– or we become what we routinely think about. When waking up in the morning, try to set some time aside to intentionally visualise the kind of person you wish to be throughout the day. Close your eyes for a couple of minutes and think about a clear image of how you would like to face each challenge, setback or joy that you face during the day. Try to be as specific as you can and be fully honest – there’s no audience, you’re only doing this exercise in front of yourself. You can do this anywhere and it shouldn’t take you more than 3 – 5 minutes. The important thing is the “intentionality” involved. It will help you to paint a clear and deliberate picture of who you wish to be and will predispose your intent to meet events with emotional equanimity. As you begin to practice this habitually, your thoughts, emotions, and behaviours will gradually begin to line up with your vision of the person you want to be. Another useful exercise is the 60-second time-out. Find little slots during your day to simply close your eyes and stop for 60 seconds. Keep your mind wide open and don’t try to stop your thoughts – embrace them. With your eyes closed, bring your full attention to the sensation of your breathing. Breathe normally and if you find yourself going back to your thoughts – don’t fight it but try to slowly bring your attention back to your breathing. After 60 seconds, open your eyes and go back to your day. Try to do this as often as you can and feel the need to. Punctuating your day with time-outs helps to re-centre your calm and stability. By focusing on the sensation of breathing, you concentrate on the here and now. There is always peace and power in the “now”. Regret, or backwards-looking, and anxiety, or forward-looking, don’t exist in the “now”. Employ this simple technique and see how it refreshes and energises you. There is an abundance of online resources which can help you practice mindfulness. These include apps like Waking Up, Calm and Headspace as well as The Art of Breathing book by Dr Danny Penman and the Being Aware of Being Aware book by Rupert Spira. However, there’s nothing quite as effective as working on your mindfulness with an experienced professional. As champions of mental and emotional wellbeing, The Odissean Experience offers bespoke programs that are specifically designed to help busy people ease into their being, amongst the day-to-day challenges of professional life. The Odissean Experience’s celebrated mindset specialists and world-class partners provide an array of completely tailored mental wellbeing, emotional health and high-performance coaching services geared towards helping you think clearer, focus sharper, stay calmer and perform to your absolute best. And - most importantly - feel good about yourself as you do so. For more information and to explore the membership opportunities of The Odissean Experience, email and visit: invitations@theodisseanexperience.com www.theodisseanexperience.com 59
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