A little bit more about me

c/o The New York Times

When I can confidently say that my decisions are rooted in love and aligned with my deeper purpose, it’s because I’ve accessed this clarity through meditation. In the stillness, I actively remove the clutter, noise and the weight of societal expectations, external obligations, and others' opinions that often cloud my judgment. By doing so, I create the mental and emotional space necessary to hear my own voice, to connect with my intuition, and to recognise what my soul is truly yearning for. This process of tuning into myself isn’t just about quiet reflection; it’s the foundation of self-awareness, which I believe is the gateway to authentic mindfulness. It’s through this mindful practice that I can align my external actions with my internal truths.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is the practice of becoming fully aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental and complete way. Rather than dwelling in the past or worrying about the future, mindfulness involves fully attending to what’s happening right now, to what you’re doing, and to the space you’re moving through. I think often, our minds take flight, we lose touch with our bodies, and we become lost in obsessive thoughts about something that just happened or concerns about the future.

Mindfulness involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them. We don't believe there is a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in any given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we are sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future. It is the mastery of being completely present, dissociating from the thoughts in your mind, and simply existing in the moment you are in.

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Start of the week

I have decided to only post motivation blogs on Monday’s as it will help you start your week on a positive note. Choose what’s good for your soul, not for your ego as true power comes from uplifting others, not tearing them down. Your diet is not only what you eat, but also what you watch, listen to, and read, the people you hang out with and the things you subject your mind and soul to. Always be mindful of the things you put into your body emotionally, physically, and spiritually.

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Focus on being

© Aleksandr Simonov

Mindfulness is based in Eastern philosophy, and has been describes as deliberately seeing what is in front of you, being fully present, and noticing what you’re doing, thinking and feeling in the moment. Mindfulness is gaining recognition as an approach to business and to risk management. From my perspective, meditation continually teaches me how to develop a different relationship to my thoughts and emotions. When my mind gets distracted by the commentary, I try to refocus on the being, in other words the present moment. Focusing on these micro moments are the key to mindfulness and has helped me reprogram my stress response. More present, more aware, less wound-up, less reactive and this has a huge effect on how I deal with situations around me.

“The older you get, the more quiet you become. Life humbles you so deeply as you age. You realise how much nonsense you’ve wasted time on.”

— Vala Afshar

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We are very distracted

We are living in environments with all kinds of competing information and we often work and live-in places that are also overloaded with information. The ability to selectively focus on certain things and ignore other things is part of our capacity as humans. There are distractions everywhere and this is the first time in human history where almost every on the planet has a mobile device. These devices have all kinds of attractions, amusements, and diversions, so we are constantly being pulled away from that one thing we need to do, and I think mindfulness can help.  

What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is where you use your strength of concentration to become a witness to your own thoughts and feelings. I think mindfulness is a mental work out, every time you bring your mind back into focus you are strengthening your concentration. Instead of being fused by our experience, we can step back and still participate in the experience fully and have more control over our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Your ability as a salesperson to fix your attention on what matters and ignore distractions is a valid predictor of positive financial outcomes. Mindfulness is a method of training your attention in bringing it where you want and keeping where you want it to be. Contact me via e-mail for 1:1 coaching cognitive control sessions.

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"The Guest House"

Another one of my favourite poems is “The Guest House” by Rumi (13th century Persian poet). Rumi speaks about treating all our experiences, whether good or bad as honoured guests. Welcome and entertain them all, even if they are a crowd of sorrows who violently sweep our house of its furniture, still treat each guest honourably. Perhaps, this is clearing us out for a new delightful adventure.

“This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.

Be grateful for whatever comes.
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.”