The business coach, Carly Hope, recently posed a very interesting question, that she uses a lot with clients who aren’t getting the results they want: ‘are you 100% open for business?’
This doesn’t mean being on duty 24/7, but it does mean showing up 100% when you are ‘open’.
It struck me that it’s not just a great question for business. It’s also a great question for any aspect of your life.
For instance, my partner sometimes gets irritated when we’re spending some time together, and I start checking my facebook/emails or whatever. It took me a while to appreciate that, in truth, he’s right. If I’m splitting my attention like that, then neither my business nor my relationship gets the full attention it deserves. Which in turn neither brings the joy nor the outcomes I really want in life.
Smart phones and similar technology have such a lot to answer for, because they give us an excuse to distract ourselves; not to pay full attention. There’s even evidence to suggest that this non-stop multi-tasking is damaging to our performance, and has a detrimental affect on brain function.
It’s interesting how the Mindfulness movement has attracted a growing following at the same time as our ability to distract ourselves is also growing. Distraction can stop us seeing what’s right in front of our noses, and people often use it to help the forget (or ignore) our discontentment with our lives or aspects of our lives. Rather than deal with the problem – just get distracted instead! It’s a pattern I’ve run myself, and one I often see in my clients. They want to change, but the moment they need to look deeper inside themselves than they had bargained for, that old distraction pattern kicks in again.
There’s a real joy that comes with getting 100% stuck into things – whether it’s a business activity, or it’s doing something really physical, or actually being with your loved ones. But if you don’t allow yourself to have those 100% moments, then it’s difficult to access the joy. So whatever you’re doing, step into it, do it fully until it’s time to move on to the next thing. That’s real mindfulness.
If you’d like to explore your distraction patterns, understand why you’re doing them, and make the changes to bring more joy into your life, then contact me for a complimentary discovery call.
And if you ARE in business, and wonder about commitment and whether to give up, here ‘s an inspiring video for you from Younique.
