How to be mindful at work

In a fiercely competitive world, we can not help but lose our calm and become less mindful of the things or people around us while at work. The Buddhist Philosophy, can help bring back that lost calm and make us mindful of the others. It can help us cope with the day-to-day stress and challenges related to our work, of making difficult decisions or of struggling in a turbulent market – all this with an empathy for our colleagues and bosses. Here’s something really useful that we can learn from it:

1) Greed is NOT good

Buddhism carries a very important message for those of us who obsess about power, money and running in the race of earning more and more of these.

It says that these worldly pleasures are temporary and we can not take these things with us, when we die. So, the key to peace of mind and a lasting satisfaction is following ‘work is worship’ but not obsessing over these materialistic pleasures.

Opting out of the rat-race, thus spares you time to think about your job with a different perspective altogether. You can begin to think in terms of how you can benefit others more and more with your work, rather than just yourself.

2) Nothing lasts forever—just deal with it.

With new technologies overpowering the existing ones, the new people coming and old ones quitting, changing economies and much more, the world of business never stops and is always putting us in front of new challenges. Does the mere thought bring you stress? Without a doubt. But, we must understand that change is inevitable. Also, things do not get better by worrying about them. Accept what Fate has to bring your way. Learn to deal with the world as it is, nt as you think, it is supposed to be.

3) Cherish relationships and do not ignore random encounters

Buddhism teaches us that all encounters we have with other people happen for a reason. So, cherish your relationships with the people around you and make sure that every encounter leads to positive results.

Thus, if we would follow these learnings at work, we would be a little more mindful and less greedy. We’d be more open to changes and more considerate for the things and people that surround us. This would make your office a peaceful and harmonious place.

Invest in learning v/s luxury

Consider a scenario where, I decide that it is high time I got a promotion. What should be my first investment? I buy a couple of new expensive dresses. Do I need to look professional at work? Off course, yes. Should this have been my first investment? Off course not.

Or suppose you have just started a business and have started making small profits which you instantly decide to spend on a CRM, much more complex than you may possibly need. What do you and I in these cases have in common? We both believe that we have made an investment in your business, whereas you haven’t.

Mediocre performers first invest in luxuries, while the outstanding performers first invest in learnings. The learnings and skills are foundational; however the luxuries are merely optional for your growth. The skills may be difficult to acquire and the luxuries, easy but even the best luxuries may not help you but skills are sure to help you. The skills need your time and effort but their payoff in the long term is considerably higher than the investment you make in the short term. The luxuries you buy give you a false sense of progress Luxuries, while the skills and learning give you a true sense of progress and fulfilment.

We often hear everyone say: “Invest in yourself”, but we either do not understand it completely or go wrong with its real meaning. The real meaning that lies behind this phrase is invest in your skillset first, the luxuries will make their way to you later, on their own.

The only thing constant in life is change

You’ve heard that before several times, right? Well, if you really understand and follow that, not only is it easy for you to cope nicely with even big changes in your personal or professional life, but you can yourself step ahead to plant the seeds of these changes & be the father of your own good fortune.

Here are a few suggestions from my side for you to become an entrepreneur in your day-to-day life and cultivate the seeds of change, your life deserves.

Explore ideas: Next time you go to a bookshop, make sure to step in sections where you usually never set foot. Is there anything that catches your attention? Go to the public library and take a random walk amongst the bookshelves. Do you see interesting subjects worth exploring?

Try out a new taste: Buy a couple of cookbooks about subjects unknown to you. Take a look at the pictures of exotic dishes and choose a couple of recipes. Experiment with new cooking techniques. If you are Italian, you might wish to taste Greek cooking. If you are American, try out French cuisine. Go to a restaurant you’ve never thought of visiting. Try something you have never tried before.

Question your routines: Why not exercise an hour later? Could you skip TV news in the evening and, instead, take up learning a foreign language? Why do you always take the same road to drive to work? Could you find a better alternative?

Move things around: Imagine that you are a stranger who comes to your house for the first time. Would you place your furniture on the same place that it now occupies? Could you save time every morning if you rearrange the clothes in your closet?

Replace people: Do you spend your leisure hours with people whose company you really enjoy? Have you ever accepted to take part in activities that you find boring? Why are you not rather making efforts to meet new people?

Personal growth begins with questioning the way we live. These are just some ideas that scratch the surface of what is possible. The world is full of better alternatives for those willing to change their lives.

A generous heart

Apparently the best kept secret of being joyful is being generous. Just think how life would be, if just for once, you would stop worrying about what you can get, enjoy giving all you can give. Living generously is living well and living richly. It makes you an active participant not only in your own good fortune, but also in the good fortune of the others. Life can be an incredibly beautiful and wonderful experience. Your generosity magnifies that beauty and wonder many times over.

Generosity is not merely a matter of material or monetary offerings. Real and meaningful generosity is giving of yourself. Give your love, attention, compassion, interest, genuine care and concern. Give your time, understanding, a peaceful and positive presence and give your commitment. If not money, you can give out several other things people hope for receiving from you.

Live each day with a generous heart. Make life’s abundance even more abundant by giving the best that you have. So, never set out to do good deeds, just have a generous heart and feel the pain that someone might be feeling, the same way as they do. The biggest prayer is the healing of a broken heart.

Friendship day message – Who’s a true friend?

Close your eyes and think of all the people who mean a lot in your life. Apart from your family and blood relations, the faces that flash in front of you must be of the people, you call your friends.

The question is, how do you ascertain that someone’s your ‘true friend’? Most of the people would respond this question with the age-old saying ‘A friend in need is a friend in deed’. But what if you always walk an extra mile to help that friend of yours and when you were in need, your friend genuinely couldn’t help you? Will they not be your friends anymore? Or should you get hurt with this behaviour of theirs? What if you were in their place in the same scenario? The fact is that friendship or any other relationship, for that matter is true only when it is unconditional. If you keep a lot of expectations from your friends, you are sure to get hurt at some point of time.

Right from the times I can remember, I have always tried to give my best to each and every relationship including friendship. And from all these experiences, I can say that giving without expectations is the key to a true friendship.

Having understood this very basic meaning, only we can say that friends are the family god forgot to give you and they are the siblings you get to choose.