Leadership and Life Mastery
Who is Speaking Here?
By Robert N. L. Browning
Have you ever heard of observing your own mind? Did you ever ask yourself, who is speaking here? It may sound rather strange at first, yet it is one of the keys to leadership, business and self mastery. The first audio recording to achieve the “gold record” status for the spoken word was the “The Strangest Secret” authored by Earl Nightingale in 1956. That secret is “you are what you think a bout all day long.” (1)
This higher-level developed awareness has been called the casual observer In Zen, also known as the watcher. We can actually stop to ask our own internal self talk “who is speaking here?” (2) The answer is like having a satellite that is feeding us information from outside our personal physical sphere, reducing over identification with thought So mind what you are thinking…“You are what you think, so mind what you’re thinking” was addressed in a Udemy article by Tom Evans (3) Tom goes on to say “from the moment we wake up, the inner chatter of our mind starts up.” Mr. Evans also states “Such innovation and insight about our thought processes is nothing new. It has been intuited by mystics and sages down the ages. Only now are metaphysics and physics converging and swapping notes.”
How to Observe the Mind ? In a well done article at wikiHow (Edited by George AP, Genius knight, Teresa, Kalyx and 2 others), they share 8 practical steps for exploring the mind. The wikiHow article shares: “Observing the mind is essential to be able to develop insight into the mind, as well as how to develop it to be a more cultured, wise and flexible mind. Very often however, people do not observe the mind in the correct way, which leads to complications, frustrations and conflict in the mind. The skill is all about observing in the ways that lead to a better understanding. This article looks at how to explore and observe the mind more productively, with more benefits and with fewer problems.”
The Eight Steps Include:
1. Consider how you intend to start observing.
2. Be sure what you intend to observe.
3. Observe the mind carefully.
4. Ensure you are sincere.
5. Explore the subject, without using any analysis or thought.
6. Write down what you observe.
7. Continue to explore the intention.
8. Apply what you learn in order to let go.
Being fully present and mindful makes good business sense. For me being fully present and mindfulness clearly make good business sense. I once witnessed a sales presentation example that brought this point home. A sales person was struggling with a well memorized presentation and was obviously losing the husband and wife prospects. A true sales management professional observed this and stepped in. He was able to quickly turn things around the sale by being fully present to connecting with the couple and their needs.
In an article by Ed Halliwell “Making a business case for mindfulness” (5), he shares about author Michael Chaskalson’s new book The Mindful Workplace. As a mindful business specialist, Michael knows the language of the corporate world, and he persuades by making a business case for mindfulness. Far from being a hindrance to productivity, Michael shows how mindfully paying attention is crucial to it, a vital asset to the creativity, emotional intelligence and relationship-building finesse that characterizes successful enterprise. His book is a skillful weaving together of art, science and practice, presented with clarity, simplicity and warmth.”
Mastery and Abundance
Beginning the journey to be more aware of ourselves and others is a vital key to manifesting greater peace and abundance. Being more conscious of our thoughts and feelings opens the door to greater self and leadership mastery. As a result, we are better able to be in the zone of achievement and success in business and life. “The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice there is nothing we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” - R.D. Laing
(1) www.nightingale.com
(2) From Eckhart Tolle’s book ‘The Power of Now’.
(3) https://www.udemy.com/blog/you-are-what-you-think/
(5) http://www.mindful.org/mindful-voices/the-examined-life/mindful-workplace