In a recent coaching session, a client was feeling overwhelmed by all the possible angles on a situation. Every option opened another door, and every thought created another thought. There was no lack of intelligence in the room. There was no lack of commitment, professionalism or care. If anything, there was too much effort being applied in the same direction. The mind was working hard, but the system as a whole was not becoming clearer.

This is one of the great challenges of modern professional life. We are trained to believe that more thinking will solve almost everything. If the answer has not appeared, we assume we need more data, more analysis, more consultation, more planning or more time turning it over in the mind. Of course, there are moments when careful thought is essential. Rigour matters. Preparation matters. But there is a difference between discernment and rumination. Discernment clarifies, whereas rumination keeps us circling around fear dressed as problem solving.

In that session, clarity did not arrive through more analysis. It arrived in the silence. A pause, a breath, and a little space changed the quality of the conversation. Then came one simple question for the client to focus on: “What do I need?” Not what will impress. Not what will please everyone. Not what will prove competence. Not what might avoid discomfort. Simply, “What do I need?” From that question, something shifted. The answer did not feel manufactured by the mind. It felt as if it emerged from beneath the noise, from the body, the heart and the quieter intelligence that had been waiting to be heard.

I have come to trust these moments. They remind me that wisdom often speaks in a different register from anxiety. Anxiety tends to repeat itself, accelerate and demand immediate certainty. Wisdom is usually quieter. It may not give us a fully formed five-year plan, but it often shows us the next true step. When we slow down enough to hear it, we may discover that the answer is not as complicated as the mind has made it. Sometimes the most conscious move is the simplest one.

The phrase that keeps returning to me is, “easy is right.” By easy, I do not mean comfortable, lazy, passive or effortless. I mean the kind of ease that appears when something is aligned, honest and quietly true. There is an ease that comes when we stop forcing life through a narrow idea of how things should be and begin listening to what is actually true. That kind of ease can still ask courage of us. In fact, it often does.

This may ask us to have the honest conversation, set the boundary, accept the support, let go of an old identity or take the step that no longer needs to be justified to everyone. It may ask us to stop performing complexity when the simpler truth is already available. It may ask us to trust that a clear next step is enough, even when the whole path has not yet revealed itself. This is not avoidance. It is alignment.

This is particularly relevant for high performers, because many of us have been rewarded for making things hard. We have learned to associate strain with value and exhaustion with commitment. We may even mistrust simplicity, as if the straightforward answer cannot possibly be sufficient. Yet in my experience, a great deal of leadership maturity involves learning when to stop adding complexity and return to what matters. Not every decision needs another layer of performance. Not every challenge needs to become a drama of self-worth. Sometimes we need to slow down, breathe, and ask the more honest question.

This is also part of Conscious Confidence. Confidence is not always about having more certainty or projecting more authority. Often, it is about the ability to remain present when the mind is noisy, to listen beneath the surface and to act from alignment rather than panic. Conscious Confidence invites us to notice the difference between the part of us that is trying to control every outcome and the part of us that already knows the next right step. It is not bravado. It is not avoidance. It is a grounded willingness to meet reality with presence and move from there.

A simple practice can help. When you notice yourself looping, pause before adding another thought. Take a breath and feel your feet, your hands, your body in the chair. Let the question arise gently: “What do I need?” Then wait. Do not rush to answer from the same level of thinking that created the loop. Give the body and heart a chance to respond. You may be surprised by what becomes obvious when the noise begins to settle.

So perhaps the invitation is this. Where are you overcomplicating something right now? Where has rumination disguised itself as responsibility? Where might clarity be waiting not in more thought, but in a deeper pause? Slow down. Listen. Ask what is important. It does not have to be so hard.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post Easy Is Right: How to Stop Overthinking and Find Clarity appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Before a word is spoken, before a direction is set, something else is already happening. Your mood is entering the room.

Human beings are exquisitely sensitive to one another. We read tone faster than content. We feel the atmosphere before we analyse the message. A leader who is tense, reactive, or unsettled may still deliver a well-constructed plan, but the underlying signal tells a different story. The team feels it, and they respond accordingly.

This is what we might call emotional contagion. Not as a theory, but as a lived experience. A leader’s state spreads. It shapes the field in which everyone else operates.

Self-regulation, then, is not a personal luxury. It is a professional responsibility.

To regulate is not to suppress. It is not about becoming neutral or flat. It is about developing the capacity to notice what is happening within you, and to remain in relationship with it without being overtaken. There is a steadiness that can hold intensity without amplifying it.

When a leader can do this, something subtle but powerful changes. Conversations become clearer. Reactions slow down just enough to allow choice. The space between stimulus and response becomes usable.

In that space, leadership begins.

Consider a moment of pressure. A deadline is missed. A client is unhappy. The instinctive reaction might be frustration or urgency expressed sharply. It feels justified. Yet the impact is often contraction in others. People become cautious, guarded, less willing to think openly or admit difficulty.

Now imagine the same moment held differently. The leader feels the same surge of energy, but does not transmit it unconsciously. There is a pause, a breath, a conscious choice of tone. The issue is still addressed directly, but without unnecessary escalation.

The difference is not in the content. It is in the regulation.

Over time, this creates a culture. Not one defined by rules, but by nervous systems that feel safe enough to function well. Clarity improves. Ownership increases. Creativity returns.

Self-regulation is trainable. It is built through simple, repeated acts of awareness. Noticing your breath before responding. Feeling your feet on the ground during a difficult conversation. Recognising the early signs of reactivity and choosing not to follow them blindly.

These are small practices. Yet their impact is cumulative.

The invitation is straightforward. Begin to take responsibility for the state you bring into the room. Not perfectly, but consciously. Notice when you are steady, and notice when you are not.

Leadership does not start when you speak. It starts in the moment before.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post Leadership Starts With Self-Regulation appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Many people recognise two familiar patterns in themselves. In some situations, they collapse, softening their position, holding back their perspective, or deferring too quickly in order to maintain harmony. In others, they move towards force, becoming more rigid, more certain, or more defensive in an attempt to hold their ground. Both responses are understandable, and both are driven by the same underlying dynamic.

At the point of disagreement, the nervous system often interprets the moment as a form of threat. This may be social, reputational, or emotional, but the effect is similar. The body tightens, the breath shortens, and thinking narrows. From this place, communication becomes reactive rather than intentional, and what is said is often shaped more by protection than by clarity.

Learning to disagree well begins with recognising this internal shift. Before focusing on language or strategy, it is worth noticing what is happening in the body. Is there tension in the chest or jaw? Has the breath become shallow? Is there an urgency to speak quickly or defend a position? This awareness creates a moment of choice.

Stabilising the system, even briefly, changes the quality of the response. A slower breath, a pause, or a simple awareness of physical contact with the ground can be enough to interrupt escalation. From this more settled state, it becomes easier to communicate clearly without becoming forceful.

One useful principle is to separate clarity from aggression. It is entirely possible to express a different view without raising intensity. In fact, the more grounded the delivery, the more likely it is to be heard. Language that opens space, rather than closes it, supports this. Phrases such as “I see this differently” or “Can we explore another angle?” allow disagreement to remain constructive rather than adversarial.

Equally important is the willingness to listen. Disagreement is not simply about presenting a counter position. It is an opportunity to understand more fully, to refine thinking, and to see where perspectives may overlap or diverge. When both parties feel heard, even without agreement, the conversation becomes more productive.

There is also a deeper layer at play. Disagreement often touches identity. Being right can feel closely linked to being competent or respected. When this connection is strong, conversations carry more charge, and it becomes harder to remain open. Developing confident communication involves loosening this link, allowing disagreement without taking it personally.

In my experience, those who navigate disagreement most effectively are not those with the strongest arguments, but those with the greatest internal stability. They can remain present, hold their perspective, and stay open to others without collapsing or escalating.

This is not about becoming passive or agreeable. It is about developing the capacity to stay grounded under pressure, so that communication remains clear, respectful, and effective. When this capacity is in place, disagreement becomes a strength rather than a risk.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post How to Disagree Without Collapsing or Attacking appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

You can read more about the project here:
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25986401.innovative-soundscape-takes-fans-heart-open/

And watch the short piece below:

What stood out most to me was not simply the setting, but the underlying principle that ran through the work. Performance is not only physical or technical. It is deeply influenced by the quality of attention we bring to the moment.

Where attention goes, energy follows. When attention is scattered, performance fragments. When attention is steady, performance stabilises. This applies as much in a leadership meeting as it does on a golf course.

In professional environments, attention is constantly under pressure. Multiple demands, competing priorities, and ongoing communication streams pull focus in different directions. Without awareness, this leads to fragmentation, where individuals are present in form but not fully available in attention.

This has a direct impact on communication. Listening becomes partial, responses become reactive, and conversations lose depth. Over time, this affects not only performance but also the quality of relationships and decision-making within teams.

The work we explored in this project was centred on subtle shifts in awareness. How sound and environment can support presence, and how even small adjustments in attention can change the experience of performance. These are not abstract ideas. They are practical and observable.

In my work with professionals across law, finance, and leadership, the same principle applies consistently. When individuals learn to steady their attention, communication improves, decisions become clearer, and pressure becomes more manageable. Presence is not separate from performance. It is a condition for it.

What I appreciated about this project was its simplicity. There was no need for complex frameworks or heavy language. The value lies in reminding people of something fundamental, that how we attend shapes how we perform.

Whether on a golf course or in a boardroom, this remains true. Attention is not just a resource. It is a skill that can be developed, and one that has a direct impact on how effectively we work and lead.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post Communication, Presence and Performance at The Open appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

Like many professionals, I focused on diaries, deadlines, and efficiency. If I could just structure my days more intelligently, I assumed capacity would take care of itself. It took me much longer to understand the limits and dynamics of my energy, and the fact that it has needs of its own.

That understanding did not arrive through insight alone. It arrived through consequence.

Over the years, I have worked with many clients, particularly those approaching or recovering from burnout, who discovered the same truth the hard way. It is not possible to burn the candle at both ends indefinitely. Something always gives.

Often, what gives first is clarity. Decision-making becomes harder. Patience shortens. Creativity fades. The body keeps score long before collapse is obvious.

Time management does not solve this.

You can have an organised calendar and still feel depleted. You can be highly productive and quietly exhausted. Energy, not time, is the real currency of sustainable performance.

Energy shapes how we show up in meetings, how we communicate under pressure, and how we lead. It determines whether work feels purposeful or heavy. When energy is low, even simple tasks can feel effortful.

Most professionals are trained to override this. We push through. We normalise tiredness. We interpret depletion as weakness rather than information.

What I eventually learned is that energy is not just physical. It is influenced by emotional load, cognitive demand, and alignment with values. You can sleep well and still feel drained if you are carrying unresolved tension or working against yourself.

Working with energy starts with awareness. Noticing when you feel naturally focused. When momentum is available. When your system begins to tighten or withdraw. These signals are subtle, but they are consistent.

Ignoring them comes at a cost.

Another key shift is respecting limits without making them wrong. Limits are not failures. They are part of being human. When we deny them, we compensate with willpower. When we respect them, we work more intelligently.

Recovery is also often misunderstood. It is not just rest or distraction. True recovery restores. It reconnects you with yourself. That might be through movement, silence, time in nature, at a gallery or play, or in meaningful conversation. The form matters less than the effect.

Energy is also deeply connected to meaning. When work is aligned, effort feels different. When it is misaligned, even success can be exhausting. Many of the professionals I work with who have experienced symptoms of burnout have been living out of alignment with their energy and values for too long.

Small changes make a difference. Cleaner boundaries. Pauses between meetings. Letting the nervous system settle rather than carrying momentum from one task into the next.

When you begin to work with energy, not just time, something shifts. Work becomes more sustainable. Focus improves. Presence returns.

Time will always be finite. Energy, when listened to and respected, can be restored.

Learning this earlier would have saved me some wear and tear. Learning it now allows me to work with greater ease, depth, and longevity.

How can you be more attuned with your energy and values today?

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post Working With Energy, Not Just Time appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

The clarity or optimism of January begins to soften. Intentions that felt strong a few weeks ago may already feel distant, unrealistic, or oddly irrelevant. This is not failure. It is information.

January invites aspiration. February invites honesty.

If you have lost track of your early year intentions, or feel less connected to them than you expected, it may be an invitation to drop a little deeper into the real potential of the year ahead.

Many professionals approach direction as something to be decided once and then enforced. Goals are set, plans are made, and momentum is expected to follow. When reality does not cooperate, self-judgement often steps in.

There is another way to relate to direction.

True direction does not come from tightening our grip. It comes from listening more closely to what is actually alive now.

In my work with high-functioning professionals, I often see clarity confused with control. People try to force certainty before they have checked in with their energy, capacity, or changing context. The plan may look sound, but internally it feels brittle.

Direction that lasts is responsive, not rigid.

Rather than asking, “What should I achieve this year?”, a more useful question is, “What wants to move through me this year?” This shifts the focus from pressure to potential.

There is also a useful perspective worth holding here. Human beings tend to overestimate what they can achieve in one year and underestimate what they can achieve in three.

When we compress everything into a twelve-month window, we create urgency that distorts judgment. We push too hard, too fast, and then lose heart when progress feels slower than expected.

When we widen the horizon, something relaxes. We can work with seasons rather than sprints. Foundations matter again. Depth becomes possible.

This longer view allows direction to breathe.

One simple practice is to notice where energy is naturally gathering. What themes keep returning? What conversations you cannot quite let go of? What feels quietly compelling rather than loudly urgent. These are signals worth respecting.

Forcing outcomes is often driven by fear. Fear of falling behind. Fear of not maximising potential. Fear of being judged. When fear is in the driving seat, direction becomes narrow and effortful.

When presence leads, direction becomes steadier.

This is particularly important in complex professional environments where certainty is rare. Leaders who can hold direction lightly, without collapsing into indecision or hardening into control, tend to navigate change with more ease and effectiveness.

Another helpful distinction is between direction and timeline. Something can be deeply important without needing immediate expression. Allowing an intention to mature, rather than rushing to execute it, often leads to wiser decisions.

Direction is also refined through action. You do not need the full map. You need the next honest step. From there, feedback arrives and course correction becomes natural.

Seen this way, direction is a relationship, not a declaration.

As the year unfolds, you will change. Circumstances will shift. New information will arrive. Direction that can adapt without losing integrity is far more powerful than plans that look impressive but cannot bend.

So if February finds you questioning your January intentions, pause. Breathe. Drop beneath expectation into listening. Ask what is genuinely asking for your attention now.

The year is not asking to be forced. It is asking to be met.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten

2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here

3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post How to Set Direction Without Forcing Outcomes appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

One of the most intriguing and confronting questions of our time is this:

Is artificial intelligence becoming conscious?

With the recent leaps in generative AI and machine learning, conversations that once belonged to science fiction are entering the mainstream. We’re witnessing machines converse, solve problems, generate art, and even reflect on their own processes.

But what exactly do we mean by conscious?

If consciousness is awareness, presence, and the capacity to choose from a place of meaning, AI, so far, does not meet the mark. What it demonstrates is mimicry of intelligence, not presence. Processing, not being.

Yet something profound is unfolding.

The Mirror of Artificial Intelligence

AI, at its best, is a reflection. A mirror held up to human inputs, language, values, and biases. It reveals our brilliance and our blind spots in equal measure.

When I interact with AI, I’m not speaking to a conscious entity, but I am having a conscious experience. I bring awareness to the exchange. I use it as a lens, a prompt, a tool for contemplation.

This is where the deeper meaning lives.

Rather than ask is AI conscious?, a better question might be:
Can we use this moment in history to become more conscious ourselves?

The Danger of Projection

Human beings project consciousness onto pets, objects, even brands. It’s natural we do the same with AI. But mistaking the output of an algorithm for the presence of being is a spiritual error.

We must stay grounded in discernment. Consciousness is not code. It arises through depth, embodiment, life-force. Through mystery.

As we continue to develop increasingly sophisticated tools, we are being tested, not technologically, but ethically. How will we use these tools? To uplift or to distract? To connect or to control? To evolve or to escape?

Stewards of the Conscious Field

AI isn’t the threat. Our unconsciousness is.

We must meet this moment not just with innovation, but with wisdom. With spiritual maturity. With an understanding that the future isn’t about machines awakening, it’s about us awakening.

The greatest danger is not AI becoming conscious.
It’s humanity choosing not to.

So let us lead. Let us set the tone. Let us bring the frequency of love, truth, and presence into every space we inhabit, digital or otherwise.

That is how we co-create a future worth living in.

By Neil Seligman

Neil Seligman is a pioneer in the field of conscious leadership and a passionate advocate for mindfulness, presence, and spiritual growth at work and in life. He is the author of Conscious Leadership and 100 Mindfulness Meditations, and the Founder of The Conscious Professional.

Ready to go deeper? Here are three ways to connect:

1. Try our 10-day online mindfulness course: Zen in Ten
2. Explore 1:1 Coaching or Energy Work: Schedule Here
3. Explore Keynotes and Team Trainings: Let’s Talk

The post Is AI Becoming Conscious? appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

The above quote is new to me, but its lesser phrasing (written and repeated often by myself) is one of my personal guiding principles. My wording is that you must always chase perfection at the same time as being comfortable with the fact that perfection is not possible. Another friend repurposed this to me the other week by saying, ‘strive for perfection, and you receive progress.’

The fact is, one person’s ‘perfect’ is not always the same as another’s, and ultimately the worst thing you can do is not to fall short of that goal, but to give up. Striving for perfection gives you purpose. It keeps you alive to the world. If you become friends with the notion that you will never quite hit it, then you will grow upwards, outwards and inwards.

1.     You Stay Hungry

I write, as you well know. But when I’m not writing, I’m acting. If I am ever working on a show that runs for a length of time, there is almost always a point where boredom sets in. At this point, I could be convinced that unearthed every secret, nuance, emotion and beat that could possibly be found in the show. It is perfectly acceptable to plod along and do the same thing night after night, but after a while, you tend to lose your love for it. When I begin to feel like this, I ask myself, “Are there any parts of this that could be better? Is there a moment I haven’t nailed down just yet?” This striving for moments of perfection keeps me interested. It keeps me engaged. This can be applied to any industry. If you are bored, consider if there is anything (could just be a little thing) that you could look to perfect.

2.     You Become Sensitive to Change and Innovation

Striving for perfection and hence engaging consciously with the world you are operating within, helps to keep you resilient to change. It also helps you to stay current. As stated before, what is perfect in today’s world may not be perfect in tomorrow’s world. If you are used to searching for perfection on a daily basis, you will be aware of how the world is altering around you, and you will be personally acclimatised to dealing with said alterations. This means, that when a big, unexpected change comes along, you are likely to be more resilient to its impact, and more able to adapt what you are doing to it.

3.     You Remember to Listen

After doing things the same way for a long time, one tends to disconnect. If I can use the acting analogy again… when a show is new, you are still paying attention to everything and everyone, making sure that you respond where you need to respond, be where you need to be, make work what needs to work for the performance to hold together as a whole. Once this initial stage is over, it is natural to eventually move into autopilot, and disengage to an extent. However, if you are looking for new opportunities to improve and perfect all the time, you begin to listen and engage with your surroundings once more, making your performance (whether on stage or in an office) much more creative, energetic and innovative.

4.     The Upkeep of Your Working Attitude

If you are always looking for ways to perfect the execution of your job, that focus is likely to underpin the development of a strong work ethic. Work ethic is something not often talked about in the workforce, but it is absolutely a desirable trait. But again, be warned, perfection is not to be obsessed over, but rather used as a focus for, little by little, growing your own skillset and realising the potential of the business you are working within.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post Why Going for Perfection is Worthwhile appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

The festive season brings many things with it; coziness, an abundance of social engagements, food, drink, jollity, gifts, more food, TV, lights, crips walks, warm fireside nights, and, more often than not… a renewal of hope.

Whether you believe in new year’s resolutions or not, I think it is fair to say that the new year does bring a feeling of turning over a new leaf. The joy of December and the opportunity to have reflected and found nugget of clarity, often blesses us with a sense that this year might be a year where you finally do that thing, change that habit, or hit that goal.

Many of you will also know that this feeling does eventually subside. One the momentum of life starts running underneath you again, this clarity can be washed away with all the other concerns that our daily lives bring. So, the rub is, how to we use this brief burst of hopeful energy to propel us far into the year and into the rest of our lives?

January is always snubbed as being a dead month full of blues and comedowns. Rebrand it! Make it the month of new habits, new promises, and new improved versions of yourself!

1.     Make a 12-Point List

Often, when we have hopes for the new year, they stay in our brains, and so, are disposed of easily. Goals are more easily hit when planned out and made more achievable. In terms of your big goals, plan to hit one per month for the next year. These goals could be, ‘try a new hobby’, or ‘get to the gym once a week’, or ‘cook 3 new recipes this month’. Also, very important… write them down. Make them ‘tick offable’. It’s amazing how much more accountable you become to your goals when they are out in the real world and not in your brain.

2.     Scatter New Habits Across January

Here’s the thing… you may have many ambitions for the ‘new year you’, and if you do, it is probable that not all of them will stick. The monthly 12-point list will work for some people, but for others, what might work best is to cram January with all their new ideas and potential goals, knowing that most won’t stick, but some will. This is an approach that works well for me… the ‘keep throwing mud and see what sticks’ approach. It harnesses an idea that what is supposed to work, will work, and what isn’t won’t! It is progress, but with less pressure.

3.     Meditate – Take Yourself Back

The new year energy comes to you in moments of contentment and clarity. You are sitting in a comfortable chair, eating or drinking something nice, in a fluffy jumper, with happy voices all around. This circumstance is easy to forget when you are in the depths of February and life is chugging along full throttle.

In these moments, close your eyes. Meditate. Try to take yourself back there. Back to that moment and that feeling. The moment where your new year energy, and your new ambition hit your heart. Try to conjure up that place and that feeling once more.

4.     Be Kind to Yourself

One of my worst traits is to beat myself up when I don’t hit a target I wish to hit, or achieve my already to ambitious goals. However, I think I am also very good at moving past these daily personal disappointments and getting back on the horse.

I see it in many people. I’ve seen it in myself! They let one trip or stumble become a good enough reason to give up. The classic example; a person joins the gym and pledges to go twice a week. But in week four of January, they don’t go at all and see that as a failed attempt, and draw a line under the whole thing. New habits do not form overnight, they are a process. Be kind to yourself. Let yourself stumble, fall, and fail. Know that the horse you have fallen off has not bolted, it is standing there, patiently waiting for you to get back on.

By Chris Thomson

P.S. Whenever you are ready… here are 3 ways we can support your personal and professional Conscious Goals:

1. Learn To Meditate With Neil In Just 10 Days!

Zen in Ten, our flagship online course, is a ten-day mindfulness challenge for people who need to slow down.

2. Work With Neil One-To-One

See if a Coaching Partnership or Professional Wellbeing Appointment is right for you. Book a 15-minute discovery call with Neil Seligman here.

3. Bring The Conscious Professional To Your Business

See if The Conscious Professional training and coaching programmes are right for your team or workplace. Book a call here.

The Conscious Professional is dedicated to delivering inspiring corporate mindfulness and professional resilience training, conscious leadership coaching and workplace wellbeing services at the level of professional excellence. Thank you for following our blog.

The post 4 Tips for Springboarding into the New Year appeared first on The Conscious Professional.

One would hope that somebody will notice if you work in a company surrounded by other people and are having a rough day. One of the signs of a company that does not value worker wellbeing or resilience is the feeling that you are all alone when you are not feeling at your best.

The most mindful of companies, led by conscious leadership, create a culture of support, connection, kindness, and shared responsibility (for both the work and the wellbeing of all who work within it). That being said, it is also our duty as individuals, whether you are part of a workforce like this or not, to look out for those that we spend most of our days with. After all, we wouldn’t want to feel totally alone in a room full of colleagues, would we?

Here are a few thoughts on how to help create a supportive environment, wherever it is that you spend your working hours…

1.     Stay Consciously Connected

Staying connected sounds obvious. You need to connect with colleagues to collaborate on tasks and projects, so connection goes without saying, right? Well, maybe not. Yes, you will talk about work stuff with others, but make sure you also take the time to understand how they are feeling and about what is going on with their lives. Also, try not to be someone who judges any of this, just let people be people, with their joys, struggles and opinions without it necessarily impacting how they function at work. All of this is especially important if, as my wife does, you work from home and only speak to colleagues via video call. Make sure you check in about life stuff as well as work stuff.

2.     Signs of Struggle

Try to be observant about colleagues. Get to know them properly. This doesn’t mean that you have to be the best of friends, but it does mean keeping your eyes open to the tendencies and systems of the other people you work with. Not only does this make it easier to understand who is good at what, and how to assign people to tasks (if task assigning is something that you do), but it also helps you to know if something is off. Observation will help you to see signs of struggle. 

3.     Reach Out

Reaching out and asking if somebody is OK is not that big a deal. Don’t be afraid of being judged for overreacting. Often, people who are not doing great find it hard to ask for help, or to even realize that they are struggling. Be the person to open up that conversation and try not to hesitate… because the longer somebody stays in a state of strain, the worse it gets.

4.     Be Open to Help Requests

When you are checking in on someone, understand that you may need to take action for them. You will likely ask if there is anything you can do to help… so mean it. Being a friend and support to someone is easy when it is convenient. In order to look after the wellbeing and resilience of colleagues, be prepared to be inconvenienced for the greater good.

5.     Ask for Help Yourself

Be an example. If you are having a bad day, ask for help. Show your colleagues that asking for assistance is OK, and in doing so, go against the stigma of weakness that such an action apparently implies. You are no good to anyone if you are not well. Conscious companies understand that success is a team effort, and sometimes that means holding others up when they are unable to do so entirely by themselves.

By Chris Thomson

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