I’ve seen a lot of chatter about mindfulness recently. It seems to be “in fashion” right now. I have seen it referenced recently for change activity, I’ve also seen it as part of wellness packages and employee assistance programs. It’s definitely something that is permeating to the surface in many ways.
My first confession here is that I really didn’t know much about it. I’d seen some webinars, read some articles but had no true experience or even observational knowledge of the subject matter.
Through the Curiosity Culture journey, we have been providing Curiosity Labs. These supplement the core workshop and provide a safe space to explore a focus area of true curiosity. We did our first lab on vulnerability and we decided to explore mindfulness within the curiosity lab environment.
Now I work in a world brimming with change challenges. Besides Curiosity Culture I run Capillary Consulting Inc. which focuses on learning, coaching and advisory services for change. I’ve been experiencing a significant rise in requests to understand change resilience and coping mechanisms for change fatigue and its associated experiences of exhaustion and breakdown. So I’ve been exploring, discussing and helping a number of people build managing strategies, action plans and personal contracts to deal with these challenges far more effectively. Now I’ve been looking at how mindfulness can help prepare individuals for change ahead as well cope after the fact. All part of the personal resilience needs for change and life really.
Doing the curiosity lab allowed me to experience mindfulness first hand. To really get a clear understanding and appreciate how it may impact and affect me. I admit I was nervous. I can’t remember the last time I took a half day out just for me and my benefit! I had some adrenaline rushes and some skepticism about the experience. If I’m totally honest I felt both excited by the event and conflicted by the value of taking that much time out of my busy schedule.
So I think I had my own personal a-ha moment! I won’t spoil the experience for others but I will say the way this played with my mind, body and dare I say soul, was a revelation. For the first time in more years than I can count I was able to consider myself as a focus. I was able to find a way to give my mind space to recharge without it involving sleep. I experienced a strong humanity connection and yet also a two-way link to my fellow humans. I also connected with my significance in the world that’s both great and small concurrently. I was both exhausted and energized at the same time after the experience.
In the weeks following the mindfulness experience, I discovered a lot more about my attitudes and approaches to the way I work and live my life beside and intertwined. I realized that living in a world of change I so readily focus on the future; I forget about the current. I also appreciated that I spend a lot of my energy and effort for the benefit of others first, when I should be balancing this with myself.
I’m still exploring where this journey is going to take me. I have definitely become a convert to the world of mindfulness through this experience. I’m working on connecting resilience for change and mindfulness into an experience for people to engage with – proactive and reactive muscle building for change. I’m also excited to see how those involved in the Curiosity Culture experience take this forward as we look at resilience in a future lab.
If you want to talk some more about this experience, what we are developing both for change and curiosity do get in touch with me directly via rich@capillaryconsulting.com or rich@curiosityculture.com
