How to use mindfulness to cultivate gratitude at work every day | Private Equity Weekly

We all have worries, but what are some strategies for banishing negative thoughts and imagining good things for our businesses, especially when things are hard? Even when things are good, we worry. How do you overcome this?

Here are some of the ways I use alternative and faith-based strategies to help eliminate worry and re-establish joy and gratitude in my life and career.

We all worry, so how can we be grateful?

I have never had a carefree life, but God knows I want it. I grew up a privileged Jewish kid in New York, and my family motto seemed to be “Things can never get worse.” Talking about worries seemed natural.

Worry, and its cousin whining and complaining about the things we worry about, are our work, our pastime, and our passion. It is the air we breathe and the environment that gives us life.

Imagining a life without worries is like imagining growing wings (if we did, Mom would worry that we would fly too close to the sun.)

Living a carefree life, isn’t this a dream? When I was a teenager, studying Castenada and reading Siddhartha, this certainly seemed to be my hope.

I started practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM) around the age of 19, and the unspoken but most important goal seemed to be to find a carefree life. Everything I tried – yoga, meditation, healing, Tony Robin, Dr. Joe DispenzaLandmark Forum─Everything I do, whether consciously or unconsciously, is to eliminate worry from my life forever.

“There is a space between stimulus and response. In this space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. Our response is our growth and happiness.” — Viktor Frankl

In Jewish tradition, there is a saying: Our days. This is used during the Passover Seder and means “this is enough for us.”

We say this (actually sing it) when we tell the story of our exodus from Egypt.We mention every step and sing Our days.

• If we were freed as slaves but not taken to the Red Sea— Dayenu.
• If we were taken to the Red Sea and it was not parted— Dayenu.
• If it is divided but we are not allowed to cross – Dayenu.

Keep going until we are brought to a land flowing with milk and honey. you understood.

I could never get this. How could it be enough? How can we say “enough” if we have not reached the Promised Land?

Now, the answer is clear: every step of the journey should be celebrated as completion. Every step is recognized and appreciated as a step towards the future. If we don’t acknowledge the gifts of where we are, we will never appreciate the future when it comes.

Pain comes when we ask the universe (or God, in this case) for more. We choose to be grateful for where we are, and We welcome what comes next.

Using science and spirituality to bridge the gap

Dr. Joe Dispenzais a neuroscientist, author, speaker, and holistic teacher who has spent years bridging the gap between science and spirituality by showing how we attract the things we pay attention to.

He calls gratitude “the ultimate attraction.” If you are interested in developing power and effectiveness through mastering the Law of Attraction, then this is what you need to practice.

Let’s be clear: Shifting our attention away from worry, and the stress, anxiety, upset, and overwhelm that comes with it, into a space of gratitude is a practice. It takes practice, and like any practice, it’s a mountain without a top. There is no “there” to get.

I invite you to think of it like learning to ride a bicycle—you only learn how to do it with practice. When we are children, when we learn to walk, we first learn balance. Then, as we master balance, we learn to ride a bike and maybe ski, skate, or dance.

Eventually, the basics become second nature. Mastering any skill is a lifelong pursuit, and once you learn the basics (personal discovery of not falling down), you have it forever. Plus, the more you practice, the more you master.

What if we positioned ourselves in gratitude?

Instead of spending our energy on avoiding or overcoming the things we worry about, what if we practiced and learned to respond to our circumstances by choosing to focus on the things we are grateful for?

This goes beyond “positive thinking”, which is often just the icing on the cake.

In this approach, we’re not pretending that what we’re worried about isn’t real—that the threat of market changes or the health concerns of our loved ones is real. Pretending we don’t worry about this isn’t helpful.

But giving them space, letting them exist as things we “can” worry about, but choosing to focus on other things brings a certain peace, power, and freedom that is remarkable.

It may be hard to believe unless you’ve experienced it, but you and I have always seen athletes do extraordinary things with their bodies. Through their daily practice, we see what is possible.

So how do you get there? What are the practical practices?

Mindfulness meditation is simple yet transformative. Just observe your breathing relentlessly for 10 minutes every day.

A recent article in Forbes cited a study clinical psychology review Practicing it for 10 minutes a day can reduce stress, anxiety and depression while lowering blood pressure. The study also demonstrated increased immune response, improved memory and enhanced mood regulation.

I don’t know about you, but these all look good to me, and while I do complain about being “too busy,” 10 minutes is a small price to pay for the benefits.

Another strategy, Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) may seem a bit over the top, but it’s simple and effective, and the results are immediate.

Medical News Today EFT, or tapping, has been reported to reduce anxiety and stress, improve mood, aid weight loss, and relieve chronic pain. Again, these benefits are indisputable.

We practice mindfulness and tapping regularly with our team and get amazing results – they always cite these practices as the source of their effectiveness.

Other Ways to Cultivate Gratitude and Release Worry

More traditional recommendations Things to do about exercise, spending time in nature, and building strong social connections are also very useful in this endeavor.

Remember, the point is not to eliminate what we worry about, but to control what we focus on—what we invest our most precious and limited resource (our attention) into.

I can tell you from personal experience that while I was certainly not immune to the financial impact of the market downturn last year, my personal outlook, confidence, inner peace, and contentment have never been higher.

The more we practice controlling our reactions, the more we can control our future. As a bonus, our reality now becomes more accessible and fulfilling.

Aaron Hendon’s extensive experience in real estate and entrepreneurship gives him a unique perspective on how to navigate the most volatile market conditions.Contact Aaron Instagram and LinkedIn.