Sometimes we resist these moments and don’t except what is being offered to us.  Other times we roll with it, suck it up, get on with it and go with the flow.  In doing so we find within us a strength we didn’t realise we had; we find we grow as people and develop a greater understanding of ourselves.

Though often it’s only after the event that we realise this…

Such an opportunity has come along to me these last few weeks, something that needs my attention and lots of my time for about two months…a family matter – I won’t bore you with the details.  It has meant I’ve had to put an awful lot of stuff on the back burner, even the things I felt were urgent from a time perspective with work.  Initially I didn’t realise I would be devoting so much time each day to it but soon grasped it was going to be all consuming.

Once I took that in I decided to embrace what was happening and to see it not as an inconvenience [I did choose to help out after all] but more as a … you guessed it … opportunity!

Did this come along just at the right time because I kept putting off changing the way I did things??  Or did it just come along and I took advantage of the opportunity?  Who knows? … does it really matter? … No it doesn’t.  What matters is what I learn from it and how I am whilst I am living these moments.

So I spent a bit of time being with all the stuff that was going through my head – not thinking about it, not making lists but just being with it.  What I had to do, what I needed to do, what I wanted to do.  As I did I became aware of all that was swirling around me and by connecting to the current events I saw the opportunities that lay within.

Ways in which I could practice mindfulness on a more practical and non meditative level during the day seemed abundant.  As well as the opportunities on offer to work smarter and to be more productive with my time, seeing as there was going to be less of it to spend at work.

So this is what I can pass on … seek out the good in all situations.  If you are finding it hard to see the good then be with how you are feeling for a while.  Just let it all settle within you and see what arises.  Connect with the moment you are in, don’t judge it or yourself.  Let go of the what-ifs, be open to all possibilities and the good will find you.

Enjoy

Some previous postings you might like to read:

• 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle
• In the silence are all the answers you seek
• 20 ways to make life harder

]]> http://mindfulproductivity.net/2012/05/16/are-you-listening-as-opportunity-knocks/feed/ 0 http://mindfulproductivity.net/2012/04/25/some-new-mindfully-inspired-designs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=some-new-mindfully-inspired-designs http://mindfulproductivity.net/2012/04/25/some-new-mindfully-inspired-designs/#comments Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:36:47 +0000 Be http://mindfulproductivity.net/?p=3088

The benefits of mindfulness, you will be glad to know, are beginning to be known by a much wider audience these days.  Yesterday I read an article by Beth Gardiner, in the online edition of the Wall Street Journal, about how some MBA & business courses are incorporating mindfulness techniques into the curriculum.  They are beginning to teach how becoming aware of what is happening in the now – within themselves and around them, is an important part of good business practice.

The idea of running a business, being part of a company or any group for that matter and not realising that your actions have a ripple effect is [in my view] totally car-razy.  So thumbs up to those schools and professors who are taking the idea on board.

Over the last few years, we have all seen and felt the effects of what happens when people act without respect for the effect their actions have on others.  It’s nice to think that some of the new students coming out of business and MBA courses in the future will be somewhat more in tune with themselves.  As well as having a greater understanding and awareness of their connection to everything and everyone else.  That way, if they do manage to become influential in their profession they understand – and remember – that they don’t live in a bubble.

By being able to centre themselves [and even knowing that it's a good idea] future workers and bosses will be able to calm their minds and increase their focus, and in doing so, become more aware of emotional reactions and the role they play in bad decisions.

The article notes ‘ Such skills…. are crucial for those hoping to succeed in an increasingly frenetic environment where distractions from an always-buzzing phone to pressure for strong quarterly profit reports constantly impinge on decisions.’

Enjoy

Other posts you might enjoy reading:

• mindfulness quotes
• 5 ways to go with the flow of business

Other posts you might enjoy reading:

• what is mindfulness?
• Bake.Save.Love

They are the sort you look at in a book in the carpet store, so are all the same size and of similar tones.  Naturally, as soon as I saw them my mind was ticking and the image of a new mat popped into my little brain.

I haven’t given a blow by blow with pics as it’s simple enough and of course you can alter the size and shape to suit.  You could even carpet the whole room if you had enough squares.

REQUISITES:

• Carpet squares – enough to make the size rug you need or the size that you can make with what you have

• Cotton twine – I used this as I had some but you could use anything really, though cotton twine is very well priced at around €2 a skein.

• Sturdy needle – I used one with a slight curve to it and a big eye so the twine fitted through easily.  The needle got curvier as I worked as it was put under a bit of pressure.

METHOD:

1. Lay out all the squares in the form you would like the  finished mat.  Giving a bit of thought to how the colours go together – I did this on a hardwood floor to make it easier…
2. Stitch them together [I just used a simple joining stitch].  I sewed from the top so some stitches can be seen though you could sew from the underneath too.  I tried that at the beginning but the stitches still showed on the top a bit so found it easier to do it all from the top side.

• …that’s about it!

It took me about three hours to do the whole thing and seeing as a rug of that size [5.6 x 6 feet] made of 80% wool would have cost a pretty penny I think I did alright at a final outlay of ZERO except for my time.  Even then, that is a pretty good hourly rate if I was to go and buy one…plus it’s a bespoke rug just for moi.

If you like the look of it then check with your local carpet store to find out when they might be getting rid of their old sample books and make yourself a little designer number for yourself

Other posts you might like:

• chocolate and mindfulness: the experiment 
• upcycling is the new black

… and here are some of my fav ones on mindfulness:

• Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space is our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our freedom ~ Victor Frankl

• If we learn to open our hearts, anyone, including the people who drive us crazy, can be our teacher ~ Pema Chodron

• Don’t worry about what the world needs.  Ask what makes you come alive and do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive ~ Howard Thurman

• The habit of ignoring our present moments is favour of others yet come leads directly to a pervasive lack of awareness of the web of like in which we are embedded.  This includes a lack of awareness and understanding of our own mind and how it influences our perceptions and our actions.  It severely limits our perspective on what it means to be a person and how we are connected to each other and the world around us ~ Jon Kabat-Zinn

• Amidst the worldly comings and goings, observe how ending become beginnings ~Tao Te Ching

• There is no enlightenment outside of daily life ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

• Do not pursue the past.  Do not lose yourself in the future.  The past no longer is.  The future has not yet come.  Looking deeply at life as it is.  In the very here and now, the practitioner dwells in stability and freedom.  We must be diligent today.  To wait until tomorrow is too late.  Death comes unexpectedly.  How can we bargain with it?  The sage calls a person who knows how to dwell in mindfulness night & day, ‘one who knows the better way to live alone’ ~Bhaddekaratta Sutta

• Your own self realisation is the greatest service you can render the world ~ Ramana Maharshi  

Artwork: My Bringing Mindfulness poster €24 in the e-shop … and here’s the blog post

ⓒThe artwork on this site is copyrighted by the artist [that would be me ] No content may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without express permission of the copyright holder [which would also be me ]  Just drop me a line via the contact section or on Twitter or facebook.

Mother’s Day is on it’s way here in Ireland and the UK and arrives on the 18th March.  It’s always a lovely time as the daffodils are all coming up and everything is coming to life again.  This year, the Irish Mums may have a hard time of it .. why?  Mother’s Day – the day of the traditional cooked breaky in bed and having the dinner prepared for you – falls the day AFTER St Patrick’s Day #bummer

It’s not looking promising for a restful day when everyone in the house, except Mum…or possibly Mum as well, may be feeling a little err ….greener than usual.   So if you think  you might be one of those who may need to be extra special to your Mum on the Paddy’s/Mother’s Day weekend, here’s a fab little gift to add some calmness to her day.  Even if you’re one of the more restrained of us who will be feeling just fine the day after …it’s still a fab little gift.  Best part is, it comes straight to your door #bonus

Keep Calm by Being Mindful

- the 5 x 7 inch print comes in a lovely white frame and is ready to be propped up where ever it will be most useful.  Printed here in Co Mayo, it’s ready to be shipped out to you in time for Mothering Sunday- last orders for Ireland are 13th March.  The overall finished size of print and frame measures 6.5 x 8.5 and it is available in the shop for €8.50 + p&p

Enjoy …and have a wonderful combined weekend on the 17th/18th

 Other posts you might like to read:

• Being productive and mindful: 20 one minute to dos
• 10 things I like about mindfulness
• Bringing Mindfulness

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This week I have devised a little exercise to practice some mindful eating.  I know it’s hard to eat mindfully [well it is for me anyway] but this one may please some of you out there as it involves CHOCOLATE…..but fear not, it’s waistline friendly – as you really only need one piece of chocolate – two if you wish to do a comparison study!

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 What you need:

1 or 2 chocolates or squares of chocolate

The experiment:

1. Examine the unopened chocolate – the packaging, the smell that comes through the paper.
2. Feel the anticipation
3. Open the bar, watching how the wrapper comes away, how it crinkles and crackles and then reveals the chocolate within.  Notice how the chocolate looks – the texture, aroma, any imperfections made during it’s manufacture
4. Break off a square and breathe in the aroma
5. Look at it….the sheen, any decoration on it, the way it has broken off from the bar.  NB: You don’t have to gaze at it as if it was Mr Hunky or anything, just look at it for what it is – a piece of chocolate – but look at it, know it is there and how it feels in your hand.
6. Smell it again….the sweetness of it, its chocolate-ness
7. Take a bite or place the square in your mouth; feel the sensation as it rests on your tongue.  Savour the flavour of it – what can you taste?  What is the texture like?
8. Roll it around in your mouth and pay close attention to the changing texture and taste; notice how it starts to change from what was once solid
9. Continue focusing on all the characteristics until the chocolate has been eaten and all that remains is the lingering after taste.

Did you enjoy it?  Can you feel the flavour that is left in your mouth?

The comparison step:

• Take the second piece of chocolate – eat it how you normally would…which for most of us to pop it all in your mouth, give it a couple of chews then gulp.  Any difference?  Did it taste the same? …worse? …better?

I tried this experiment on 5 friends last week [ok, so it wasn't a longitudinal study] and all said it tasted better the first time.  One chap even thought they were different types of chocolate.  So if it tastes better then aren’t we getting better value for our money?  Being aware of how our money is working for us is making that money more productive as it is doing more.  So we are being more productive by being more mindful

For many of us we buy things to satisfy a need or a want.  We feel a bit crappy one afternoon and go and buy a block of chocolate to cheer us up, give us a bit of a sugar rush.  It doesn’t often do the trick.  Often it is gone so quickly we think it was lucky we also bought a packet of crisps to go with it!

Be aware of your feelings… if you buy chocolate to feed your emotions instead of your body then ask yourself why.  What are you trying to fill?  What are you trying to sweeten in your life?

Enjoy

Source: weheartit.com via Mindful Productivity on Pinterest

Other posts you might like to read:

• Being productive and mindful: 20 one minute to dos
• How many gurus will you notice today?
• Be where you are

top image source: nokhoog_buchachon

As some of you may [or may not] know I’m part of the Twitter group that mills around under the hashtag #SMEcommunity.  We also have a facebook page and have begun to do a ‘business of the week’ and moi was the first one.  It was a bit scary going first and I’m still not sure why I said I would write five posts this week – I’ll blame it on the cold I had coming on!

Putting out a post each day has been a bit of a stretch from just my usual Monday ones but I’ve learnt a lot and got some  nice feedback on subjects I’ve wanted to touch on for a while.  It’s all been good.  I’ve also discovered I can fit more blogging time into my week and once I start and get into a flow it does come more easily.

It’s good to move out of our comfort zones and see what we can do when we need to.  Just like a plant cannot grow in a pot that’s too small for it so we can’t grow when we don’t challenge our selves.  We need to move beyond our self imposed boundaries, the invisible pots we make for our selves where life is comfortable and easy – too easy sometimes.  We need to move into other spaces, push against the boundaries and break free of the containers we have made for our abilities.

Spring is coming, so it’s time to re-pot a few of the ideas we have about our selves and what we can do.  What will yours be?

Enjoy

image source: google.com via Mindful on Pinterest

Some previous postings you might like to read:

• 5 things to do whilst boiling the kettle
• In the silence are all the answers you seek
• 20 ways to make life harder

With an awful lot of deliberation over the title, this follow up is called ‘Mindfulness & Management – 5 ways to Go with Flow of Business‘.  Okay, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch but there’s a little swapsies around in the title so the two compliment each other.

Both Olwen and myself see a real connection between business and mindfulness and this time I’ve given my suggestions first and Olwen has matched them with her business and management know how.  It’s a nice formula and seeing as the last one was so popular, we hope you all enjoy this one too.

Being mindful at work helps make us aware of what is important and of how we spend our working day.  I’m guilty of missing the odd hour or two [especially now I’ve discovered Pinterest!] but I would rather be putting my work hours into work and achieving the business goals I set for myself during that time.  Becoming more aware of our actions and words also greatly increases harmony amongst workers.  Even when we work by our selves – which a lot of us do – we still need to deal with others as part of our day.  Being aware of the impact of what we do or say often means things run smoother, more efficiently and we finish up a whole lot more calmer at the end of the day.

So, please feel free to download our new offering and pop it up in your workplace, office, canteen, studio or where ever you like.  If you’d like to share it on your blog or site that is fine too but please list your source as Mindful Productivity and Irish Business Intelligence – it’s nice to be nice We hope it will help you and that productivity and mindfulness will rise in your workday.

DOWNLOAD: 5 ways to Go with Flow of Business

and if you don’t already have it, you can download Part 1 too:
5 ways to Flow with Go of Business

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Other posts you might like reading:

• commuter mindfulness – 3 ways to arrive ready for productivity
• new poster: Keep Calm and Stay Mindful
• spring cleaning in the now – and what I learnt