Uważność w życiu i pracy

Ludzie biznesu wciąż poszukują sposobów na kreatywność, poprawienie efektywności swojej pracy, przepisu na sukces czy własne szczęście. W naszym chaotycznym życiu trudno jest znaleźć nawet chwilę dla samego siebie. Ciągle zajęci, z telefonem w ręku gonimy za sukcesem. A gdyby tak na chwilę przystanąć i spojrzeć na to, co nas otacza? Buddyjscy mnisi od wieków praktykują medytację. Są szczęśliwsi, zdrowsi, bardziej odporni na problemy codziennego życia. Okazuje się, że medytacja może przynieść również wiele korzyści dla biznesu. Umiejętnie wprowadzona do korporacji może stanowić o konkurencyjności firmy. Mindfulness, czyli nauka uważności, już nie jest tylko modą i warto się jej przyjrzeć w świetle własnego rozwoju.

It is really worth carving time to notice what is around us. We are living extremely busy lives in frenetic environments. With so much keeping us occupied, we never seem to take a break. We are always doing something and our minds never take a moment off. We rely on them to be creative, to be razor sharp for work, yet remain effective in our own time.

We take holidays, whisking ourselves off to exotic locations to relax. But, what do we do to relax our minds? Ask yourself: when was the last time you stepped aside from the intense pressures of life and did nothing?

Our relentless pursuit of success, money and power leads to burnout and a diminished quality of life. Unsurprisingly, it ruins our professional lives. Being constantly engaged with the world, we forget what truly matters.

We get distracted too easily, and we don't focus properly on our jobs or lives. We have lost our capacity to live in the moment. We miss out on so much. "Time doth fly", as the saying goes, seems to define our waking reality. But it does not have to be like this. Numerous studies show that if we pay attention to what is around us, our lives improve. This can be achieved through focused relaxation, when we control the flow of thoughts. It lets you take a step back and see things from a different perspective.

Buddhist monks have practised meditation for hundreds of years and it has surged in popularity recently. From being a marginal fad, it is now mainstream. Initially implemented by major companies, such as Google or Facebook, it is increasingly being embraced by business leaders seeking ways to improve productivity and keep their staff happy. The hype for mindfulness is backed up by research findings. A vast array of studies have demonstrated the outstanding effectiveness of mindfulness. Not only does it help reduce stress, lift mood, and increase concentration, but it also fuels creative thinking, thus improving decision-making.

VALUE OF NOW

It seems a remedy for all the ailments of current reality. What exactly is it? There are many definitions. Mindful meditation can be defined as 'the act of focused awareness on the present moment'. Being conscious of our surroundings and feelings, which leads to focusing more on the present as opposed to the linear past and future. It can be defined as 'a mental training practice focusing your mind on your own experiences, i.e. emotions, thoughts etc.'

Research shows that medically it not only reduces stress hormone levels, but can also help develop the brain's power to process information effectively. Mindful meditation rewires the brain from ancient reactionary areas to its evolutionary newest parts, that are responsible for rational and critical thinking.

Practising mindfulness activates, and even expands, areas of the brain linked to focus and concentration. At the same time, it shrinks areas associated with anxiety and stress, while boosting the immune system and enhancing overall well-being. This results in higher cognitive performance, making people more emotionally intelligent. With elevated happiness and contentment in one's own life, one is able to develop self-awareness, break old habits and form new ones.

Buddhists achieve a catatonic state through this mind-altering practice. They are able to experience tremendous tranquillity and reach uninhibited focus. There have been claims of improved energy and greater control of states of anxiety.

It boosts energy levels and serves as a calming influence in times of crisis , offers great insights into your mind and helps you to prioritise ideas and make decisions. Practically, it makes people more impregnable to distraction, to all these beeps and buzzes, the dings of email reverberating all around us. Through reaching a higher level of focus and self-awareness, one can clear the mind of unnecessary clutter, and process complex tasks with the desired ease and clarity. Allowing the mind to decompress you can stay calm, casting off trivial worries. The state of mindfulness allows our mind to be more healthy, to be more vigilant and less distracted

BUSINESS POTENTIAL

It can be a powerful tool for business leaders and is practised by many of the most innovative, the outstanding example being Steve Jobs. He credited Zen meditation for some of the flashes of genius that led to the creation of ground-breaking technological gadgets. As cited by his biographer Walter Isaacson, Jobs claimed that meditation equipped him with the ability to slow down his mind which let him "see things more clearly and be in the present more' and "notice more than you could see before."

Forward-looking companies have noticed the untapped potential of mindfulness practice. Google, for instance, developed the Search Inside Yourself program, a complete training schedule that blended mindfulness and the then popular concept of emotional intelligence. It taught people how to relate to themselves and others, which seemed a crucial factor in the engineer-heavy culture of Google.

It turns out that doing mindful meditation opens your mind to productive ideas. Through practising meditation, you are able to gain clarity and become more self-aware, realising what is important.

Most business people become reactive rather than proactive in their work habits, due to a number of factors, with technological clutter playing a major role. Short bursts of time spent meditating suddenly change the way you react to things around. It enables you to find mental space to make more effective decisions.

Rasmus Hougaard in his book "One Second Ahead: Enhance Your Performance at Work with Mindfulness" says that practising this ancient form of relaxation gives you a one second time pause, and perhaps this brief moment is the key to making thoughtful judgments. Apparently, this short fraction of time is enough for the brain to pay attention to what is important at that exact moment. Instead of jumping to decisions, you might be able to make a more rational choice. This brief pause makes rushed decisions, which usually lead to failure, far less likely. It helps people make more rational decisions, which can spark a great business idea. He calls this moment 'a one second lead over emotions.' As he asserts , it can let business gain a competitive advantage over rivals.

START OFF SMALL

Mindfulness is simple to teach, easy to learn and requires very little time or practice, and can be easily implemented across a business. Practise ten minutes a day. Create some time for meditation early in the morning , when your mind is at its best. Instead of hustling, choose to slow down for two minutes and focus on your breathing.

Start small, with your email. Get out of the habit of starting the day by checking your mailbox. Switch off all the notifications. Check the email once every hour or as necessary for your job. Don't be distracted by all the pings, as they put you under compulsive pressure to respond. Constantly checking your mail is detrimental and causes far greater damage than you might think. Take the time to prioritise tasks and strategise for the rest of the day.

Stop multitasking and focus on one thing at a time. Doing several things at once, you put yourself under pressure and it makes you reactive as you feel the urge to complete them quickly. Concentrate on what you are doing at the moment. Mindful working is the application of focus and awareness to everything you do. Eliminating distractions and staying on task will help you awaken the giant within.

Online vocabulary exercises

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Ćwiczenie pierwsze to klasyczny zestaw fiszek ze słownictwem z tekstu prezentujący ich znaczenie. Sugerowanym sposobem na zapoznanie się ze słownictwem jest wyświetlenie zestawu w trybie FISZKI lub skorzystanie z trybu UCZ SIĘ. Drugie ćwiczenie polega na połączeniu zwrotów, tak aby utworzyć typowe kolokacje ze słownictwa i tutaj najlepszą metodą jest wybranie trybu DOPASOWANIA. Ostatnie ćwiczenie polega na uzupełnianiu zdań i tak jak poprzednio sprawdzi się tryb DOPASOWANIA.

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3. https://quizlet.com/384711012/mindfulness-kolokacje-flash-cards/

Radek Waluda