However, the busyness that accompanies being a leader in today’s 24/7/365 interconnected world often distracts us from what’s important and limits our ability to lead with excellence. When we are really honest with ourselves, we may have to admit that there are far too many times when we feel as though we’re spending the day putting out fires and wasting time rather than doing our best work. Does it need to be this way?...

Are these sudden, almost mysterious, shifts in direction brought about by an accident, serendipity, or unseen intervention? No, according to the wisdom text now commonly known as, it’s a kind of ordinary magic, which comes from being connected to and working with reality at a deeper, more intuitive level. Attributed to a Chinese general named Sun Tzu who lived 2,500 years ago, the text tells us that this kind of ordinary magic arises when we respond to conflict in a more profound and subtle manner, resisting heavy-handed attempts to wrestle the world into submission....

When I was trying to get back into meditating a few years ago, I read Dan Harris’s book, 10% Happier. His approach to how and why he meditates made so much sense to me. It motivated me to get back to meditating in a way that no other meditation book had. And it made my MBTI mindset start thinking about applying type to meditation. What if I could help people connect with a mindfulness or meditation practice better because it resonated with their MBTI type?...

With more than 75 per cent of teens now owning cell phones, and sending or receiving an average of 3,339 texts a month, the impact of technology on young people will only likely increase. There is no going back; the question is how to skillfully and mindfully move forward. Join other parents, teachers, educators, aunts/uncles, grandparents, concerned citizens and young adults on Saturday, September 17th at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California for this one-of-a-kind conference....

This practice compliments those, by helping us to know how we are the same. You can do the practice by bringing to mind a friend, a colleague, someone who is neutral, or someone who is difficult. You can also do this practice with a live partner while you are sitting across from each other or looking at each other, and repeating the phrases silently. You can use these phrases or others that seem more appropriate to you....

While I am continually amazed at how these visual collages seem to focus my mind on what I aim to achieve—from tangible goals like a new sofa or a meditation retreat, to new and ideal clients, revenue goals, and increasing my hiking endurance—I have a new idea. What about making a dream board with a counterintuitive intention: I want to have a joyous and fulfilling life, even if none of my current intentions are realized?...

While every relationship we have begins with our relationship with ourselves, relational mindfulness gives us the tools we need to connect more deeply with others. Indeed it is the arena of meeting the day-to-day family, work, and societal struggles that we can profoundly deepen our mindfulness practice. What Does Relational Mindfulness Look Like? Imagine yourself in one of these situations: You are in conversation with your spouse or partner and you feel yourself becoming triggered....

Eaten by itself, a falafel is a tasty but carbohydrate-intensive mouthful—a few can go a long way. It is as the foundation of a sandwich that they come into their own. When I ate falafel for the first time, I was taken aback by the amount of silage they heaped in—until I started to eat. Granted, I had to do a lot of chewing, but it was all delicious and left me happy and full, if also a little confused....

A Guided Meditation for Nurses: Honoring Your Hands Honoring Nurse’s Hands as a Gateway to Service © 2022 C. Rushton, by Cynda Hylton Rushton PhD, RN, FAAN, Anne & George Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics & Nursing, Johns Hopkins University. READ MORE Mindful Staff May 10, 2022 Mindful Staff March 17, 2022 Caren Osten Gerszberg January 27, 2022

If you’re watching the second season of Homeland, then you’ve noticed that Carrie Mathison has been a bit more of a mess than her usual breakdowns and bouts of crying. And one of the ways she’s attempting to get herself back on track is through exercise and meditation. In the first few episodes, Carrie explains to friends and colleagues that she is using meditation to cope with the stress of the job, but also as an alternative to taking medication for bi-polar disorder....

Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables, but they are something of a handful. As a kid my mom used to serve them steamed whole, alongside a mustardy vinaigrette that we would dip the leaves into and then eat, one by one. It was a slow but rewarding process, and by the time we reached the heart we could truly appreciate its flavor and texture. If you choose not to simply steam artichokes whole like my mother did, their preparation takes patience—but the patience pays off....

For the last few decades, political scientists have documented this shift toward greater polarization. And yet, until just recently, the polarization of democratic politics was viewed as a mostly elite phenomenon, restricted to activists, pundits, and political professionals. Morris Fiorina, for instance, makes this case in Culture War: The Myth of A Polarized America. Pundits, politicians, and partisans are the ones who are polarized and at war, not ordinary citizens....

We’re passive victims to what distracts us One is that … we’re passive victims, when in fact we can take steps to create a time and place where we aren’t invaded by these intrusions. That we can’t do anything to strengthen our ability to concentrate—I think those are damaging assumptions. We can train attention, we can bulk it up the same way we bulk up a muscle. Mindfulness is attention training....

President of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Pat McQuaid has referred to the doping charges “the biggest crisis cycling has ever faced.” The issue has prompted us to return to a topic of conversation here on Mindful.org and in the premier issue of Mindful magazine: the body-mind connection. In this article, cyclist Karolyn Hudson talks about how mindfulness and sports psychology go hand in hand. Sports psychology is the practice of using your mind to enhance your sport, regardless of whether you’re a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or an amateur cyclist....

She arrived home from school one day in a frenzy. She stomped around her room trying to get our attention. She complained incessantly about our dinner choice. She broke down into tears over a slight bonk to her knee.When we finally sat down for dinner, we asked her, “Is this how you act at school?” “No, you guys,” she said, “I use up all of my good behavior at school....

When my suffering met the youth’s suffering, my heart opened. I spent the next decade raising awareness and funds for homeless youth. The work was helping others, but it was also changing me. I was learning to lead others and to express myself. I was also developing insight into my real purpose in the world. As my desire to serve deepened, the more frustration I felt with the homeless sector....