How to Use Mindfulness for Achieving Goals

CAN MINDFULNESS WORK FOR SIGNIFICANT BEHAVIOR CHANGE? Mindfulness seems to be one of the buzz words for yielding better results – finding clarity, peace, and calming emotion for better decisions. I’ve been testing it in a different way with my clients, because I believe it can truly work for behavior change and behavioral addiction. @Dr. Jud Brewer has researched this area and one of his discussions aligns very much with how I incorporate it. 💪 1.    Acknowledge the Limitation of Willpower ·        Willpower can weaken and be depleted, especially when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired (HALT). 🥕 2.    Use Substitution ·        Doing something else or eating something else by itself does not address the habit loop of  TRIGGER > BEHAVIOR > REWARD. 📵 3.    Prime Your Environment ·        Removing temptation can help reduce the need to exercise self-control in the first place. ·        Often my overshoppers will reduce social media, or leave their phone outside the bedroom so they don’t scroll before sleep. ·        This can build self-efficacy by reducing the habit but may not address core triggers. 🧘♂️ 4.    Incorporate Mindfulness ·        This helps us target our old (think Amygdala) and new (Pre-Frontal Cortex) brains together ·        Our Amygdala still walks around in fur and carries a club. It reacts to scarcity and fear despite few real threats. ·        Our Pre-Frontal Cortex is rational, but the Amygdala is great at overriding it. ·        We need to calm our Amygdala so the PFC can come forward and help us think. ·        It means slowing down, and recognizing our habit loop while it is occurring: o   Did I just get triggered? (meeting, person) o   What am I feeling? o   Is this distorted thinking? (e.g. I’m a loser, I knew I’d fail) o   Can I let this emotion ride through me? (breathe, body scan) o   Can I address my feelings another way? (not self-soothing by eating, escape into social media, etc.) o   Can the new behavior reward me, so I want to do it again? 🌟 Mindfulness takes practice. Using the other tools above can help while you build it. It’s not easy to recognize a habit all the time, especially if it is a go-to coping mechanism. Have you used mindfulness to change a behavior? Smoking? Eating? Biting Your Nails? Drinking? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ·        💥 I’m Carrie. 🔺 30 years in finance. Trained by a psychologist ·        🔺 I change lives and leave clients with incredible peace and lightness.  ·        🔺 My Stopping Overshopping ™ Program is rated one of the TOP 3 in THE WORLD, assessed by an independent third party of PhD’s.

March 15th of 2016, I was woken up at 4 am by an intense pain in my stomach. Attempting to start my day, I found myself staggering downstairs, only to be overwhelmed by nausea. It was a wake-up call, signaling that something was seriously wrong. This episode led me to a diagnosis that many hard driving professionals are familiar with: chronic stress and burnout, the silent toll of juggling multiple roles. At the time, I was navigating between 3.5 roles 1) being the Director of Business Development at a technology company 2) being an Executive MBA student at USC Marshall 3) being a new father 3.5) enduring a grueling three-hour daily commute from Pasadena to Santa Monica daily This pivotal moment marked the beginning of my deep dive into mindfulness. Until then I have studied various philosophy but never practiced. It’s a journey that transformed not just my personal well-being but also my professional performance. Through studying of classics like “Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind,” immersing myself in multiple meditation retreats, absorbing countless content, and meeting with PhDs, I crafted a suite of mindfulness practices that became my cornerstone for not only managing stress but the source of high performance achievement - hit 120% of my sales goal that year 🛠️It’s became a secret weapon. A very useful tool. Here are some practical steps I've integrated into my life, which I believe can profoundly impact anyone's professional journey: 🧠Mindfulness Practices for High Performance Establish a Daily Practice: Each morning, I dedicate time for box breathing exercise (adopted by Navy Seals) This simple act of returning my focus to my breath whenever my mind wanders has sharpened my focus, improved my emotional regulation, and cultivated a powerful presence in all aspects of my life. Mindful Moments: Wove mindfulness into the fabric of my daily activities. I have blocked off time on my calendar in between back to back meetings. These brief moments for mindful activities between tasks have become a forcing function to reset and recenter. They enhance my engagement and efficiency with each task at hand. Mindful Listening: In every meeting and conversation, I practice fully focusing on the speaker, absorbing not just their words but also their non-verbal cues, without crafting my response in my head. This approach has not only deepened relationships but also ensured that I fully comprehend the nuances of each interaction. My journey underscores that peak performance transcends technical prowess; it's equally about nurturing mental resilience, embracing mindfulness, and fostering a profound connection with our personal value. In the high-stakes realms of management and revenue functions, where success is often quantified by outcomes, goals, and quotas, mindful approach offers a sustainable and fulfilling path to what we do. Helpful material in comment 👇🏼 #selfdevelopment #mentalhealth #mentalperformance #leadership

The power of self-reflection is a transformative force that allows us to delve deep into our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, fostering personal growth and development. Furthermore, self-reflection fosters empathy and understanding towards other’s perspectives and experiences.   Some tips that have helped me on this journey:   Set Aside Time: Carving out dedicated time for self-reflection – Whether it's a few minutes each day or a longer period once a week, I try and commit to this practice regularly.   Create a Quiet Space: For me it’s in my backyard, but this could be a peaceful corner of your home, a park, or anywhere else that allows you to focus without interruption.   Ask Yourself Questions: I believe in using open-ended questions to guide my reflection process. Questions such as "What are my strengths and opportunity areas?" "What did I learn from recent experiences?" "What are my long-term goals?" These questions can help stimulate deeper introspection; I also make sure I revisit them on a regular basis.   Writing down thoughts and feelings: This can be a powerful tool for self-reflection which I personally found most difficult to follow, but I keep trying to get better at it, most recently I have started writing for 15 – 30 mins daily using journal on my phone/iPad. Initially I feel my writings didn’t make much sense, but I am getting better at it 😊   Practice Mindfulness: Deep breathing with my eyes closed help me focus on the present moment and observe my thoughts and emotions without judgment. Mindfulness can help develop a deeper understanding of ourselves and our experiences.   Seek Feedback: I strongly believe “Feedback is a Gift”, that being said I filter some of it to keep focus on what aligns to my purpose and goal (not forgetting the other feedback but just stacking them in order of what aligns more with my person purpose and goal). Being open to constructive criticism and using it as an opportunity for growth has helped me immensely and continues to do so.   Set Clear Goals: Using self-reflection to set meaningful goals for myself, considering what I want to achieve in various aspects of life and outline actionable steps to work towards those goals. This helps me break my larger goals into actionable items.     Celebrate Progress: Most of us enjoy being recognized and rewarded. Coming up with self-incentive plans and pausing to celebrate achievements keeps me moving ahead. My family constantly help me come up with creative ways to celebrate success and enjoy every small achievement with me, also keeping me honest on what I can do better to continue growing and evolving.   Remember, self-reflection is a journey, and it takes time and dedication to develop self-awareness and insight. Be patient with yourself and approach the process with kindness and compassion.

Mindfulness isn't just for yogis anymore. Picture this: You're in a high-stakes sales meeting. Your mind races, jumping from quotas to presentations, to the prospect's body language. It's a mental marathon. But where's the finish line? Enter mindfulness. In a career where every call, email, and meeting can tip the scale, mindfulness emerges as the key to everything. And no, it's not about emptying your mind. It's about being PRESENT. Fully. Intensely. Authentically. Imagine listening to a prospect, not just for cues to pitch but to truly understand. To build a connection that's deeper than a sales quota. Mindfulness teaches us to recognize our own reactions and emotions, Creating a space where we can respond rather than react. This space is where trust is built, relationships are forged, and deals are closed. Mindfulness has been my big focus for 2024 here's how I've been bringing it into my life: 1️⃣ I start my day with a moment of silence and focus on my breathe. 2️⃣ I try to practice active listening in every conversation, not just with clients. 3️⃣ I've been reflecting on my interactions at the end of the day, noting what I've learned and where I can improve. Mindfulness in sales is not about slowing down. It's about showing up. Fully. It's a strategy that doesn't just aim for the wallet, But for a GENUINE connection. So. Before your next meeting, take a deep breath before you dive in. Listen. Really listen. See the difference it makes not just in the work itself, but in your satisfaction with the work you do. Has anyone been focusing on being more mindful lately? Tell me about it in the comments below 👇