MAX Mindfulness – Page 9

MAX Mindfulness: Take a “Mind Break”

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Here’s an idea for this week. We all know how often and necessary it is to check our email regularly in today’s digital world. Each time you reach to click on your email think “mind break” first. Just take a moment before you read those emails (with all the accompanying work, emotions, fatigue that can happen while reading and responding to them). Take a moment to perhaps look out the window, focus on something on your desk, close your eyes if you prefer, and just take 2-3 deep breaths. Then when you have relaxed and let go for a bit you can read and respond.

I literally put a sticky note on my screen this morning reminding me to do that. I can’t help but see the reminder so I have no excuses if I refuse to take the time to re-center and refocus myself. Studies show our stress levels decline immensely with just a few additional breaths each day. So, go ahead and take a “mind break”!

David Wine

David is the President and CEO of the MAX enterprise, having served in that capacity since its formation in 2001. He has forty plus years of leadership experience in the business and faith-based worlds, being an ordained minister, having been elected to the highest position in his denomination, and receiving numerous awards and recognition for his leadership in the insurance industry. He currently serves on numerous boards in the church and insurance sectors. His hobbies include hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing as well as being an avid reader. David and his wife, Sharon, have three daughters, a son, and four grandchildren.

MAX Mindfulness: Find it in your Heart

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Did you know that your heart’s energy is at least 5,000 times stronger than your brain’s? Some studies show it may even be much stronger than that! We hear a lot about the power of our minds but our hearts are even stronger. It is no coincidence that we talk about the heart when it comes to love, the most powerful emotion we can have. And the opposite comment to indicate cruelty, “they are heartless”.

Why do I share this when I’m writing about mindfulness? Because we have to use our mind to focus and pay attention, but if we are not involving our heart in the process, it is not going to be that helpful for us. The goal of mindfulness is not just to watch our minds at work – it’s to help us get to a ‘better place’ through watching our minds and becoming more aware and seeking positive and peace-giving energy – that comes from the heart. For example, if I take a ‘time out’ and close my eyes and take a few deep breaths before I get in the car to drive, it can help me remember I am now driving and to pay attention. But if that same thought doesn’t touch the heart, I will likely get upset at the first driver that does something that is wrong like cutting me off in traffic, missing a turn signal, etc. Mindfulness really gets powerful when we can connect our brain’s energy (thoughts) to our heart’s energy (feelings). So if I can get in my car, direct my thoughts to “I’m driving now…” and also direct those thoughts to my heart, “I care about others and I want to drive with that care in my heart”, my ability to drive relaxed, safe, and at peace just went up several-fold.

So the greatest gift of mindfulness is when we allow our thoughts to slow down and intercept the energy of the heart. Because the heart is where our positive emotions and energy reside. It is no accident that the heart and Valentine’s Day love and appreciation are connected. This is really the secret of prayer, meditation and worship. When our thoughts focus and we allow the energy of our hearts to come into place, we become gifts to others and to our world. It is not just mindfulness – it is mindfulness to help us get in touch with our hearts – that positive, hopeful, loving part of our self, others, and life. And that is wholeness. And, of course, that is MAX!

David Wine

MAX Mindfulness: Self-Discipline

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

I’d like to share a bit today on the subject of self-discipline. Or we could also say self-initiative, drive, or even passion. All of these are a part of mindfulness – paying attention to our thoughts and feelings, and when we have our greatest resources and strengths working well in our life. Here are some questions for your to “mindfully” consider:

What time of day is your ‘best time’ for certain activities? When are you the most productive? When are you the most creative? When is it easiest to achieve your goals and tasks? (For example, I’m a morning person, while Sharon is an afternoon and even late night person!)
What context (location, environment, etc.) feeds your self-discipline the most? (Some persons like coffee shops; others their office; others a home; garden setting; etc.)
Further on context – what mood suits you the best? (I like solitude and quiet for my best work, so working at home fits my productivity well; Sharon likes people and hustle/bustle around her – that gives her energy – and if she can’t have that, then the music is always on. We are fed by different settings and moods – neither one being right or better – just different.)
Who or what provides you the greatest energy? Maybe it is a fellow worker, a friend, something you read, listen to – anything that energizes you and helps you stay on track or inspires and increases your energy and passion. I personally keep quotations and readings at my desk to turn to at different times of the day to recharge.

Why is all of this related to mindfulness? Because true self-discipline (our ability to stay focused, perform, have initiative) comes to us best when we are self-aware of what nourishes us and when we are at our best. And being aware only comes to us from being mindful of what we are thinking and feeling in the moment. And being in the moment means taking time to pause, breathe, and reflect. Otherwise we are simply on auto-pilot. And self-discipline comes from being in the alignment and the flow of our lives – when we really are at our best. And MAX and we together succeed best when we are all in that flow. So I invite you to mindfully consider your “best times and contexts” for self-discipline and then plan your most important work and tasks around those times. Don’t forget, too, that reflection and mindfulness should also be incorporated into those ‘most productive times’ –it is not all about checking off tasks and ‘to do’ lists. Taking the time to be mindful will save time.

David Wine

MAX Mindfulness: Choose to be Happy

by Dave Wine, President and CEO

There are a lot of articles today, and I have referenced some of these in my past writings, that remind us of certain steps to take to be happy. For example, studies show that there are at least five really key skill sets that separate generally happy people from unhappy people. Those include the ability to savor/enjoy the moment (being able to really focus on what is happening now versus worrying or regretting); expressing gratitude, especially to others that matter in our lives; aspiring to some meaningful goals and making task lists of how to reach those goals and a completion of at least some of them; giving and being generous in time and talents, more than just giving money; and an ability and a desire to understand others and their points of view.

And these and many other skill sets do seem to help us on the path to happiness. However, no one can really be happy unless they choose to be happy and choose not to be unhappy. There are enough woes in any of our lives to keep us from joy and peace and happiness. But there are also enough of the other in our life for us to see joy and happiness. Studies show that the more we think about the things that make us happy, the more happy we will be. And the more we concentrate on the things that disturb us, the more unhappy we will be. Sure seems like good common sense that should be easy to do. Yet we tend to judge and interpret more on the side of ‘what’s wrong’ than on what’s right. Our brains are hard wired to sense danger and threats so our thoughts naturally go more easily to fear and the negative. So we need the practice of mindfully paying attention to our thoughts to overcome this tendency in our brains.

Just stopping for a minute during our day and thinking about something that makes us happy or brings us joy and peace can be one of the simplest and kindest acts we can give ourselves. Think about someone that you are grateful for in your life, something that may have happened today that was an act of kindness, something that filled your eyes or ears with beauty, etc. An apple a day might keep the doctor away, but a positive minute a day might do a lot more for us!

About Dave

MAX Mindfulness: Action Addiction

by Dave Wine, President & CEO

Most of us suffer from what I would call “action addiction”. That simply means that we feel best when we are doing something. We love to accomplish, get things done, cross things off of lists, and feel a sense of accomplishment. Much of that is just fine. But action addiction also keeps us from focusing on those things that really matter. And it keeps us focused on the small things we can achieve quickly rather than the bigger things that take time and energy or the key issues in our lives. In the workplace, action addition can mean we get so busy doing our tasks, crossing off our ‘to do’ lists, managing the routines of work, that we forget we may not be focused on what is most important and what we really need to be doing. We climb the ladder but forget it is leaning against the wrong wall!

Don’t get me wrong. We need activities in our lives. We have to answer the phone, write emails, cook, clean, care for our families and others, file things, open mail, etc. And we like staying busy and accomplishing because that literally releases dopamine in our brains which provides a sense of gratification. So the more we get done, the more dopamine which feels good for short periods of time. But that gratification can hide from us those things that are most important or that we really should be doing instead and studies show the highest and longest lasting gratification comes from accomplishing major projects or life focus. Why mindfulness becomes so important is that it slows us down enough to focus on those priorities, making sure our ladders are leaned against the right wall or doing the right things for the right reasons.

The best test to see if we are ‘action addicts’ is this: Stop at times during the day for a full three minutes. See if you can quiet your mind for that length of time. Can you keep awareness on your breathing or any other object you choose? Can you stay focused on just being? Can you let your mind ‘do nothing’? How hard is it for you to do? It is important to practice this because as we learn to do this we learn to slow down to speed up. Speeding up is doing the right things, the priority things, staying focused on what really matters. That is not done by crossing things off a list or moving quickly from task to task, but by attentively allowing space to happen between tasks and activities. It is listening rather than doing. Sometimes “doing nothing” is the most important thing we can do!

David Wine