Category: Improving Yourself

Career transitions bring career challenges as well as career opportunities. Here are some.

• “I’ve started a new job in a company that’s so different from the one I came from. I feel it might be a mistake.”
• “I’ve been promoted from supervisor to project manager, and I’m struggling to know what to focus on.”
• “I’ve moved from an operating role to a regional HR position and feel like I’m wading in quicksand.”

Michael Watkins, author of The First 90 Days”, presents 5 types of challenges that professionals and leaders can face during their career.

1. The promotion challenge: Moving to a higher level in the hierarchy and understanding what success looks like at the new level, including issues of focus, delegation, credibility and leadership.

2. The leading-former-peers challenge: Managing a team of former peers with the inevitable dilemma of establishing authority and altering existing relationships.

3. The diplomacy challenge: Moving from a position of authority to one in which influencing others and building alliances is critical.

4. The on-boarding challenge: Joining a new organization and needing to quickly understand and adapt to a new culture, new people and a new political arena.

5. The international move challenge: Leading in an unfamiliar culture while at the same time moving one’s family and creating a new support system.

What does it take to succeed in each of these career challenges?

1. Increase self-awareness.
It’s imperative you understand your response to challenging siituations. How do you deal with stress? How do you learn in novel situations? How do you prefer to make decisions? Leadership and personality style assessments can help you gain insight and direction.
2. Embrace change.
What it takes to succeed in any new situation is a matter of learning new ways of working and, most importantly, letting go of old ones — even if they’ve driven your career success up until now.
3. Leverage networks.
In every career move, you need both knowledgeable insiders and impartial outsiders to provide you with realistic feedback and political advice.

Are you prepared?

What career challenges are you dealing with? Is it one of the five above or some other challenge? To better cope with career challenges during your entire professional life, you will always need to increase self awareness, embrace, rather than, resist change and continually build and leverage networks.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Last week Janae wrote about Relationships. This week I invited a friend of mine to be a guest writer for us. Suzann Panek Robins is widely read in the areas of spirituality, psychology, metaphysics, sexuality, and relationships. She’s been a professor at various universities and presented at conferences around the U.S. Suzann has a new book – Exploring Intimacy:Cultivating Healthy Relationships through Insight and Intuition published by Rowman and Littlefield.

One focus of her work is to teach the importance of integrating in your life the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual dimensions. She advocates for a holistic approach to create a more meaningful and healthy life. In her new book, Suzann promotes the idea that intimacy isn’t just what happens between romantic partners, but that people can have intimate relationships with any one they care about- at home, at work, with family and friends.

I asked her to share her views on relationships at work. I love her phrase to describe Intimacy- “into-me-I-see”

Below is her response with respect to team building and relations at work. The spirit of the team can be tied into their mission, values and vision.

The question of intimate relationships in the workplace is an interesting one. If we are talking about sexual relationships with co-workers, most people agree that is never a good idea. If we are talking about getting to know our co-workers more intimately, then this depends on the nature of the workplace. When people are expected to accomplish something together, then knowing more about the other person’s temperament and personality style is very important. Whenever people are working together as a team, the more they can know about each others needs, desires and goals, the more productive they will be.

The idea of knowing each others mission, vision, and values (MVV) is a good one. Sharing these MVVs is a great method for building team coherence. Teams need to agree on the mission and have a similar vision for the future outcome of the project. When each person has an opportunity to state their values in regard to the shared mission, then they can either agree to disagree on specific personal values or they can build consensus of how they will work together toward the desired outcome for the highest good of all concerned.

In addition, we must have a healthy relationship with ourselves before we can expect to have a satisfying relationship with anyone else. Healthy relationships mean we are aware of what we eat, and how it affects us. When we are healthy, we are conscious of how we spend our time, both in and out of the work place. For example: What do we do to relax? How well do we monitor our time on tasks that have no end, such as social media? Do our relationships outside of work interfere with our work? Does our work interfere with our home life? Do we have other social contacts outside of our colleagues? All of our relationships have an effect on our attention and our ability to get a job done efficiently.

Exploring Intimacy: Cultivating Healthy Relationships through Insight and Intuition, addresses the difference between temperament and personality. Temperament is a genetic predisposition toward a particular, preferred activity level, sociability, and emotionality. Longitudinal studies have shown that a baby’s response to these three measures is most always consistent over time. Active babies become active teenagers. Social outgoing children remain social and outgoing into adulthood. Adults who easily show their emotions most likely were emotional as babies. Therefore temperament is difficult to change. As we get to know other team members through this lens of temperament, we need to accept each other as we are, and not expect a response that is out of the comfort zone.

On the other hand, personality is more malleable, easier to change. Using Carl Jung’s personality traits, made popular by Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), most of us tend toward being either more Introverted or Extroverted, Feelers or Thinkers, Sensates or Intuitives. We appear either Judgmental or Perceptive in various situations. However, in most cases, we can adapt our personality traits to work more easily as a team player and get any job completed in a satisfactory manner. When we become conscious of the scale of our personality preferences, we are able to moderate our reactions and responses to fit the people around us and complete the jobs we are required to do. When others around us are made aware of our preference in each of these four areas, they can also more easily adapt to our likely response, by recognizing “where we are coming from” and the scope of how we would commonly reply. When every member of the team is aware of themselves and how others see them, and every one takes personal responsibility for their personality and temperament preferences, a calm, productive work place ensues. This is brought to fruition by fostering intimate sharing between co-workers. in the sense of encouraging into-me-I-see and into-me-You-see.

Therefore, knowing about our own temperament and personality is necessary for building a team, and the more we understand how different personalities interact with each other, the more useful it will be to understanding how we might adapt to those around us. Especially, anyone we may find difficult or even annoying, so we can bring greater coherence to the project outcome. When each person’s mission, vision, and values are also discussed, the time it takes to reveal our similarities and differences is time well spent.

Let us know what you think of Suzann’s ideas for creating healthy relationships in teams. We can have Suzann back as a guest writer to share her views on spirituality at work and other ideas for creating meaningful relationships at work.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.

This is the season of Light in the Darkness as we in the northern Hemisphere move through the Winter Solstice. This year it’s an extra special Winter Solstice. The Solstice has both a full moon and a lunar eclipse on Dec. 21^st. The Winter Solstice is a time of reflecting on the darkness and stillness. Use this time for your inner journey of reflection and discovery. What do you want to see more clearly that may be hidden or in darkness for you now? How can you create stillness or quiet to hear what needs to emerge or be birthed in the coming year?

This month is a celebration of Hanukkah– the miracle that occurred in the re-dedication of the 2^nd Temple in Jerusalem. A small amount of oil kept a lamp burning for 8 days. What small thing can you offer to keep people motivated at work? How can you spark their energy for those who might be tired, feeling ready to quit, or needing inspiration? The menorah has an extra candle (the shamash) to light the 8 candles. How do you light the way for others who are seeking to change in some way?

This month is also a celebration of a child born in the darkness and cold. A star helped guide some shepherds to where the child was. They followed a light to see a miracle. What light are you providing to guide others through uncertainty or unfamiliar territory? Have you taken the time to explain something to a co-worker who is new, to show them the ropes, or help them learn something they didn’t know?

You may not know that Bodhi Day is a celebration of when Buddha became awakened and taught others how to transcend their suffering. Siddhartha Gautama sat under a fig tree and achieved enlightenment on Dec. 8th. Perhaps you work with people who are suffering in some way- job stress or worry about losing their job. Your co-workers may be struggling with balancing work and home, challenged by projects that aren’t going well. What can you do to provide extra assistance, support or re-assurance to a co-worker or customer who is experiencing pain of some sort?

Whether or not you are celebrating any special holiday this month, reflect on what this time of year means to you. Write down at least 3 ways you can be a Light to others who may be lonely, tired, sick, stressed, worried or challenged in some way. Set your intention in the new year to share your Light in some way at work.

Let us know if there is a special way that you were able to touch someone’s life at work, if you were able to assist someone through their moment of Darkness.

Peace for you this week and into 2011.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” Her book is available on Amazon.

As the New Year approaches in less than two weeks, it is a great time to review and reflect the previous year while preparing for the year to come. This is a ritual in which I have participated since my early career days in retail management. It was motivating to reflect on the accomplishments of the previous year, review the challenges and outcomes, and prepare for year to come with a new set of goals. As this year comes to an end, I would encourage all of you to do the same. And for you HR professionals who have not moved past determining your success on smiles sheets and the success of the holiday party, make that your first goal of the year. Here is a list I would recommend for 2011.

1. Determine how to measure your HR programs in terms of business impact. This doesn’t mean you have to have a long drawn out ROI on every single program. However, you should know the expected results to any program and how it can be measured in business terms prior to its launch.
2. Know the organization’s priorities and plan your time and programs around those. You should be spending your time on developing, measuring, and implementing programs that are aligned with business needs and priorities. Failing to align in this way, will keep your seat at the table taken by other departments that get this very point.
3. Keep updated and informed on pending legislation and its effects on your business. Not only do you need to keep up to date on federal legislation, make sure you are missing changes in local and state laws. Also, find reliable sources for pending legislation as well. A good example for background screening is the website of EmployeeScreenIQ who recently released the 2011 List of Background Screening Trends. You may also find a lawyer in your state who blogs about changes and as always consult your own attorneys.
4. Review your policies to ensure they are compliant with EEOC guidelines and Wage and Hour laws. In 2010, the EEOC and the Department of Labor have increased focus on employee discrimination and wage and hour violations. Don’t assume the policies you have had for years, are compliant. Have an attorney review your policies and conduct an audit to ensure you are not in violation.
5. Plan your Professional Development. Learning, developing and growing is a lifelong process. Don’t wait for your boss to tell you in what areas your need development. Review yourself, pick an opportunity for growth and develop it!

 

What can you add to the list? Your thoughts are always encouraged!

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

If you don’t know where you’re going, any place and no place, will do.

Make sure your career is not stranded on an island called, “Someday I’ll…” If you want something, don’t just think about it or talk about it. Figure out a way to make it happen.

The first step is goal setting.

• What can you do right now to enrich your present job or assignment?
• Are there opportunities for internal promotion, lateral moves or even realignment?
• What are some external options for challenge, variety, or greater personal satisfaction?
• What internal training or external seminars can you participate in for your professional development?
• Are there off-the-job experiences that can enhance your portfolio of skills and your reputation as a leader?

The next step is action planning.

Napoleon Hill, motivation author, said: “To become successful you must be a person of action. Merely to know is not sufficient. It is necessary both to know and to do.” So start taking charge of your career. What are some things you can do? Be specific: Who, what, when, where, and how.

• Identify one or two things you will do in the coming week to take charge of your career.
• Identify three things you will do within the next month to take charge of your career.
• Identify five things you will do in the next three to six months to take charge of your career.

Then determine:

• What resources do I have to help me along the way?
• What obstacles may get in the way? How can I overcome them?
• How can I reward myself and others once I’ve made it happen?

Career planning never stops.

That’s because the world around us is constantly changing. New and different employment opportunities will arise and some old ones will disappear. Also, we will evolve into different people with different career objectives, aspirations and motivations. Therefore, flexible career plans are necessary.

What changes do you see occurring in your organization? Your industry? Your Profession? Will you be prepared or surprised?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

“Eighty percent of life’s satisfaction comes from meaningful relationships.” – Brian Tracy

You can’t have spirituality if you don’t have a relationship to share it with. Let’s look at three different relationships that are important to fostering our spirituality.

Relationship with your higher power

Many studies state that those who are passionate and believe in spirituality in the workplace, have a deep connection with a higher power, something greater than they are. For me that relationship is God, so that is how I’ll describe it here. I foster this relationship every day, sometimes every hour and am working on this being more of a every moment type of relationship. This relationship is the most important relationship that I have in my work and in my life. In fact, it is at the top of my personal mission, vision and values (MVV), the MVV I have with my husband, and the (MVV) for my business. The first value that I list in order of priority for my personal MVV says God is Number One: Remember daily that God is my center and light. Our number one value as a couple states: Keep God at the Center: Unite our spirituality and faith For my business the first value I have is Lead by Faith: Pray for God’s purpose and guidance.

This relationship is fostered with the two previous blogs that I’ve written about, D is for Divine and Q is for Quiet (if you haven’t read them yet, I highly recommend it). It is a relationship that keeps growing as I become more familiar with how to connect and communication with God. I’ll never forget when I was conducting a teleseminar interview with Janet Hagberg, an author, healer and of my one spiritual teachers and mentors. She spends quiet time daily – hours at times – connecting with God. She says she’s “in tune with God” enough to know that he is speaking to her though her body, i.e. different aches or pains give her messages. I thought that was fascinating. We receive guidance from our higher power or divine team all the time, we just need to prioritize this relationship and remember to ask for it.

Relationship with ourselves

I’m a firm believer that if we don’t know thyself and nurture the relationship we have with ourselves, we won’t be able to nurture the other important relationships in our lives. How we do this, is a personal choice, but we all know what we need that will help us feel, look and be good. The relationship with myself is like a water pitcher. Many evenings late at night when the rest of my family is sleeping and I’m alone I try to ask my source, God, to fill me with his water (I can only receive this blessing by nurturing the relationship above). I also then use this time to do things will nurture my soul. This usually means that I’m reading, writing, listening or creating something inspirational. I’ll stay up however late I need to fill up the water pitcher. What happens is that I become so full that my water pitcher is overflowing so I’m able to pour out my love and joy to other relationships. I then get up in the morning and I’m ready to give to all the other important relationships – like my husband, boys and work clients. The cycle repeats itself each day as I’ve poured out my water and need to fill it up again.

Relationship with others

In the new book by Simple Truths, called The 100/o Principle: The Secret to Great Relationships, author Al Ritter talks about how we are to manage the most important relationships in our lives. It’s about taking full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return. Here’s what Ritter has to say about this paradox: “When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100.”

We have all at times given 100% to a relationship and then gotten nothing back, which usually causes us to feel bad about the relationship because we didn’t get anything in return. Over the years, I’ve been learning how to foster this 100/0 principle. Through gratitude, I’ve been able to give more unconditionally in some key relationships without expecting anything in return. I noticed how much better I feel when I don’t expect a certain outcome from the relationship. It’s also amazing how then you’ll receive 100% from some relationship in your live without them expecting anything in return.

The beauty of all these relationships that we build with our higher power, with ourselves and with those who matter most ignites our spirit and brings meaning to our lives.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

I’ve been having technology challenges lately. Nothing tries my patience more than computers and gadgets not working as they ‘should’. I’ve been aware of my patience being tested so want to write about patience as a spiritual practice.

I love the video clip of the comedian who talks about “Everything’s Amazing and Nobody’s Happy”. Check it out on YouTube some time. It definitely helps put things into perspective. Or as Richard Carlson reminded us – “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff- It’s all Small Stuff.”

I know that the things I get impatient with are there to help me learn patience. It’s taken me a while to understand this spiritual lesson. Luckily I’ve seen that it’s better to appreciate, or even bless, those people and situations causing my delays rather than cursing them or getting stressed about them. Remember this if you are traveling this holiday season or attending a family function and you’d rather be some place else.

If patience is a spiritual lesson you feel you need to learn, see if you can practice some of the following ideas in the next few weeks. I’ve noticed that people’s patience tends to get even thinner during the holiday season.

First step….. Breathe deeply. Bring your awareness to your breath and focus on that. Put your mind and attention on your own body and breathe into any parts that are getting tense. Know that you can reduce your stress level simply by breathing deeply and evenly.

Second step… Relax your body. You won’t do yourself or anyone else any favors if you are stressed and angry. Having a relaxed body is helpful for clearing your mind of anger or frustration. If you are really worked up, move your shoulders and neck (or anywhere you may carry tension). Relax your jaw and stretch your face to relax your brow.

Third step… Mentally step into Expansiveness. You are not trapped in this moment. You are part of a vast ocean of possibilities. Once you recognize this, you’ll see many options available. Affirm that you will be able to accomplish your tasks with easefulness and effortlessness. Feel your body and your mind open up to infinite possibilities in the moment. Anything can happen, so stay alert to how you can shift the energy of the situation.

Fourth Step…. Remain conscious that your thoughts now in the present moment shape the next moment that unfolds. As you breathe deeply and affirm expansiveness, you become more expansive. Now you enter into a new moment aware that the Universe is unlimited. You can choose to allow joy, peace, patience and beauty to come to you. See what happens next when you hold these thoughts.

Fifth Step… Remember it’s all small stuff. I have a very mellow cat. I call him the Buddha Buddy. When I get really worked up, I can sometimes remember to ask myself – ‘would the Buddha Buddy care about this?’ Usually not. If Buddha Buddy wouldn’t care, it’s probably small stuff.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.

What’s your best move?

Once you have completed a review of who you are, (see prior post) then focus on what’s next for you. Many people think if they’re not finding career satisfaction in their present job then their only choice is to change companies or careers. That’s not the case. Before jumping ship explore these:

Four Realistic Career Options

Enrich your current job – Grow in place
Look for ways to expand or change your responsibilities to provide you with greater challenge, visibility and skill building. Here are some options to grow in place. Be part of a task force on a pressing business problem; handle a negotiation with a customer; supervise product, program, equipment or systems purchase; do a project with another function; research and report on cost cutting measures.

Change your job – Go for a promotion
Vertical movement usually is achieved as a reward for excellence in your current position and as a result of having demonstrated performance required for a higher level position. However with today’s flattened organization structure, paths may not open up as quickly as you would like. So don’t limit yourself by thinking only about upward movement. Take a look at these other options.

Change your job – Go sideways
Explore the possibility of a lateral change in job position within or outside your functional area. I’ve seen marketing people do a stint in product development and visa versa. A lateral move can provide you with new skills, experiences and expertise which could be critical to your success later on. It can also help you test the water in a new career.

Change your job – Move down to move forward
Realignment can be an effective option if you wish to move back to a more satisfying position, alleviate current job related stress or bring balance to personal live. It can also provide the appropriate experience to test out a new career. Up is not the only way to thrive and be satisfied.

Two Other Career Options

Cutting loose– Move out
In situations where you job no longer matches your current interests or you cannot find opportunities within the organization, then look into the option to see growth or better fit opportunities elsewhere. Be careful though of not going from the frying pan into the fire. Moving out requires careful examination and planning. Check out the November 4th post on Is It Time to Stay or Leave.

Make no changes – Stay put.
Reviewing you obligations and commitments, you may decide that this is not the right time to be making changes in your life or career and the plans for the future need to be deferred for awhile. Whatever the reason for opting for no change, it should be a positive and conscious decision instead of one arrived at from feeling “but I have no choice.”

What’s Next For You?

What do you see yourself in the short, medium and long term? Remember, different career options will be best for you at different stages of your professional and personal life. Take into consideration not only where you are but where is the marketplace and how is it changing. My next post will look at how to develop a plan and take action.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

I remember being in college with the assignment to be alone and quiet for 25 minutes. We were to do this and report back our experience. One of my friends, a major extrovert, could not do it. She said after 5 minutes, she was done! I remember completing the project, but wondered about its value and purpose. Little did I know that in order to tap into our spirit, the heart of who we are, we need to be quiet to listen within.

The Wisdom

Stephen Covey, best-selling author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, once said that we live three lives – our public life, our private life and our deep inner life. Our public life is the life everyone sees and knows on the outside. This is what most of us would describe as our work – engineers, teachers or community activists, etc… Then the second life we live is our private lives, the life we have at home. This is what our family or close friends experience who we are at home. We might be pursuing a hobby or acting another way that the majority of people don’t see from an outside perspective. Then the third life we live is our deep, inner lives. It’s our spirit, who we are from the inside. This place holds our greatest desires and wishes for our lives. It is a secret place that very few of us share with others. And the way to access and nurture this deep inner life is by being quiet.

The Whitespaces

Now, almost 20 years after my first encounter with silence, I love the quiet. In fact it is so quiet right now as I write this, all I hear is the tapping of the keyboard. The silence allows me to channel the wisdom from within to the wisdom I want to share without. So many times this channel is blocked or clogged with the noise of life. Great musicians say that their music is created between the notes, in the white spaces. It is these white spaces, the silent notes of their music, that bring life to the notes. Great inventors share a similar thought through the importance of incubating ideas. To incubate an idea is to detach from our previous conscious thinking, allowing our subconscious mind to come alive. When we are able to tap into our inner wisdom, our spirit soars. It is known that Albert Einstein, considered one of the most knowledgeable and greatest thinkers, spent endless hours in quiet – just thinking and imagining. These quiet moments of his life are when he was known to have manifested the greatest potential within him. It is also said that Einstein wanted to know how to think like God. So in order to do that, he needed to be quiet to hear God sharing His wisdom.

The Whisper

One of my favorite phrases is by Oprah who said that we need to catch God on the whisper. Hearing the whisper is about being quiet to hear the wisdom that our greater self and the higher power has for us. Many times I have used this philosophy and catch these messages when they come as a whisper. It was a whisper encouraging me to write my first book. Other times I have not listened and I’ve missed out on some good opportunities or learned some hard lessons. Yet when we don’t have those white spaces in our lives, we won’t have the space or capacity to find out what these silent messages are that come to us in the form of a whisper.

Martin Luther King would usually spend an hour each morning in prayer and meditation to get his day centered and on track. When the day would be extremely busy, while most of us would then skip this time to get a jump start on our busy day, he would spend not just one hour but two hours in quiet!!! Can you believe that? I’m always reminded of his approach when I try to fit as much in as possible. When I go without the quiet time, I don’t hear the whispers for my life. Also the music notes of my deep, inner life then don’t have the white spaces it needs to make the music I want to sing in my heart. How about you?

p.s. Because I’ve been quiet, this is probably one of the fastest and easiest blog entries that I’ve written so far. I didn’t really have to think and make it happen, it just came pouring out of me and my deep, inner life.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

I recently moved from the quiet of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the high paced, traffic intense, N.VA area. I’ve been aware of my judgments since landing. To help ground me during this transition, I’ve taken 3 yoga classes, all different from the style I’m used to. I’ve been aware of my judgments during these yoga classes– they play music here (darn), they have mirrors on the wall (uggh), they have hard wood floors (ouch). The yoga classes have been a good way for me to bring my awareness to my judgments. It’s a safe place to allow my judgments to surface so I can be aware of them and then (hopefully) let them go.

I’ve also been aware of some of my judgments as my partner and I move my things to make a new home. I don’t like my dresser there, my meditation area is too small, the dishes are too high in the cabinet, there are too many nick-nacks in the living room. Other judgments are less conscious and I’m only aware of them once my partner does something that makes it more noticeable.

I could write this blog about change management, and I probably will write more on that topic later. This move is as much about transition and change as any thing else. But today the word for me seems to be about judgments, my judgments, and I’ve been aware of many of them.

How do we embrace change- newness, new opportunities, differences- without the judgments?

I think it starts with awareness. Staying in the moment and saying, ‘I’m aware that……’ and then allowing the thought or judgments to pass through.

Try this exercise. Think of a situation where you weren’t happy or someone did something different than what you expected. Bring to mind the event and your judgments about the person or the situation. Allow these judgments to surface, don’t filter or hide them or push them away. Bring into your awareness the judgments, thoughts, criticisms, opinions about the people, place or things going on.

Now say, ‘I’m aware that (fill in the blank)….. (do this repeatedly for everything that comes to mind for you)

For example, I’m aware that I’m bothered by this. I’m aware that I don’t like when you do that. I’m aware that the music is too loud, that I am frustrated. I’m aware that the directions aren’t clear, that I don’t know what you want. I’m aware that I need more time, that I’m feeling anxious about getting this done.

Now breathe … deeply….. Take slow deep breaths for every judgment that comes up for you. Breathe into the thought, breathe into the evaluation, breathe into the negativity. Adding your breath to the thought or judgment will allow you to let it go.

Imagine putting your thought into a bubble and with the breath you blow the bubble away. It’s that simple, that effortless. Bring your awareness into your judgments and place them into the bubbles. Slowly blow away your judgments one at a time as they emerge. No judgments involved as you do this, just breathe, bubble up, and let go.

Try this for the next week as you become aware of your judgments of things or people or situations that bother you. Allow yourself to be conscious of your judgments. Then breathe into that awareness and allow your judgments to move by easefully.

Namaste.

When the Breath wanders, the mind is unsteady, but when the Breath is still, so is the mind still. Hatha Yoga Pradipika

Pranayama is the yoga practice of breathing mindfully.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.