.
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Much love,
Stephen Parato