MINDFULNESS - The Secret Homonym

Mindfulness is everywhere. It’s in boardrooms, wellness retreats, therapy sessions, and TED Talks. It's a buzzword that's been marketed as the answer to burnout, stress, and disengagement. But here’s the problem: most people, including psychologists, coaches, and CEOs, are getting mindfulness wrong. And it’s not entirely their fault.

So is it a scam? Just another passing fad from corporate America to keep you happy at work? In short? No. But mindfulness is also not what you think:

You see, mindfulness is a secret homonym. On the surface, it’s one word, one idea. But dig deeper, and you find two completely different meanings that have been mistakenly fused into one. This mix-up isn’t just a linguistic quirk; it has real consequences for how we understand and apply mindfulness, especially in the workplace. Let’s break it down.

The Two Mindfulnesses

If you dive into the etymology of the word, “mindfulness” has its roots in the Buddhist concept of Sati. Originally, Sati referred to an ancient, and now outlawed, ritual where a widow would self-immolate on her husband’s funeral pyre. Over time, the term evolved to mean “remembrance” and eventually “moment-to-moment awareness of present events.” Sati is a term now largely associated with meditation and grounding techniques. In 1881, this interpretation was translated into English as mindfulness.

This version of mindfulness, the one rooted in observation and meditative practices, was adopted during the American countercultural movements of the 1960s. Its essence is about being a conscious observer, living in the present moment without judgment. Think of it as sitting by a river, watching your thoughts float by like leaves on the water. Outside of writings on meditation, at this point in time, psychology had not been a participant in the use of the word mindfulness.

But then came Dr. Ellen Langer.

In the 1970s, Dr. Langer, often called the “mother of mindfulness,” introduced a radically different take. Her research focused primarily on what she termed mindlessness, the autopilot state most of us live in daily. She argued that mindfulness wasn’t about passively observing life but about actively engaging with it.

Her definition of mindfulness was about intentionality: yes, choosing to be present, but then noticing new things, and most importantly, fully participating in the moment. If the meditative version of mindfulness is about sitting by the river gratefully watching the moment pass you by, Langer’s version is about jumping into the water, experiencing the moment and swimming with purpose.

This distinction is critical because these two concepts, meditative mindfulness and active mindfulness, are not the same. In fact, they’re often in opposition.

The Great Conflation

Fast forward to 2009. Dr. Langer released her groundbreaking book "Counterclockwise: Mindful Health and the Power of Possibility", which explored how changing our perception of aging could literally reverse its effects. This was in large part based on her, at the time, 30+ years of research on mindfulness. Around the same time, and in large part due to Langer's book, “mindfulness” became a buzzword. Fortune 500 companies, mental health practitioners, and self-help gurus latched onto it as a cure-all. But instead of adopting Dr. Langer’s actionable definition, having not read her work, most conflated it with the meditative version that had been around for centuries.

Here’s the kicker: meditation, grounding techniques, and breathing exercises are NOT active mindfulness. They’re tools that can prepare you to become mindful. They help you calm the noise, ground yourself in the present, and create the mental space to engage. But they are not, in and of themselves, the act of being mindful.

Think of it like this: warming up before a workout isn’t the workout itself. It’s preparation. Mindfulness, in the Langer sense, is the workout, the part where you’re actively engaged, making decisions, and participating in life with intention.

Why This Matters for the Workplace

Incorporating mindfulness into the workplace isn’t about teaching employees to meditate for 10 minutes a day. It’s about creating a culture where they’re encouraged to notice, engage, and innovate. It’s about fostering an environment where autopilot is the exception, not the rule. It's about learning to trust your people, rather than creating a generation of button pushers.

Imagine a team meeting where everyone is fully present, not just physically, but mentally. They’re not zoning out or waiting for their turn to speak. They’re actively listening, asking questions, and contributing ideas. THAT is mindfulness in action.

Or think about problem-solving. Instead of relying on habitual patterns, a mindful employee notices new possibilities, questions assumptions, and approaches challenges with fresh eyes. This is the kind of engagement that drives innovation and keeps organizations competitive.

The Balanced Edge

As leaders, we have a choice: we can perpetuate the watered-down version of mindfulness, or we can embrace its true power. The next time you hear the word “mindfulness,” ask yourself: Are we teaching people to observe life passively, or are we empowering them to engage with it actively?

True mindfulness is about being a driver, not a passenger. It’s about showing up, not just in the workplace, but in life, with curiosity, purpose, and presence. And when we get that right, the results speak for themselves.

Until next time, stay sharp, stay engaged, and keep your edge balanced.

Yours in progress,

James W Keeney