Window into the Soul

Many of the activities we spend most of our time on each day on are not very important. Yes, they may be necessary. But important? Not really. 

Let's take work as an example. In my role, I do many necessary things to ensure the smooth operation of a student support program in higher education. It is necessary for me to manage budgets, oversee staff, send emails, build partnerships, attend meetings, and the like. If I do these necessary things well, then I contribute to educational opportunity, I play some small role in impacting the lives of others for the better. 

"Is this not important?" you may ask. 

If I were to quit doing this work today, there would be a short disruption in the smooth operation of the program, but soon enough, someone new would step in and the program would carry on. Realistically, this new person would do the necessary activities just as well as I. 

The necessary activities - the what of work, the what of daily life, the what of personal wellbeing - are neither good nor bad. They are simply necessary to achieve a desired end, whatever that may be. 

Mindfulness encourages us to look closer at the true nature of things beyond the superficial fleeting narratives and simulations constantly playing out in our minds. Like shadows on the wall of Plato's cave, we may not be humanly capable to see the true nature of things directly. Yet, when we pay attention to the way our mind presents the world to itself (which is to say how "I" understand "Me" within experience), we can start to see - if dimly - the true nature of our mind and how it interprets the true nature of things. This improved clarity, then, gives us a slightly better vantage point on everything else beyond "me" so we can show up as our best "selves" in wider experience.  

All of this esoteric philosophizing to say: we must slow down, look closely, and be intentional about how we understand and act in the world. 

When I make this effort - as imperfect as it can only be - I see a key distinction between what I do with my days and why/how I act in the world. For me, the why and how I act in the world is what is important. By better aligning my actions with an understanding of why they are important and how I want to be within "the work," I am continually focusing my energy on what - to me - truly matters. 

In my view, such a mindful approach is integral to leadership - clarity to see what is important and intention to guide action.