“Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t).”  – James Baraz

John Kabat-Zinn, an advocate of mindfulness meditation, sees parallels between the mind and the great oceans. Waves of emotion may roil the surface, but 30 feet below is calm.

By turning inward and tuning into your every breath as it moves through your body, you can take a deeper, more serene dive into your own inner “oasis.” Mindfulness of the present without judgment can positively affect your mood, hone your focus and improve your health.

If you could take a pill that would decrease your negative thoughts, worry and lack of focus, would you take it? Well, such remedies are not gained from any pill. They are the benefits of engaging in mindfulness practice.

The importance of training your mind, we believe, will follow taking care of and training your body to be healthy; “to be great, I must continue to train my mind to be a mindset maniac and become more mindful.”

Becoming a more mindful person and leader is a conscious evolution you may choose to make, to use the term coined by the futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard. A good example of mindfulness and a higher consciousness in business is the fairly recent emergence of the triple bottom line. The triple bottom line refers to the three Ps: profits, people and the planet.

Have you ever thought of ROP (Return of People) in conjunction with ROI (Return of Investment)?

In the military, leaders are promoted for their ability to maintain and recover whole healthy people or return on people (ROP). The war on terrorism is, in fact, a campaign to eliminate activities that undermine our freedoms – on a global basis.

Once such story took place in Iraq. The villages of the remote areas were difficult to penetrate – but the populated cities were often key targets for terrorist strongholds. In and around Falujah – many villages survived as a result of the established authority of terrorists with networks providing protection, food and a pipeline that allowed the existing populations to thrive. The mindset of the local population was aligned to “protect” what they had come to know and trust.

When U.S. forces infiltrated these networks of city-based communities, the biggest issue was medical attention. With IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) everywhere, the biggest and most deeply affected group was the children. Parents held hostage by the imbedded terrorist leadership lost hundreds of children to infection, injury and disease.

There was an opportunity for American forces to win the hearts and minds of the local Iraqis, who suffered as a result of inadequate medical care for the children. US Forces set up hospitals for the children and low and behold, the tides soon turned. The vision of soldiers carrying wounded and dying children to their makeshift medical facilities à la the hit television series “MASH” was the powerful mindful moment that helped us win the war.

Harvard Business School teaches mindfulness. Many of today’s highly impactful and respected leaders have been developing mindfulness for years. Mindful is powerful for your mind and body.

Have you practiced such mindful moments in your career, or your life? I’d love to hear of them. Thanks for sharing!

For questions about this post or for information on becoming a fearless leader, contact Dr. Cathy Greenberg and The Fearless Leader Group at (888) 320-1299 or by email at hello@fearlessequalsfreedom.com.