August 2015 - Arc Integrated

Absenteeism, Body and Mind, Business Performance, Change Management, Focus, Leadership, Managerial Skills, Meditation, People Management Skills, Perception, Productivity, resiliency, Self Care

Meditation for the Individual and Organization

Meditation for the Individual and Organization – Arc Integrated

I have been meditating for some time. I have experienced a wide variety of meditation practices. Practices ranging from breathing exercises to guided meditation to qi gong, a Chinese based practice of held posture or soft movements related to energy cultivation. All of these have found to be valuable in particular ways. Mostly I practice Chi Kung in addition to daily seated meditation. See the link to learn more about my daily practice. However, this post is not about my daily practice. It’s about why meditation for the individual and organization are both so important.

Recently I came across a device call MUSE: The Brain Sensing Headband™ (affiliate link). The device is a headband that gives immediate feedback on brain activity through a synced app on your device. For a detailed account of the process see this link.

Basically, this device works through first calibrating your current brain state (different all the time of course) and sets that stage for how active your brain currently is. From there you get to pick the length of meditation, from three minutes to one hour, and a scene (rain forest or beach) that is associated with your meditation session. You get feedback through sound from the scene you choose. For example, crashing waves when active, soft waves when your brain is calm. In addition, you hear birds chirping when your brain is particularly calm.

When the session is over you get a detailed report of your session and how calm or active your brain was. The detailed account is presented in an easy to read graph of the ups and downs of activity during the session.

So the question may still be – what is the point of meditation? It’s a valid question, with many answers! Meditation has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, depression and even improve productivity. Please see highlights below –

Meditation for the Individual

Meditation can have an impact on the body, mind and overall well-being. Below are just some highlights of the impact of meditation on the individual.

Impact on Aging – According to a study at UCLA, they concluded that long term meditators had less age related gray matter in the brain.
Management of Health Conditions – The Mayo Clinic sites meditation as having a high impact on both emotional well-being as well as helping people to manage symptoms of Asthma, High Blood Pressure, Heart Disease and more.
Impact on Depression, Anxiety and Pain – In a meta-analysis last year at John Hopkins, researchers determined that mindfulness meditation practices had a moderate impact on depression, anxiety and pain. Here is another resource for how meditation can improve happiness.
Meditation and Self-Control – In a study in 2013 by three universities, it is suggested that meditation training can have an impact on self-control and smoking reduction.

Meditation for the Organization

The impact of meditation on the organization can be significant. Implementing meditation can have an impact on productivity, absenteeism and even the bottom line!

Impact on Absenteeism – According to an article by The Harvard Business Review – employees struggling with depression lose an average of 27 days of work per year. If we know that meditation can have an impact on depression, then this could be a way to improve absenteeism and ultimately save the company time and money.
Impact on Disability – The World Health Organization estimates the depression will be the leading cause of disability by 2020 with heart disease as second. This means high cost to companies that don’t find ways to work towards helping employees reduce and manage such issues.
Impact on Healthcare Costs and Productivity – Corporate mindfulness programs are on the rise. According to an article by The Atlantic, Aetna states that since instituting its mindfulness program it has saved $2000 per employee in healthcare costs and gained $3000 per employee in productivity costs.
Meditation More Common in the Workplace – According to an article by The Society for Human Resource Management, meditation and mindfulness programs are being implemented into wellness programs more regularly because of the great benefits associated.

So how does all this great data relate back to MUSE™? Well, for a few reasons –

Meditation for the Individual and Organization

Easy to Understand Feedback – The immediate feedback MUSE™ gives is unique when it comes to meditation. Often times when meditating it is harder to get immediate results, which is why it takes lots of practice. MUSE™ takes practice too, but offers a way to see the direction you are heading.
Fun in Competition – Meditation is not generally competitive. However, with integration into a company’s wellness program, using MUSE™ in meditation, could be similar to running a challenge of healthy eating, walking or drinking water. For example, a race to get to 75% relaxation or a meditation for 30 days challenge.
Measurable – For those individuals or organizations that want to see progress in a measurable fashion, MUSE™ could be a tool for this. Gathering data over time allows you to see where you started and how far you’ve come.
An Introduction to Meditation – If you have never meditated you may have views, opinions or an image in your mind. This device takes some of the mystery out of the practice and allows for a glimpse into what is possible through calming your mind as well as the relationship between your mind and body. Any way to connect our understanding of how our mind impacts other aspects of our health, is a great opportunity for growth and development.

How have you found meditation to be helpful in your life or workplace?

Please share or comment below.

Thanks!

Michael

P.S. If you’re looking for more resources on stress reduction, mindfulness and adaptability, check out my new book – CHANGES – The Busy Professional’s Guide to Reducing Stress, Accomplishing Goals and Mastering Adaptability.

August 28, 2015/by Michael

Authentic Motivation, Change Management, Coaching, Passion, Personal Development Coaching, Purpose

Building Motivation to Change

Motivation to change is an individualized experience. What motivates us most is the unique combination of our passion and purpose. I describe this as Authentic Motivation. What this means is that when we are looking at building motivation to change we need to first tap into what is our truest sense of authentic self.

I recently read an article on how to find your life’s work. This person had a series of steps where you could identify what your life’s work is, in 20 minutes. It was a writing exercise that basically looked at brainstorming ideas until you wrote one down that moved you to tears. I really liked this idea because it is a way to tap into what you truly connect with. This idea will not only act as guidance towards work but also give you motivation to get there.

When considering how to make a change, motivation is the biggest factor. We can set goals, have intentions, mark our calendars, get coaching, join a group or engage in many other strategies, but if we don’t have a grasp on what our biggest WHY is then we may not get to where we want to go. Working towards change through authentic motivation will lead you to reaching goals faster and more easily.

4 tips on building motivation to change

Explore your strengths – Discovering where your talents are may help lead you to finding out what motivates you. We of course are drawn to things we are good at. Unsure about what your strengths are? Consider asking one person in five different areas of your life – family, work, significant other, religious affiliation and friendships. Taking this inventory may bring up themes of strengths that you have that you may not have realized.

Identify what energizes you – Start taking note. For a period of three weeks take note of every time you feel excited, energized or strongly driven in a particular area. This may not just be work related but could be in any area in life. After you have a list of items, see what themes emerge. These themes may be areas that you can work from when building motivation to change a particular area of your life.

Take a stand – Start to consider where you put significance in your life. What do you really have a strong opinion about? What area of your life do you have a strong passion in? What do people tell you regarding what seems to be important you? You can take the same inventory from step #1 to discover where your passions are. Understanding what you are passionate about will help you to build authentic motivation.

Get additional resources – Still having trouble determining how to create authentic motivation? Download this free tip sheet on Authentic Motivation. This will walk you through the importance of R.E.P.S. (Reflection, Evaluation, Persistence and Significance). This strategy will help you to create the motivation you need to make real change.

Where do you find motivation?

Share any ideas or comments below.

Best,

Michael

August 18, 2015/by Michael

Change Management, Coaching, Gratitude, Personal Development Coaching, Purpose, resiliency, Self Care

Telling Your Story

I recently wrote a guest post for The Cheerful Word on what it means to take a deeper look at your life story. I also just came back from a few days in WI, where I grew up. This trip had me thinking about my story and what informs my success, experience, challenges, relationships etc. Since I recently wrote about the power of telling your story, I thought I would take a shot at telling some of my story.

In this post you’ll learn a bit about my background, my family and the Midwest. If you haven’t been to the Midwest, then you should go. Yes, I know it’s not on the way to anything. However, lots of good pockets of entertaining cities as well as beautiful countryside and friendly people. If you do go, don’t go in the winter time. The summers are great though. The picture for this post is actually right down the street from the farm I grew up on. So, why does this matter for this post? I am telling this story because I think the lessons are valuable things to highlight regarding personal development and self-improvement. Since this blog is all about individual and organizational self-improvement, I thought this would be a good fit.

Once a year my grandmother hosts a party “Christmas in July” (actually August this year). It used to be a Christmas party actually held in December but due to conflict with weather, we moved it. It’s mostly family and close friends that have been friends with the family for decades, some many decades. It’s a great chance to reconnect with people I don’t get to see often, but have spent time with for most of my life.

Whenever I go home I also have the opportunity to connect with some of my oldest friends, which is great. Through this process of reconnecting with old friends and family members, I was thinking I have much to be grateful for. Below are some highlighted areas of gratitude and lessons I appreciate. My guess is that this will resonate with some of you.

Some of the things I’m grateful for that I was reminded of while back in WI this last weekend –

Work Ethic – Whenever I go back to “the farm” (my family still owns the farm I grew up on) there are endless requests for help. Although some may argue, this is actually something I’m grateful for. Having grown up on a farm where there is always something to work on, taught me how to work hard and I think gave me a positive work ethic. This is a quality that I see as being crucial in all the role models I have had over the years and in those that are truly successful. Hard work pays off, always.

Humor – My friends and family are hilarious…or at least we think so. Whenever there is a larger gathering there are usually no dull moments. Humor can be so helpful in de-stressing, changing perspective or shifting the tone of a day. I can often get too analytical and serious with things. I am so grateful for my friends and family, who always put a smile on my face.

Nature – Being in a rural environment just feels more relaxing sometimes. Even though my family’s farm is filled with work, it is also filled with a sense of relaxation and beauty. Not being surrounded by commerce, vehicles and constant advertising is a great way to refuel and gather a new sense of energy. It can be so easy to get swept away with the “to do” lists and constant distraction from media, technology and fast moving pace we set ourselves at. Being closer to nature often allows me to take a step back, take a deep breath and remain grounded.

These are a just a few pieces of my story that I am grateful for.

What lessons or pieces of gratitude do you have from your story?

Share or comment below.

Thanks,

Michael

August 13, 2015/by Michael

Body and Mind, Business Performance, Career Coaching, Change Management, Coaching, Executive Coaching, Leadership, Personal Development Coaching

Maintain Change Through Coaching

I was thinking recently about my own personal philosophy about how to really maintain change when searching for it, as well as how I bring this philosophy into my coaching practice. As with most things I do, I take a holistic approach, which is the same for my coaching philosophy. The following ideas can be taken as a guide to maintain change through coaching as well as a guide to understand how I work as a coach.

When working towards change, particularly when it comes to personal development, it is important to see all the aspects that may be helping or hurting progress. We are complicated creatures. Working towards the best version of ourselves is not just about thinking in a different way or practicing good habits (although these are pieces of the puzzle).

True change comes from evaluating all the aspects of our human experience. When we look through all of our different lenses, we have the greatest likelihood for success. We need to explore how we think, feel, act, take care of ourselves, strengths we have as well what/who we surround ourselves with.

As a helpful reminder for you, I’ve created a way to remember how you can check to see if you are evaluating the different parts of yourself and what may be helping or hurting your progress. Consider the acronym CHANGE –

C – Cognition

H – Heart

A – Action

N – Nourishment

G – Greatness

E – Environment

Each part of this acronym has some important components to consider –

Cognition – The way we think. Do you analyze, make decisions quickly, not quickly enough, make strong judgments, think poorly of yourself or too highly perhaps? Both the way we think and what we focus on may be impacting our ability to change.

Heart – How we feel. Our emotions play a big part in our ability to be successful. If we can remain confident, happy, grateful, curious and positive then we may have a greater chance to work towards change. If we are negative, depressed, sad, angry, overly reactive or closed off from our emotions we may have a harder time moving towards the change we are working on. How we feel can also be related to our relationships and how they impact our ability to change.

Action – Habits and routines play a big role in our ability to change. Thinking and feeling are important but it is the actions that we take that impact how our feelings and thoughts change. Our action or inaction can play a big role in our ability to push things forward towards our desired outcome.

Nourishment – How we take care of ourselves. It is not news that the way we eat, how much we exercise, and our general lifestyle all impact multiple facets of our lives. This is the same for any change we are after. How we treat our body impacts our motivation, energy, creativity, strength and focus. Considering how we are nourishing ourselves is important.

Greatness – What are your strengths, purpose, and passion? This is what makes up your greatness. Exploring what is great about you not only leads to creating better leadership but also fulfillment, higher energy, better coping methods and a happier lifestyle.

Environment – What we surround ourselves with. I believe it was Jim Rohn who originally quoted – “We are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with.” This is a powerful quote and I believe it to be relevant. When it comes to our own development, our environment goes beyond the people we are around. Our environment could be our family, work, our city, community, or how our house looks and feels. For example, if you know you function at a higher level when things are organized then keeping your house clean and in order may be an important factor in your own development.

All of these factors within the CHANGE acronym are important to explore during coaching. When I work with clients this is part of the process I take them through. My belief is that unless we focus on all of the potential areas that may be influencing our ability to make a change then we are leaving opportunity on the table.

It is also important to remember that any change one may be working towards takes time. Remember that there is a particular pace that change takes. Be kind to yourself along the way.

Enjoy the journey,

Michael

August 6, 2015/by Michael

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