An "Awe"-ful Mindset

Much has been made in recent years (and with good reason) of the practice of mindfulness. It’s the simple concept of maintaining conscious awareness of the present moment, that isn’t so simple to actually accomplish. Taking in all the thoughts and feelings of each moment can be difficult at first, but also has the ability to drastically shift the mindset, i.e. priorities and outlook, for those who practice. Well, the geniuses over at Wharton have developed a new Nano-Tool that takes mindfulness to the next level. They call it, having an “awe mindset”.

Defined as the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world; awe is a concept that may of us lose touch with in adulthood. So how do we get back to that sense of wonder? Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center; and author of the new book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life, has given some advice on how to keep the magic of awe in everyday life. Research conducted at Cal and other psychological centers shows that achieving a sense of awe leads to existential feelings of interconnectedness and collaboration. People report feeling less like individuals and more like collaborators in a global family. This is a major change in the day to day life of average people.

Keltner says all it takes is a few moments at the beginning of the day to connect with one of the “8 Wonders”. First, look out for moral beauty, or examples of inspiring virtue or character. Second, collective effervescence, when a group merges into a collective unit. Third and fourth: nature and music. These two are self-explanatory; just go somewhere in nature or listen to some music that reaches your soul. Fifth, take inspiration from visual design - either man-made or natural. Sixth, transcendence: this could be any spiritual experience that fosters a sense of meaning. Seventh, stories of life and death: contemplating the circle of life in any form takes us out of our own drudgery and able to think about the bigger picture. And lastly, big ideas: any philosophical thoughts, scientific discoveries, etc. that inspire deeper thought.

Give the full article a read here to see how leaders put this nano-tool into practice, and how it can help you get back the awe in your life.

A Resilience Workout

Resilience is defined as the ability of a person to adjust to or recover readily from illness, adversity, major life changes, etc. This has been a hot topic over the last few years and goodness knows we have all been put to the test. Resiliency is not necessarily a trait that comes naturally, but luckily it can be taught and developed with proper exercises. We just need to flex our resiliency muscles.

Often called the ‘father of positive psychology’, Martin E.P. Seligman has developed his PERMA resilience training program over the past 30 years. His major research was focused on applying this method to military personnel who had experienced a traumatic event. In this groundbreaking research, he used the following tools:

• Positive emotion;

• Engagement;

• Relationships;

• Meaning; and

• Accomplishment.

While some of the ideas proposed in each of these subjects may be a bit intangible, through proper application soldiers were able to mentally recover from trauma much more quickly than others.

Resilience training in the workplace has proved to not only benefit employees’ well being and mindset, but can also increase profits. One study of a two-month-long resilience training program resulted in a $1,846 gain per person for the company due to reduced presenteeism. Take a few minutes to read this article, listen to the associated interview, and even watch a video. We can all benefit from resilience training in our own lives, but see if it can help boost your business too.

Surface Pressure

Whether or not you have children at home, you have likely seen Disney’s new hit movie Encanto. Goodness knows millions of us have, and if you DO have children in your home, it’s likely you’ve seen it many times over. This film isn’t just popular with the young audience, either. Adults everywhere find themselves resonating with the various mental and emotional struggles each character is going through. Truly, it has brought the cultural conversation about mindfulness and emotional intelligence into the multi-generational mainstream in a way that only Disney could do.

So it is understandable that the new Inc.com article by Jeff Haden is getting some attention as well. In it, Haden discusses 3 science-backed ways to better manage stress. Citing several meta-analyses and his own personal experiences, Haden gives concrete advice that can be immediately applied to become more focused, more mindful, and ultimately let the stress we do feel pass over quickly and perhaps even gently. Give this brief but profound article a quick read and see if managing stress comes a little easier afterwards.