Success, whether in life or business, really does come down to two main skills that we need to nurture in ourselves and in others. They are compassion and resilience. Yet both of these words are way overused. What if we change those two words into something more meaningful?
Compassion could instead mean creating great communication skills and building connection.
Resilience could be more about strengthening your inner reserves to help you handle stress, challenges and anxiety.
Communicating well goes way beyond empathy and compassion because it requires us to act and actually do more than simply be present and sit with another’s experience. Compassion (and empathy) and resilience cannot happen in any form without the ability to be present and in the moment. Successful people, who know this take time to include short mindfulness practices in between meetings and inserted into even the most busiest and most hectic of days.
They also ensure they look after themselves and their minds FIRST which boosts resilience and boosts their energy and ability to give and focus on others. The best leaders and the most successful people, have that presence and are able to give their attention to every single person they interact with. Right there and then.
If we all did this more, we would notice a big difference in our relationships and in our own mental state.
Why do so many of us find this so hard to do? Simply put, we don’t allow ourselves any space to be present and be in the moment. We kid ourselves that we are “too busy” to be mindful. Really? I think we have completely normalised the notion that we need to be available 24/7 and that somehow our work is so vital and so important there can’t be room for anything else. This is crazy!
I know for myself that when I make time for mindfulness, for balance and for peace I am better at responding and handling whatever is coming my way. When I set boundaries around how often I check email or when I decide to end my working day or have a weekend digital detox I am happier, healthier and more effective – less reactive. Everywhere around me I experience reactions. We’re really good at reacting in the moment.
Let’s nurture these skills of compassion and resilience by taking and making time for mindfulness and upping our awareness the next time we are in a conversation or meeting.
