Back from my Zen retreat. Just the simple act of sitting still, not talking and focusing on my breathing put things back into perspective.
I left with the thought that there is so much unnecessary suffering in me and in the world. The corporate world is no exception. The corporate world is full of unnecessary drama that saps creativity and productivity.
The problem is confusion, confusion about how the mind works and who we are. As a species we have evolved intellectually but our great strength has become overused and is now weakness. We not only believe our thoughts and feelings, we believe we are our thoughts and our feelings.
To start clearing up the confusion, ask yourself “who am I, who are we, beyond our thoughts and feelings?” Can you listen and see without analyzing and judging? Can you access that part of yourself skillfully? If not, you most likely behave reactively and, just when a situation calls for you to access your heart and clear wisdom, your judgments of yourself and others disconnect you from those around you.
The first steps toward stopping your suffering (and stirring up suffering for others) is to see if you can experience part of your day today listening without opinion. This is how you will remember who you are beyond the thoughts and story about who you are. This will begin to clear up the confusion about who you are.
When you are clear about who you are you will remain grounded and connected to others no matter what.
So who are you?